---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't have an opinion about whether or…"
description: "\"I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics should appear more in fiction or not, generally. I think politics are a part of life, but a part ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg"
---

#  I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics…

![“I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics should appear more in fiction or not, generally. I think politics are a part of life, but a part of life that most people don't think about very much, most of the time. Or, people think about it superficially and they talk about it…” quote by Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg)

> “I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics should appear more in fiction or not, generally. I think politics are a part of life, but a part of life that most people don't think about very much, most of the time. Or, people think about it superficially and they talk about it superficially because they don't know very much.”

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

## About This Quote

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

Politics permeates life but is often treated superficially, leading to shallow discourse.

**In simple terms:** Politics is everywhere but rarely examined deeply.

Key Takeaway

Encourage deeper political reflection.

Themes

politics culture media awareness

Mood

contemplative curious

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- classroom debates
- news analysis
- creative writing

Key Concepts

civic engagement media literacy social discourse

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we avoid political depth?
- How can fiction foster genuine political insight?

A Different Perspective

People may resist confronting complex political realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/part-of-life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I think politics are a part of life, so I have no resistance to it, but it's not something I set out to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-think-politics-are-a-part-of-life-so-i-have-no-resistance-to-it-but/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“Opinion is politics, and politics is an evil which has caused many a fellow to be hung while he’s still young and pretty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/opinion-is-politics-and-politics-is-an-evil-which-has-caused-many-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [I have no opinion. No, none at all. Opinion is politics, and politics is an evil which has caused many a fellow to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-have-no-opinion-no-none-at-all-opinion-is-politics-and-politics-is/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The instruction here is not for every kind of writer - not for the writer of nurse books or thrillers or porno or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/the-instruction-here-is-not-for-every-kind-of-writer-not-for-the/)

[John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/)

> [Because I write realistic fiction, I generally don't think about fixing anyone - I just think about how I want to feel at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/because-i-write-realistic-fiction-i-generally-don-t-think-about/)

[Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/)

> [Young people looking for adventure fiction now generally turn to fantasy, but for those of a certain age, the spy thriller has long been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dirda/young-people-looking-for-adventure-fiction-now-generally-turn-to/)

[Michael Dirda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dirda/)

> [I've read crime fiction all my life. A thing that's bothered me about crime fiction is that it's generally about one or two people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-read-crime-fiction-all-my-life-a-thing-that-s-bothered-me-about/)

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

> [With literary fiction, generally a film maker falls in love with a book. In commercial fiction, it's a producer or studio falling in love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/with-literary-fiction-generally-a-film-maker-falls-in-love-with-a/)

[Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/)

> [I think that politics in most people's lives expresses itself like that: indirectly, in half thought-out opinions and feelings. And sometimes through a connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-think-that-politics-in-most-people-s-lives-expresses-itself-like/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [Politics becomes a part of your life once you realize it has been all along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/politics-becomes-a-part-of-your-life-once-you-realize-it-has-been-all/)

[Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/)

> [In politics, as in life, we must above all things wish only for the attainable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/in-politics-as-in-life-we-must-above-all-things-wish-only-for-the/)

[Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/)

> [I didn't go into politics because I'm a woman. I have done this because I have been interested in politics my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/i-didn-t-go-into-politics-because-i-m-a-woman-i-have-done-this/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [in politics as in life, what is known is not necessarily what is believed, what is shown is not necessarily what is seen, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hall-jamieson/in-politics-as-in-life-what-is-known-is-not-necessarily-what-is/)

[Kathleen Hall Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hall-jamieson/)

> [I've been able to watch and to weather a lot of different periods in entertainment, politics and life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-manson/i-ve-been-able-to-watch-and-to-weather-a-lot-of-different-periods-in/)

[Marilyn Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-manson/)

> [Politics, life, and business are not spectator sports. You have to get involved to get ahead. Most importantly, when you reach that level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-brown/politics-life-and-business-are-not-spectator-sports-you-have-to-get/)

Ron Brown

## More by Mary Gaitskill

> [“I carry love wrapped in pain. That is my treasure and soon it will be yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-carry-love-wrapped-in-pain-that-is-my-treasure-and-soon-it-will-be/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“God famously doesn't afflict Job because of anything Job has done, but because he wants to prove a point to Satan. Twenty years later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/god-famously-doesn-t-afflict-job-because-of-anything-job-has-done-but/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When you're writing a story, you're creating something of an artificial ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-you-re-writing-a-story-you-re-creating-something-of-an/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [Partly, I'm worried that no one is saying anything because they are afraid of being seen as politically correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/partly-i-m-worried-that-no-one-is-saying-anything-because-they-are/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [ “...loading your brain with subliminal messages… How loathsome to turn a sadistic murder into entertainment \[in the newspaper\] -- and yet how hard not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/loading-your-brain-with-subliminal-messages-how-loathsome-to-turn-a/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [ “The place Joanne is building inside \[herself\] has rooms for all of this. Not just rooms. Beautiful ones. For Karl and Jerry and Karen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-place-joanne-is-building-inside-herself-has-rooms-for-all-of-this/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“Valiantly, he tried to bring his soul to life in the small thing through which it had to live, and it was crushed, again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/valiantly-he-tried-to-bring-his-soul-to-life-in-the-small-thing/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [The best definition I've heard is that guilt is about what you've done, shame is about who you are. If something's out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/the-best-definition-i-ve-heard-is-that-guilt-is-about-what-you-ve/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When my first book came out, it was very disorienting. My health went south. I didn't know how to relate to people. I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-my-first-book-came-out-it-was-very-disorienting-my-health-went/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [When he held her that way, she felt so happy that it disturbed her. After he left, it would take her hours to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-he-held-her-that-way-she-felt-so-happy-that-it-disturbed-her/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“But life can give a lot. If you can’t see inside the heart no matter how you look, then why not look? Why not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/but-life-can-give-a-lot-if-you-can-t-see-inside-the-heart-no-matter/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [Sexuality is a place where people are very vulnerable and can be experiencing and embodying very raw forces that they don't really understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/sexuality-is-a-place-where-people-are-very-vulnerable-and-can-be/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [I focus more on the spiritual or psychic gains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-focus-more-on-the-spiritual-or-psychic-gains/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [“When boys get angry with each other, they just fight it out and it's all over. But girls are dirty. They pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/when-boys-get-angry-with-each-other-they-just-fight-it-out-and-it-s/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

> [I think, life is miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-think-life-is-miserable/)

[Mary Gaitskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

[Explore all 87 Mary Gaitskill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/)

## More Art of life quotes

> [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [Part of life is doing stuff that you don't want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-who-does-not-wish-to-be-named/part-of-life-is-doing-stuff-that-you-don-t-want-to-do/)

One Who Does Not Wish To Be Named

> [Having depression is tough, but surviving every day and telling yourself to go one more day longer is truly courageous. Amidst, all the pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/having-depression-is-tough-but-surviving-every-day-and-telling/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-art-of-life-is-to-know-how-to-enjoy-a-little-and-to-endure-very/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

> [“Learning what to want is the most radical, the most painful and the most creative art of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-vickers/learning-what-to-want-is-the-most-radical-the-most-painful-and-the/)

Geoffrey Vickers

> [New teachers were just a part of life, for a few days after one arrived, squawks of interest were emitted from various corners, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/new-teachers-were-just-a-part-of-life-for-a-few-days-after-one/)

[Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/)

> [“Everywhere you go you'll see highs and lows These things are just part of life and its flows It helps to understand that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/everywhere-you-go-you-ll-see-highs-and-lows-these-things-are-just/)

[Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/)

> [I need someone...to be half of myself...to carry my 2nd part of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/singu/i-need-someone-to-be-half-of-myself-to-carry-my-2nd-part-of-life/)

[SINGU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/singu/)

> [The easy part of life is finding someone to love you. The hard part of life is finding some to love you back!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-easy-part-of-life-is-finding-someone-to-love-you-the-hard-part-of/)

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

> [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/)

[Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/)

> [Experience is the only real teacher and if you keep a diary you get three bites at educating yourself - when it happens, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-benn/experience-is-the-only-real-teacher-and-if-you-keep-a-diary-you-get/)

[Tony Benn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-benn/)

> [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Mistakes are a part of life, everyone makes them, everyone regrets them, but no one notices them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil/mistakes-are-a-part-of-life-everyone-makes-them-everyone-regrets-them/)

[Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil/)

> [“What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the “real world”? What advice should they ignore? Nobody really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-advice-would-you-give-to-a-smart-driven-college-student-about-to/)

[Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/)

[Browse all 957 Art of life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics should appear more in fiction or not, generally. I think politics are a part of life, but a part of life that most people don't think about very much, most of the time. Or, people think about it superficially and they talk about it superficially because they don't know very much.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mary Gaitskill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or-not-politics-should-appear/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art of life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or-not-politics-should-appear/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2e/mary-gaitskill-7551_art-of-life_i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or_1763080.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I don't have an opinion about whether or not politics should appear more in fiction or not, generally. I…” — Mary Gaitskill",
                "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": "Mary Gaitskill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gaitskill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I don't have an opinion about...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or-not-politics-should-appear/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gaitskill/i-don-t-have-an-opinion-about-whether-or-not-politics-should-appear/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
