--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People talking about politics usually…" description: "\"People talking about politics usually start from the ass end backwards in that they think you have a political agenda, and then you make your work fit ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/margaret-atwood-40_ass_people-talking-about-politics-usually-st_2191225.jpg" --- # People talking about politics usually start from the ass… ![“People talking about politics usually start from the ass end backwards in that they think you have a political agenda, and then you make your work fit that cookie cutter. It's the other way around. One works by simple observation, looking into things. It's usually called insight and out of that…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/margaret-atwood-40_ass_people-talking-about-politics-usually-st_2191225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/margaret-atwood-40_ass_people-talking-about-politics-usually-st_2191225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a1/margaret-atwood-40_ass_people-talking-about-politics-usually-st_2191225.jpg) > “People talking about politics usually start from the ass end backwards in that they think you have a political agenda, and then you make your work fit that cookie cutter. It's the other way around. One works by simple observation, looking into things. It's usually called insight and out of that comes your view - not that you have the view first and then squash everything to make it fit. I'm not interested in cutting the feet off my characters or stretching them to make them fit my certain political view.” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective storytelling arises from observation, not imposing pre‑existing political agendas onto characters. **In simple terms:** Observe first, then form views. Key Takeaway Let characters shape ideas, not the reverse. Themes storytelling politics creativity Mood reflective analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - writing - character development - political commentary - creative process Key Concepts observation insight authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure observation guides your work? - What habits prevent agenda‑driven storytelling? A Different Perspective May limit narrative clarity when personal bias is strong. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ass/) [Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards/) [Certain Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain-political-415767/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Not interested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-interested/) [Observation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observation/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-talking/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-view/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Politics Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics-usually-806833/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Talking politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-politics/) [Think Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-political/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not interested in cutting the feet off my characters or stretching them to make them fit my certain political view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-not-interested-in-cutting-the-feet-off-my-characters-or/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [It's essential not to have an ideology, not to be a member of a political party. While the writer can have certain political views,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-puig/it-s-essential-not-to-have-an-ideology-not-to-be-a-member-of-a/) [Manuel Puig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-puig/) > [Certainly the policy is right and good politics usually follow good policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-flake/certainly-the-policy-is-right-and-good-politics-usually-follow-good/) [Jeff Flake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-flake/) > [It's a good question, because a movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-s-a-good-question-because-a-movie-isn-t-good-or-bad-based-on-its/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [A lot of guys will talk politics, but usually not about Trump. Those might get a little heated depending on who you're talking to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-jenkins/a-lot-of-guys-will-talk-politics-but-usually-not-about-trump-those/) [Malcolm Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-jenkins/) > [Talk of citizenship today is often thin and tinny. The word has a faintly old-fashioned feel to it when used in everyday conversation. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-liu/talk-of-citizenship-today-is-often-thin-and-tinny-the-word-has-a/) [Eric Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-liu/) > [I've got no problem with religion if you're going to use it for the good, like Gandhi or Martin Luther King. But that's rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-ve-got-no-problem-with-religion-if-you-re-going-to-use-it-for-the/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Politics are usually the executive expression of human immaturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/politics-are-usually-the-executive-expression-of-human-immaturity/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Most people who get in trouble in politics usually get in trouble because they're disconnected from the people they serve, and I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-alexander/most-people-who-get-in-trouble-in-politics-usually-get-in-trouble/) [Lamar Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-alexander/) > [A movie isn't good or bad based on its politics. It's usually good or bad for other reasons, though you might agree or disagree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/a-movie-isn-t-good-or-bad-based-on-its-politics-it-s-usually-good-or/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“I started to pour some of my passion into politics. I later learnt that a man who has passion in his politics is usually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waguih-ghali/i-started-to-pour-some-of-my-passion-into-politics-i-later-learnt/) [Waguih Ghali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waguih-ghali/) > [In the world of fiction, politics usually appears considerably more exciting than it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-phillips/in-the-world-of-fiction-politics-usually-appears-considerably-more/) [Jess Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-phillips/) > [In power politics, it's usually not enough to be liked. A nation has to be considered essential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cohen/in-power-politics-it-s-usually-not-enough-to-be-liked-a-nation-has-to/) [Richard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cohen/) > [Fashion is a language, and therefore says something about politics, and certain fashion styles get associated with certain political standpoints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grayson-perry/fashion-is-a-language-and-therefore-says-something-about-politics-and/) [Grayson Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grayson-perry/) > [Certain political figures think when you call them and ask them for a comment; that you are somehow doing something that you shouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/certain-political-figures-think-when-you-call-them-and-ask-them-for-a/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Ass quotes > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“There was once an old but clever donkey, who never liked the sting of any bee, Nor for all the Slung mud, did he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyavrat-thareja/there-was-once-an-old-but-clever-donkey-who-never-liked-the-sting-of/) [Priyavrat Thareja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyavrat-thareja/) > [I named my son Noah for the same reason Chris Martin named his apple: we're asses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-named-my-son-noah-for-the-same-reason-chris-martin-named-his-apple/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [What is this world?--A term which men have got, To signify not one in ten knows what; A term, which with no more precision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-churchill/what-is-this-world-a-term-which-men-have-got-to-signify-not-one-in/) [Charles Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-churchill/) > [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [“Employment is an employee’s kissing of an employer’s ass. A salary is the employer’s pretense to be cleaning his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/employment-is-an-employee-s-kissing-of-an-employer-s-ass-a-salary-is/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I just had a pedicure. My feet are soft like a baby's behind. If his ass was covered in calluses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-saget/i-just-had-a-pedicure-my-feet-are-soft-like-a-baby-s-behind-if-his/) [Bob Saget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-saget/) > [Now people are really inspired to do a lot, and the fire got lit under our asses to be more politically aware and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasheer-zamata/now-people-are-really-inspired-to-do-a-lot-and-the-fire-got-lit-under/) [Sasheer Zamata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasheer-zamata/) > [Friends, haters, it's Twitter poll time. What do you think most holds back justice and equality for women? All thoughts welcome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/friends-haters-it-s-twitter-poll-time-what-do-you-think-most-holds/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) [Robert M. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-hayes/) [Browse all 1,551 Ass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ass/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People talking about politics usually start from the ass end backwards in that they think you have a political agenda, and then you make your work fit that cookie cutter. It's the other way around. One works by simple observation, looking into things. 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