--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The choreographed standing and clapping…" description: "\"The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg" --- # The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the… ![“The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message that it sends is that even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.” quote by Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg) > “The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message that it sends is that even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.” [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Divided gestures in a formal setting undermine institutional seriousness and signal disunity to the public. **In simple terms:** Divided actions damage credibility. Key Takeaway Promote unity in public ceremonies. Themes politics institution unity division ceremony Mood critical concerned formal Type political observational When to use this quote - congressional sessions - national addresses - state events Key Concepts symbolic behavior public perception legislative decorum Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions foster unity? - What symbols best convey solidarity? A Different Perspective Changing long‑standing traditions may meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Congress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/congress/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Law enforcement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-enforcement/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Unbecoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbecoming/) ## Related quotes > [I never thought in a million years that I'd ever sell out back-to-back shows at The Garden. That's not to say, I never expected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hart/i-never-thought-in-a-million-years-that-i-d-ever-sell-out-back-to/) [Kevin Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hart/) > [I haven't met a single person, Republican or Democrat, who thinks it's just fine for members of Congress to sit on the boards of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-malinowski/i-haven-t-met-a-single-person-republican-or-democrat-who-thinks-it-s/) [Tom Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-malinowski/) > [“It was not fair, she felt, to treat people as if they were finished beings. Everyone was always becoming and unbecoming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-winter/it-was-not-fair-she-felt-to-treat-people-as-if-they-were-finished/) [Kathleen Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-winter/) > [Whining is just unbecoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/whining-is-just-unbecoming/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nothing is more unbecoming to a teacher of the Word than flippancy. He must be serious and should not act like a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/nothing-is-more-unbecoming-to-a-teacher-of-the-word-than-flippancy-he/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [He is a good man, who can receive a gift well. We are either glad or sorry at a gift, and both emotions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/he-is-a-good-man-who-can-receive-a-gift-well-we-are-either-glad-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Unbecoming forwardness oftener proceeds from ignorance than impudence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-fulke-greville/unbecoming-forwardness-oftener-proceeds-from-ignorance-than-impudence/) [Sir Fulke Greville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-fulke-greville/) > [Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has a good a right to be in deep affliction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/personal-size-and-mental-sorrow-have-certainly-no-necessary/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [It's unbecoming," she agreed. "A perfect word for my new life. Unbecoming. I who have always been unbecoming am becoming un.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/it-s-unbecoming-she-agreed-a-perfect-word-for-my-new-life-unbecoming/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“Suspicion is an unbecoming passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/suspicion-is-an-unbecoming-passion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [However, I think anything is better than high intellectual pressure. That is the most unbecoming thing there is. It makes the noses of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/however-i-think-anything-is-better-than-high-intellectual-pressure/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [As an occupation in declining years, I declare I think saving is useful, amusing and not unbecoming. It must be a perpetual amusement. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-an-occupation-in-declining-years-i-declare-i-think-saving-is/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [There is nothing more unbecoming a man of quality than to laugh ... 'tis such a vulgar expression of the passion!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/there-is-nothing-more-unbecoming-a-man-of-quality-than-to-laugh-tis/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-path-of-awakening-is-not-about-becoming-who-you-are-rather-it-is/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [It is unbecoming for young men to utter maxims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-is-unbecoming-for-young-men-to-utter-maxims/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) ## More by Mark Udall > [Climbing has worked for me in a number of ways on Capitol Hill. I'm much more inclined to look at what people do, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/climbing-has-worked-for-me-in-a-number-of-ways-on-capitol-hill-i-m/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [It is deeply shocking and incomprehensible to me that despite volumes of documentation and living witnesses who can attest to the horrors of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/it-is-deeply-shocking-and-incomprehensible-to-me-that-despite-volumes/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [There is no getting around it; Congress is failing the American people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/there-is-no-getting-around-it-congress-is-failing-the-american-people/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [You don't climb mountains without a team, you don't climb mountains without being fit, you don't climb mountains without being prepared and you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/you-don-t-climb-mountains-without-a-team-you-don-t-climb-mountains/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [President Ford was a devoted, decent man of impeccable integrity who put service to his country before his own self interest. He helped heal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/president-ford-was-a-devoted-decent-man-of-impeccable-integrity-who/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [ We really don't have a policy \[on climate change\]. There's a lot of rhetoric and not a lot of action. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/we-really-don-t-have-a-policy-on-climate-change-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [Our livelihood is intimately tied to the food we eat, water we drink and places where we recreate. That's why we have to promote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/our-livelihood-is-intimately-tied-to-the-food-we-eat-water-we-drink/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [On the mountains mistakes are fatal. In politics, mistakes are wounding emotionally, but you recover. Personally, wilderness helps me get back in touch with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/on-the-mountains-mistakes-are-fatal-in-politics-mistakes-are-wounding/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [The balance between freedom and security is a delicate one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/the-balance-between-freedom-and-security-is-a-delicate-one/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [In a country as large and diverse as America, compromise is how we get things done. It isn't always pretty, but we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/in-a-country-as-large-and-diverse-as-america-compromise-is-how-we-get/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [Throughout my years of public service, I've listened to the voices of the gay and lesbian community, whether through whispered confidences or public declarations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/throughout-my-years-of-public-service-i-ve-listened-to-the-voices-of/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [Political differences will always generate a healthy debate, but over time the dialogue has become more hateful and at times violent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/political-differences-will-always-generate-a-healthy-debate-but-over/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [As the nation watches, Democrats and Republicans should reflect the interspersed character of America itself. Perhaps, by sitting with each other for one night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/as-the-nation-watches-democrats-and-republicans-should-reflect-the/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [I support allowing gay couples to marry because of - not in spite of - my values. And many of those values are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/i-support-allowing-gay-couples-to-marry-because-of-not-in-spite-of-my/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) > [Truth be told, I'm much more comfortable in a pair of hiking boots or with a rack of climbing gear than in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/truth-be-told-i-m-much-more-comfortable-in-a-pair-of-hiking-boots-or/) [Mark Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) [Explore all 37 Mark Udall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/) ## More Clapping quotes > [Clapping the longest during an assembly because you're a fearless bastard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/clapping-the-longest-during-an-assembly-because-you-re-a-fearless/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In due course I would learn how to cover up for this event, but on that awful day I knew of nothing to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-pryor/in-due-course-i-would-learn-how-to-cover-up-for-this-event-but-on/) [Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-pryor/) > [“I did not approve of your action—I was merely congratulating myself. What you mistook for clapping was merely me giving myself multiple high fives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-did-not-approve-of-your-action-i-was-merely-congratulating-myself/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I believe in myself like a five-year-old believes in himself. They say look at me, look at me! Then they do a flip in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-believe-in-myself-like-a-five-year-old-believes-in-himself-they-say/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [Being a parent means enthusiastically clapping for any ordinary activity of your child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-a-parent-means-enthusiastically-clapping-for-any-ordinary/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Crusty and Cross here,' he says and I grin. He’s still playful Fifty. My inner goddess is clapping her hands with glee like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/crusty-and-cross-here-he-says-and-i-grin-he-s-still-playful-fifty-my/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [Love is not shown by giving your toddler a car. It's better demonstrated by clapping as she bangs on pots or singing to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/love-is-not-shown-by-giving-your-toddler-a-car-it-s-better/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [Hope to the last!" said Newman, clapping him on the back. "Always hope; that's dear boy. Never leave off hoping; it don't answer. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/hope-to-the-last-said-newman-clapping-him-on-the-back-always-hope/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There's always the cliche of the choir shouting and clapping. OK, you have to do that, but there's also introspective parts, parts where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/there-s-always-the-cliche-of-the-choir-shouting-and-clapping-ok-you/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [There was a joke in Czechoslovakia: The Communist Party dance, it's one step forward, two steps backward, and everyone is still clapping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martina-navratilova/there-was-a-joke-in-czechoslovakia-the-communist-party-dance-it-s-one/) [Martina Navratilova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martina-navratilova/) > [Stand-up came naturally to me because people in Ireland talk. But that's not talking on panel shows; it is structured fun. It reminds me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/stand-up-came-naturally-to-me-because-people-in-ireland-talk-but-that/) [Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/) > [“Oh, well that can’t have been me,” Harry smiled grimly, clapping a hand on Malone’s shoulder as he moved past the big man. “You’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-england/oh-well-that-can-t-have-been-me-harry-smiled-grimly-clapping-a-hand/) [Stephen England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-england/) > [“My heart applauds inside my ears, first like a roaring crowd, then slows and slows until it's a solitary person, clapping with unbridled sarcasm.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/my-heart-applauds-inside-my-ears-first-like-a-roaring-crowd-then/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [A wise man once asked me, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" I thought for a minute, then I slapped him across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-diamond/a-wise-man-once-asked-me-what-is-the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping-i/) Matthew Diamond > [Seeing all the people smiling and laughing and clapping for me... it's such a wonderful feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gonzalez/seeing-all-the-people-smiling-and-laughing-and-clapping-for-me-it-s/) [Anthony Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-gonzalez/) Browse all 119 Clapping quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming of a serious institution and the message that it sends is that even on a night when the president is addressing the entire nation, we in Congress cannot sit as one, but must be divided as two.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Udall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping-of-one-side-of-the-room-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clapping" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping-of-one-side-of-the-room-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c1/mark-udall-17541_clapping_the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping_1704263.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The choreographed standing and clapping of one side of the room - while the other side sits - is unbecoming…” — Mark Udall", "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": "Mark Udall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-udall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The choreographed standing and clapping of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping-of-one-side-of-the-room-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-udall/the-choreographed-standing-and-clapping-of-one-side-of-the-room-while/#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 } } ] } ```