---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't have politicians with dignity…"
description: "\"We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We never have, not since [Nelson] Mandela and [Mahatma ] Gandhi. It's really rare.\" — Marina Abramovic"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg"
---

#  We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We…

![“We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We never have, not since &#91;Nelson&#93; Mandela and &#91;Mahatma &#93; Gandhi. It's really rare.” quote by Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg)

> “We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We never have, not since \[Nelson\] Mandela and \[Mahatma \] Gandhi. It's really rare.”

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern politics often lack moral integrity, a rarity since historic leaders.

**In simple terms:** Politicians rarely show true dignity today.

Key Takeaway

Demand ethical standards from leaders.

Themes

ethics leadership disillusionment

Mood

critical concerned

Type

analytical philosophical

When to use this quote

- voting decisions
- activism
- public discourse

Key Concepts

political theory moral philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can citizens hold officials accountable?
- What actions promote ethical governance?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing past leaders may ignore their flaws.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morals/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politicians/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/)

## Related quotes

> [I've always kept my dignity, my morals and my perspective because God always had my back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keyshia-cole/i-ve-always-kept-my-dignity-my-morals-and-my-perspective-because-god/)

[Keyshia Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keyshia-cole/)

> [Bill Nelson has demonstrated that he is a rubber stamp for the Obama administration and he's out of touch with the solution that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hasner/bill-nelson-has-demonstrated-that-he-is-a-rubber-stamp-for-the-obama/)

[Adam Hasner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hasner/)

> [I was doing the Black Issue in 2006 and then went to Africa for Uomo Vogue. I've worked with Gucci and Fendi, committed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franca-sozzani/i-was-doing-the-black-issue-in-2006-and-then-went-to-africa-for-uomo/)

[Franca Sozzani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franca-sozzani/)

> [I'm inspired by people like Nelson Mandela. Can you imagine - you know how racist America was back then - imagine how racism was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-m-inspired-by-people-like-nelson-mandela-can-you-imagine-you-know/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [Nelson Mandela is a leader Barack Obama should try to emulate... He could start by spending 27 years in prison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-imus/nelson-mandela-is-a-leader-barack-obama-should-try-to-emulate-he/)

[Don Imus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-imus/)

> [In Durban, where I was born and grew up, and all over Africa, Nelson Mandela was a hero! Now he is a hero to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumi-naidoo/in-durban-where-i-was-born-and-grew-up-and-all-over-africa-nelson/)

[Kumi Naidoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumi-naidoo/)

> [Even here in America, we felt the cool, refreshing breeze of freedom when Nelson Mandela took the seat of Presidency in his country where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/even-here-in-america-we-felt-the-cool-refreshing-breeze-of-freedom/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [I learned so much about recording and about singing on records from Ken Nelson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-jackson/i-learned-so-much-about-recording-and-about-singing-on-records-from/)

[Wanda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-jackson/)

> [“Be strong, Nelson,” Colton said. “You can’t die. That’s an order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sansbury-smith/be-strong-nelson-colton-said-you-can-t-die-that-s-an-order/)

Nicholas Sansbury Smith

> [The same things that we hurray and support in other places, like people like Nelson Mandela, our prisoners were doing the same thing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sekou-odinga/the-same-things-that-we-hurray-and-support-in-other-places-like/)

[Sekou Odinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sekou-odinga/)

> [“I want you to know, if you ever read this, there was a time when I would rather have had you by my side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/i-want-you-to-know-if-you-ever-read-this-there-was-a-time-when-i/)

[Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/)

> [I'm a huge fan of Maggie Nelson. If anyone can translate her work to the stage, it's Katie Mitchell and Margaret Perry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-d-arcy/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-maggie-nelson-if-anyone-can-translate-her-work-to/)

[Emma D'Arcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-d-arcy/)

> [When I came to explain to them the 'Nelson Touch', it was like an electric shock. Some shed tears, all approved - 'It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/when-i-came-to-explain-to-them-the-nelson-touch-it-was-like-an/)

[Horatio Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatio-nelson/)

> [You might be a redneck if you have a picture of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, or Elvis over your fireplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-you-have-a-picture-of-johnny-cash-willie/)

[Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/)

> [“… ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself Ricky Nelson (Referring to creative works, not other things)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ya-can-t-please-everyone-so-ya-got-to-please-yourself-ricky-nelson/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Marina Abramovic

> [I really think there's no difference between an art piece made by a man and one made by a woman. Is it a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-really-think-there-s-no-difference-between-an-art-piece-made-by-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [I hate studios. A studio is a black hole. I never use a studio to work. It's very artificial to go to a studio…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-hate-studios-a-studio-is-a-black-hole-i-never-use-a-studio-to-work/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [In my work I have complete control, but about my life, I don't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/in-my-work-i-have-complete-control-but-about-my-life-i-don-t-want-to/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [Performance is there, and if you are not there in that moment it happened, it just stays in the memory. It's so immaterial and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/performance-is-there-and-if-you-are-not-there-in-that-moment-it/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [I can explain my work to the cleaner or the president; it's all the same to me. I am very communist in this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-can-explain-my-work-to-the-cleaner-or-the-president-it-s-all-the/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [My memoirs are full of humor, I had to change jokes because it was a little too dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/my-memoirs-are-full-of-humor-i-had-to-change-jokes-because-it-was-a/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [To be in a magazine when you're 20 is okay, but when you do it when you're 65, it's much more fun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/to-be-in-a-magazine-when-you-re-20-is-okay-but-when-you-do-it-when/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [Most of the time, the artists are not supposed to wear the fashion. It is always seen as a vanity. But I think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/most-of-the-time-the-artists-are-not-supposed-to-wear-the-fashion-it/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [You know, art is very emotional business. But mostly it becomes not emotional, the fabric of commodity. It becomes business. It becomes so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/you-know-art-is-very-emotional-business-but-mostly-it-becomes-not/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [I didn't give any instruction to the video, because it was a new medium. I didn't know what to tell him; it was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/i-didn-t-give-any-instruction-to-the-video-because-it-was-a-new/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [If I'm not nervous, I'm nervous. You never know how people are going to receive the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/if-i-m-not-nervous-i-m-nervous-you-never-know-how-people-are-going-to/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [Today, our attention is less than the television advertisement. We're looking at six or seven problems constantly. We're living in the disturbed societies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/today-our-attention-is-less-than-the-television-advertisement-we-re/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [Art comes from life, not from the studio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/art-comes-from-life-not-from-the-studio/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [All the aggressive actions I do to myself I would never dream of doing in my own life - I am not this kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/all-the-aggressive-actions-i-do-to-myself-i-would-never-dream-of/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

> [It's so easy to do things you like. But then, the thing is, when you're afraid of something, face it; go for it. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/it-s-so-easy-to-do-things-you-like-but-then-the-thing-is-when-you-re/)

[Marina Abramovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

[Explore all 234 Marina Abramovic quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/)

## More Dignity quotes

> [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/)

[Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/)

> [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/)

Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera

> [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/)

[Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/)

> [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The dignity of man is in free choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/the-dignity-of-man-is-in-free-choice/)

[Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/)

> [One of the things I love about Africa is the amount of dignity and respect and humility you see all the time. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-africa-is-the-amount-of-dignity-and/)

[Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/)

> [It is well for a man when he has learned to endure what he cannot change, and to give up with dignity what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-well-for-a-man-when-he-has-learned-to-endure-what-he-cannot/)

[Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/)

> [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/)

[G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/)

> [A man, as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/a-man-as-a-man-could-arrive-at-all-the-dignity-that-a-man-was-capable/)

[John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/)

> [There is something to be said for anyone who sits alone with dignity and silently begs for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/there-is-something-to-be-said-for-anyone-who-sits-alone-with-dignity/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [I just remember that disturbing feeling of walking into that prison, the complete loss of privacy, the complete loss of stimulation, dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/i-just-remember-that-disturbing-feeling-of-walking-into-that-prison/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/)

[Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/)

> [The dignity of a woman's life is infinite, her status immeasurable, her capacity unbounded, her role divine...In the fast changing world of today her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-dignity-of-a-woman-s-life-is-infinite-her-status-immeasurable-her/)

[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/)

[Browse all 3,116 Dignity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We never have, not since [Nelson] Mandela and [Mahatma ] Gandhi. It's really rare.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marina Abramovic"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-and-morals-we-never-have-not/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dignity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-and-morals-we-never-have-not/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/686/marina-abramovic-1502_dignity_we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-a_2539541.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We don't have politicians with dignity and morals. We never have, not since [Nelson] Mandela and [Mahatma ]…” — Marina Abramovic",
                "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": "Marina Abramovic",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-abramovic/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We don't have politicians with dignity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-and-morals-we-never-have-not/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-abramovic/we-don-t-have-politicians-with-dignity-and-morals-we-never-have-not/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
