--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While a lot of people want to join the…" description: "\"While a lot of people want to join the left to react against the mainstream or right, I in many ways react against the left - not a lot of its fundamen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png" --- # While a lot of people want to join the left to react… ![“While a lot of people want to join the left to react against the mainstream or right, I in many ways react against the left - not a lot of its fundamental commitments, but its often dismal tone, righteousness, defeatism, etc.” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png) > “While a lot of people want to join the left to react against the mainstream or right, I in many ways react against the left - not a lot of its fundamental commitments, but its often dismal tone, righteousness, defeatism, etc.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author critiques both political extremes, noting that the left can be as dogmatic and pessimistic as the right, and urges a more nuanced, hopeful discourse. **In simple terms:** Both sides can be dogmatic; seek balanced conversation. Key Takeaway Challenge rigid ideologies. Themes politics discourse ideology optimism critique Mood reflective critical hopeful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - community organizing - public debate - media analysis Key Concepts Dogmatism tone defeatism balance Questions to Reflect On - How can we foster constructive dialogue across political divides? - What alternatives to defeatist rhetoric exist? A Different Perspective Overcoming entrenched negativity requires patience and open dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Defeatism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeatism/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mainstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mainstream/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/righteousness/) [Tone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tone/) ## Related quotes > [Fighting for social justice is not about leaving the mainstream. It is about being right in the middle of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/fighting-for-social-justice-is-not-about-leaving-the-mainstream-it-is/) [Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/) > [“Although both parties will pay occasional homage to the principles of local control and autonomy, they are rarely consistent on this issue. On both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hawley/although-both-parties-will-pay-occasional-homage-to-the-principles-of/) [George Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hawley/) > [In the closed circle of the war cabinet, pounded by terrible report after terrible report, there had been uncertainty about whether he could fend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-meacham/in-the-closed-circle-of-the-war-cabinet-pounded-by-terrible-report/) [Jon Meacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-meacham/) > [“Seeing the mud around a lotus is pessimism, seeing a lotus in the mud is optimism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/seeing-the-mud-around-a-lotus-is-pessimism-seeing-a-lotus-in-the-mud/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“We are swimming upstream against a great torrent of disorganization...In this, our main obligation is to establish arbitrary enclaves of order and system...It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norbert-wiener/we-are-swimming-upstream-against-a-great-torrent-of-disorganization/) [Norbert Wiener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norbert-wiener/) > [What I don't like is a conformist attitude, a certain defeatism; that can't be allowed at Barcelona.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-laporta/what-i-don-t-like-is-a-conformist-attitude-a-certain-defeatism-that/) [Joan Laporta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-laporta/) > [Defeatism about the past is a grievous error; defeatism about the future is a crime!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-noel-baker-baron-noel-baker/defeatism-about-the-past-is-a-grievous-error-defeatism-about-the/) Philip Noel-Baker, Baron Noel-Baker > [“Defeat is a result of people not being bold enough to grab their win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas-hamshari/defeat-is-a-result-of-people-not-being-bold-enough-to-grab-their-win/) [Anas Hamshari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anas-hamshari/) > [I've learned that next to the atomic bomb, the greatest danger is defeatism, despair, and inadequate awareness of what human beings possess. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/i-ve-learned-that-next-to-the-atomic-bomb-the-greatest-danger-is/) [Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/) > [One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism, which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, sourpusses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/one-of-the-more-serious-temptations-which-stifles-boldness-and-zeal/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“If I felt less, I could do more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-i-felt-less-i-could-do-more/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“In 1965, a psychologist named Martin Seligman started shocking dogs. He was trying to expand on the research of Pavlov--the guy who could make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mcraney/in-1965-a-psychologist-named-martin-seligman-started-shocking-dogs-he/) [David McRaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mcraney/) > [“A battle is won by the side that is absolutely determined to win. Why did we lose the battle of Austerlitz? Our casualties were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/a-battle-is-won-by-the-side-that-is-absolutely-determined-to-win-why/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [You defeat defeatism with confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-lombardi/you-defeat-defeatism-with-confidence/) [Vince Lombardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-lombardi/) > [“We began our life together at a moment of natural self-pity and defeat that left an inimitable impression on both of us. The rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/we-began-our-life-together-at-a-moment-of-natural-self-pity-and/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? It's so common to live in a place without truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/whose-maps-are-we-trying-to-read-and-what-are-we-trying-to-draw-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11, people had not a good time, but a deep, profound, rousing time, woke up from their ennui and isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-people-had-not-a-good-time-but-a-deep/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Commitment quotes > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“You make me believe in happiness... if I had my way, if anything were up to me, I’d never be without you. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kirchoff/you-make-me-believe-in-happiness-if-i-had-my-way-if-anything-were-up/) [Courtney Kirchoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-kirchoff/) > [Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. Sometimes you have to give up something to do something else, although, when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-newton/golf-is-such-a-big-commitment-and-so-is-acting-sometimes-you-have-to/) [Kathryn Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-newton/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/when-you-make-a-commitment-to-a-relationship-you-invest-your/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Browse all 4,004 Commitment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While a lot of people want to join the left to react against the mainstream or right, I in many ways react against the left - not a lot of its fundamental commitments, but its often dismal tone, righteousness, defeatism, etc.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Solnit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-left-to-react-against-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commitment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-left-to-react-against-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c89/rebecca-solnit-569_commitment_while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-l_1275991.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“While a lot of people want to join the left to react against the mainstream or right, I in many ways react…” — Rebecca Solnit", "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": "Rebecca Solnit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "While a lot of people want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-left-to-react-against-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/while-a-lot-of-people-want-to-join-the-left-to-react-against-the/#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 } } ] } ```