--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I really gave up being passionate about…" description: "\"I really gave up being passionate about politics 10, 15, 20 years ago, because I think finally that there were forces in the country that are larger th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/norman-mailer-839_ball-game_i-really-gave-up-being-passionate-about_2796886.jpg" --- # I really gave up being passionate about politics 10, 15… ![“I really gave up being passionate about politics 10, 15, 20 years ago, because I think finally that there were forces in the country that are larger than politics itself. And so I find it a fascinating game, this wonderful stuff goes on in terms of watching the game. But If you get to down it…” quote by Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/norman-mailer-839_ball-game_i-really-gave-up-being-passionate-about_2796886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/norman-mailer-839_ball-game_i-really-gave-up-being-passionate-about_2796886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce2/norman-mailer-839_ball-game_i-really-gave-up-being-passionate-about_2796886.jpg) > “I really gave up being passionate about politics 10, 15, 20 years ago, because I think finally that there were forces in the country that are larger than politics itself. And so I find it a fascinating game, this wonderful stuff goes on in terms of watching the game. But If you get to down it, look, I'm going to root for someone, I'll root at a football game, not for politicians.” [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Political passion fades when larger forces dominate, turning politics into a spectator sport. **In simple terms:** Big forces make politics feel distant. Key Takeaway Observe, don’t obsess. Themes politics disillusionment society Mood skeptical contemplative Type cultural personal When to use this quote - voter engagement - civic education - community organizing Key Concepts power structures media influence Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel powerless against larger forces? - How can you stay engaged? A Different Perspective Ignoring politics can reduce civic impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-game/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) ## Related quotes > [Politics is a fascinating game, because politics is government. It is the art of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/politics-is-a-fascinating-game-because-politics-is-government-it-is/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [Money is in politics, it's been there. I was in politics for 10 years, I had some of the worst ads run against me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-ford-jr/money-is-in-politics-it-s-been-there-i-was-in-politics-for-10-years-i/) [Harold Ford, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-ford-jr/) > [One problem with politics is that it is a zero sum game, i.e. politicians argue how to cut the pie smaller and smaller, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michio-kaku/one-problem-with-politics-is-that-it-is-a-zero-sum-game-i-e/) [Michio Kaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michio-kaku/) > [I'm passionate about politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/i-m-passionate-about-politics/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [I love music; I love performance. I love everything revolving around art. But I also am really passionate about politics and human rights and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-jauregui/i-love-music-i-love-performance-i-love-everything-revolving-around/) [Lauren Jauregui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-jauregui/) > [I'm passionate about politics, but when it comes to political parties, I'm despondent. I'm disappointed at the absence of a sense of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-m-passionate-about-politics-but-when-it-comes-to-political-parties/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [Everybody owned stock in the Capone mob; in a way, he was a public benefactor. I remember one time when he arrived at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-alinsky/everybody-owned-stock-in-the-capone-mob-in-a-way-he-was-a-public/) [Saul Alinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-alinsky/) > [If we can choose where to cry, at home or with a few people who will be fully understanding, perhaps we will feel easier.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-whitmore-hickman/if-we-can-choose-where-to-cry-at-home-or-with-a-few-people-who-will/) [Martha Whitmore Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-whitmore-hickman/) > [I threw up before every single football game I played, and I did so up through my NFL career. It was good pressure. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kelly/i-threw-up-before-every-single-football-game-i-played-and-i-did-so-up/) [Jim Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kelly/) > [Trying to manage a project without project management is like trying to play a football game without a game plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trying-to-manage-a-project-without-project-management-is-like-trying/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Football is not a game meant to be played being nice to each other and all that, like 'Kumbaya.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jalen-ramsey/football-is-not-a-game-meant-to-be-played-being-nice-to-each-other/) [Jalen Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jalen-ramsey/) > [My folks, I don't think my mom or my dad ever missed a little league game or a football game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/my-folks-i-don-t-think-my-mom-or-my-dad-ever-missed-a-little-league/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [I don't like going to football games. I like watching them on television. When you go to a game, it's hard to focus. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-don-t-like-going-to-football-games-i-like-watching-them-on/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [In the end, for me, football is still a game. Even if you are a professional, you need to have fun when you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-de-bruyne/in-the-end-for-me-football-is-still-a-game-even-if-you-are-a/) [Kevin De Bruyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-de-bruyne/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) ## More by Norman Mailer > [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [So the blind will lead the blind, and the deaf shout warnings to one another until their voices are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/so-the-blind-will-lead-the-blind-and-the-deaf-shout-warnings-to-one/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Writing for a newspaper is like running a revolutionary war. You go to battle not when you are ready, but when action offers itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/writing-for-a-newspaper-is-like-running-a-revolutionary-war-you-go-to/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I would introduce myself if it were not useless. The name I had last night will not be the same as the name I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-would-introduce-myself-if-it-were-not-useless-the-name-i-had-last/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“City Point is so beautiful, she says. In the night they cannot see the garbage that litters the beach, the seaweed and driftwood, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/city-point-is-so-beautiful-she-says-in-the-night-they-cannot-see-the/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“I find it’s more fun to write about something that you don’t know completely and that you will discover on route. A dear friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-find-it-s-more-fun-to-write-about-something-that-you-don-t-know/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Part of the oncoming demise (of New York during its terrible fiscal crisis) is that none of us can simply believe it. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/part-of-the-oncoming-demise-of-new-york-during-its-terrible-fiscal/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I have always had this very strong, call it a feeling, call it a prejudice, call it a conviction ... that the mysteries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-have-always-had-this-very-strong-call-it-a-feeling-call-it-a/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/america-is-a-hurricane-and-the-only-people-who-do-not-hear-the-sound/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I was thinking that surgeons had to be the happiest people on earth. To cut people up and get paid for it-that's happiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-was-thinking-that-surgeons-had-to-be-the-happiest-people-on-earth/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Movies are more likely than literature to reach deep feelings in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/movies-are-more-likely-than-literature-to-reach-deep-feelings-in/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) [Explore all 355 Norman Mailer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) ## More Ball game quotes > [I sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium - at a baseball game - which was crazy; there was, like, 60,000 people there, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-devine/i-sang-the-national-anthem-at-dodger-stadium-at-a-baseball-game-which/) [Adam DeVine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-devine/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. 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That's all I care about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-agholor/i-m-about-winning-football-games-and-playing-hard-that-s-all-i-care/) [Nelson Agholor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-agholor/) > [I don't like going to football games. I like watching them on television. When you go to a game, it's hard to focus. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/i-don-t-like-going-to-football-games-i-like-watching-them-on/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Kids are pretty resilient. You don't have to be at every volleyball game. We can't guilt ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/kids-are-pretty-resilient-you-don-t-have-to-be-at-every-volleyball/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) > [You might be a redneck if... your high school basketball game got rained out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-your-high-school-basketball-game-got-rained/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [My folks, I don't think my mom or my dad ever missed a little league game or a football game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-ross/my-folks-i-don-t-think-my-mom-or-my-dad-ever-missed-a-little-league/) [Jim Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-ross/) > [“That's all I need," I say. "Well...I need the lamp. And the astray. And the remote control. And the paddleball game. And you, Dean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/that-s-all-i-need-i-say-well-i-need-the-lamp-and-the-astray-and-the/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [You know this baseball game of ours comes up from the youth - that means the boys. 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