--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Democrats are like a big tortoise that's…" description: "\"Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and can't get up; you can't make jokes about that.\" — Lewis Black" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png" --- # Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and… ![“Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and can't get up; you can't make jokes about that.” quote by Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png) > “Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and can't get up; you can't make jokes about that.” [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political satire highlighting perceived stagnation and inability to recover within a party. **In simple terms:** Democrats seem stuck and unable to rise. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic inertia. Themes politics satire stagnation Mood ironic critical humorous Type satirical political When to use this quote - political campaigns - legislative reform - public discourse - media analysis Key Concepts critical commentary humor social critique Questions to Reflect On - How can parties revitalize their platforms? - What factors truly hinder political progress? A Different Perspective Overgeneralizes complex issues to a single metaphor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back/) [Big](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big/) [Big Tortoise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-tortoise-528326/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Democrats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats/) [Democrats Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrats-like-528325/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Get up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-up/) [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-jokes/) [Tortoise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoise/) [Tortoises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoises/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [The tortoise moves very slowly, it moves towards whatever the goal is, to keep a democratic capitalistic society functioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/the-tortoise-moves-very-slowly-it-moves-towards-whatever-the-goal-is/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [A tortoise is, I suppose, a Jewish pet. It knows its place. Out on the lawn. It doesn't bark. It doesn't tear the Dralon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-lipman/a-tortoise-is-i-suppose-a-jewish-pet-it-knows-its-place-out-on-the/) [Maureen Lipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-lipman/) > [We live in a culture full of hares; but the tortoise always wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/we-live-in-a-culture-full-of-hares-but-the-tortoise-always-wins/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-gigantic-tortoise-with-a-jewel-encrusted-shell-was-glittering-near/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tortoises are not very fast, as everyone knows, but they make up for their slow speed by being very determined. And if you turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-herring/tortoises-are-not-very-fast-as-everyone-knows-but-they-make-up-for/) [William Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-herring/) > [Nature is slow, but sure; she works no faster than need be; she is the tortoise that wins the race by her perseverance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/nature-is-slow-but-sure-she-works-no-faster-than-need-be-she-is-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [One day a tortoise will learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/one-day-a-tortoise-will-learn-how-to-fly/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You do not know me,’ said Tortoise. ‘I am a changed man. I have learned that a man who makes trouble for others makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/you-do-not-know-me-said-tortoise-i-am-a-changed-man-i-have-learned/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I personally would like to bring a tortoise onto the stage, turn it into a racehorse, then into a hat, a song, a dragoon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-personally-would-like-to-bring-a-tortoise-onto-the-stage-turn-it/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [But of course, what the eagle does not realize is that it is participating in a very crude form of natural selection.One day a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-of-course-what-the-eagle-does-not-realize-is-that-it-is/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I suppose without curiosity a man would be a tortoise. Very comfortable life, a tortoise has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-suppose-without-curiosity-a-man-would-be-a-tortoise-very/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Oh, a very useful philosophical animal, your average tortoise. Outrunning metaphorical arrows, beating hares in races... very handy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/oh-a-very-useful-philosophical-animal-your-average-tortoise/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The slower but consistent tortoise causes less waste and is more desirable than the speedy hare that races ahead and then stops occasionally to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taiichi-ohno/the-slower-but-consistent-tortoise-causes-less-waste-and-is-more/) [Taiichi Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taiichi-ohno/) > [Deathlessness should be arrived at in a... haphazard fashion. Loving fame as much as any man, we shall carve our initials in the shell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/deathlessness-should-be-arrived-at-in-a-haphazard-fashion-loving-fame/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [Giving the tortoise a little wave, I kind of felt stupid afterward for doing so. It just stuck its head back in its green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/giving-the-tortoise-a-little-wave-i-kind-of-felt-stupid-afterward-for/) [J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/) ## More by Lewis Black > [I think one reason people play golf is it allows them to obsess about something other than the daily crap. It takes your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-think-one-reason-people-play-golf-is-it-allows-them-to-obsess-about/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [If you're going to vote for somebody because you think they have a great faith in God, you'd better be sure that God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-re-going-to-vote-for-somebody-because-you-think-they-have-a/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I think that I don't panic as much as the folks on the left or the right do. I don't have that sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-think-that-i-don-t-panic-as-much-as-the-folks-on-the-left-or-the/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [“I don't know if you've noticed, but our two-party system is a bowl of shit looking at itself in the mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-noticed-but-our-two-party-system-is-a-bowl-of/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [These ballot initiatives against same sex marriage remind us that America is the land where people are free to dream whatever they want, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/these-ballot-initiatives-against-same-sex-marriage-remind-us-that/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [If you're going to pick a book and you want to base a system of government around it, why not 'Harry Potter?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-re-going-to-pick-a-book-and-you-want-to-base-a-system-of/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [No matter what, your parents are going to worry about you. I had a tour bus, and my mother still thought I was broke.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/no-matter-what-your-parents-are-going-to-worry-about-you-i-had-a-tour/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I'm always amazed when I hear people saying, "That George Bush, he's a great leader". And I wonder, where can one find a drug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-m-always-amazed-when-i-hear-people-saying-that-george-bush-he-s-a/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I knew that I'd lived in New York too long when, a few years ago, I was on a subway going downtown, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-knew-that-i-d-lived-in-new-york-too-long-when-a-few-years-ago-i-was/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [If you're seeing a psychiatrist, you're wasting money because all you've got to do is get on a plane, get on a subway tomorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/if-you-re-seeing-a-psychiatrist-you-re-wasting-money-because-all-you/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Well first of all, I'd just like to say that 2005 was a great year, if you like swimming through crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/well-first-of-all-i-d-just-like-to-say-that-2005-was-a-great-year-if/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [I'd like the campaigning to be about all the things they're not going to do. Just tell me what you're not going do! Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-d-like-the-campaigning-to-be-about-all-the-things-they-re-not-going/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [All food is comfort food. Maybe I just like to chew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/all-food-is-comfort-food-maybe-i-just-like-to-chew/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [Johnny Vassilaros is the man who has created the finest cup of coffee ever served in the city of New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/johnny-vassilaros-is-the-man-who-has-created-the-finest-cup-of-coffee/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [“At seven p.m., hope is sparked again when some new chirpy airline employee announces that a new plane without that nasty mechanical problem -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/at-seven-p-m-hope-is-sparked-again-when-some-new-chirpy-airline/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) [Explore all 283 Lewis Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' 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It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) [Browse all 26,122 About quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and can't get up; you can't make jokes about that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lewis Black" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s-on-its-back-and-can-t-get-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s-on-its-back-and-can-t-get-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/030/lewis-black-1143_about_democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s_1636278.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Democrats are like a big tortoise that's on its back and can't get up; you can't make jokes about that.” — Lewis Black", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lewis Black", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Democrats are like a big tortoise...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s-on-its-back-and-can-t-get-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/democrats-are-like-a-big-tortoise-that-s-on-its-back-and-can-t-get-up/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```