--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You cannot write about what people are…" description: "\"You cannot write about what people are really like without making a political adjudication. All our ideas of what human nature consists of or how peopl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sally-rooney-9142_experience_you-cannot-write-about-what-people-are-r_2556010.jpg" --- # You cannot write about what people are really like without… ![“You cannot write about what people are really like without making a political adjudication. All our ideas of what human nature consists of or how people really feel and experience life are, at their base, political ideas.” quote by Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sally-rooney-9142_experience_you-cannot-write-about-what-people-are-r_2556010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sally-rooney-9142_experience_you-cannot-write-about-what-people-are-r_2556010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c80/sally-rooney-9142_experience_you-cannot-write-about-what-people-are-r_2556010.jpg) > “You cannot write about what people are really like without making a political adjudication. All our ideas of what human nature consists of or how people really feel and experience life are, at their base, political ideas.” [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The statement argues that any portrayal of human nature inherently carries political assumptions, as our concepts of feelings and experiences are shaped by political contexts. **In simple terms:** Describing people always involves political views because our ideas about humanity are political. Key Takeaway Be aware of political bias when analyzing human behavior. Themes politics philosophy psychology culture ethics Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - literary criticism - social research - policy development - media analysis Key Concepts social constructivism identity power dynamics subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How do our beliefs shape our view of humanity? - Can we ever describe people neutrally? A Different Perspective Political lenses can obscure objective understanding of human experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Experience Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-life/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) ## Related quotes > [I'm of the opinion that if you step on stage and you're not a straight white male, you're automatically making a political statement whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-kamau-bell/i-m-of-the-opinion-that-if-you-step-on-stage-and-you-re-not-a/) [W. Kamau Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-kamau-bell/) > [“Politics is almost never violent toward the people who are actually making the political decisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mur-lafferty/politics-is-almost-never-violent-toward-the-people-who-are-actually/) [Mur Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mur-lafferty/) > [Cultural change is always incremental, so the most important thing for any right-leaning artist, writer, or media mogul is to focus less on making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-douthat/cultural-change-is-always-incremental-so-the-most-important-thing-for/) [Ross Douthat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-douthat/) > [The strength of collective decision making and political responsibility is not only a question of recognizing other people's ability. It is also recognizing one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruna-roy/the-strength-of-collective-decision-making-and-political/) [Aruna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruna-roy/) > [I really am not interested in making political music per se. I'm making personal records, but at the same time, I'm very much aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/i-really-am-not-interested-in-making-political-music-per-se-i-m/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [I never felt comfortable with making political decisions based on whether, you know, it was the right thing to do in terms of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-never-felt-comfortable-with-making-political-decisions-based-on/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [I already feel that I am making a political statement by sticking around in music, when I am doing it so differently to everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-already-feel-that-i-am-making-a-political-statement-by-sticking/) M.I.A > [A lot of times, in music especially, it's producers making a political decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-watts/a-lot-of-times-in-music-especially-it-s-producers-making-a-political/) [Reggie Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-watts/) > [When you put gas in your car you are making a political statement, because you are supporting the empires that control and continue the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-bardem/when-you-put-gas-in-your-car-you-are-making-a-political-statement/) [Javier Bardem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-bardem/) > [If you're watching a comedian on television and he's making a political point, I would say he's gotten too serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/if-you-re-watching-a-comedian-on-television-and-he-s-making-a/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [I've grown increasingly bored and frustrated with stars and creatives making their political thoughts and beliefs known at showbiz gatherings and award ceremonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrika-jonsson/i-ve-grown-increasingly-bored-and-frustrated-with-stars-and-creatives/) [Ulrika Jonsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrika-jonsson/) > [Everything you do is political, even if it's abstract. You're making a political statement even if it's unwittingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everything-you-do-is-political-even-if-it-s-abstract-you-re-making-a/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [I'm no longer interested in making political films. There's something old-fashioned about them. Young people now don't care for politics. It isn't present in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/i-m-no-longer-interested-in-making-political-films-there-s-something/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [We have to get back to a government where leaders are willing to talk across party lines and do not have absolute politics as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-judge/we-have-to-get-back-to-a-government-where-leaders-are-willing-to-talk-2/) [Patty Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-judge/) > [What we are against is the teaching of contested political ideas as if they are accepted facts. We don't do this with communism. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/what-we-are-against-is-the-teaching-of-contested-political-ideas-as/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) ## More by Sally Rooney > [I like Christianity. I'm a fan of Jesus and his whole philosophy but not the social teaching aspects of it, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-like-christianity-i-m-a-fan-of-jesus-and-his-whole-philosophy-but/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I lay there in the bath not thinking, not doing anything. After a few seconds, I heard her open the front door, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-lay-there-in-the-bath-not-thinking-not-doing-anything-after-a-few/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [There are a lot of people who probably enjoyed 'Conversations with Friends' who are part of the system that is actively exploiting other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-probably-enjoyed-conversations-with/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I would rather do two things really, really, really well than do 16 things and have 14 of them fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-would-rather-do-two-things-really-really-really-well-than-do-16/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [When I'm writing something, everything falls into place. When I'm not writing, stuff keeps happening to me, and there's nowhere to put it all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/when-i-m-writing-something-everything-falls-into-place-when-i-m-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I try to keep my sentences quite pared back. What I really want to do is observe people's relationships and interactions. I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-try-to-keep-my-sentences-quite-pared-back-what-i-really-want-to-do/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“Well, if that's suffering, he thinks, let me suffer. Yes. To love whoever I have left. And if ever I lose someone, let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/well-if-that-s-suffering-he-thinks-let-me-suffer-yes-to-love-whoever/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I thought about all the things I had never told Nick about myself, and I started to feel better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-thought-about-all-the-things-i-had-never-told-nick-about-myself-and/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“All these people are suffering without the tools to end their own suffering. And we who have the tools refuse to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/all-these-people-are-suffering-without-the-tools-to-end-their-own/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I couldn't quite get the hang of how to socialise as a teenager. I didn't really understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-couldn-t-quite-get-the-hang-of-how-to-socialise-as-a-teenager-i/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm very introverted. Easily a few days could go by where I would not really leave the house or talk to anybody other than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-very-introverted-easily-a-few-days-could-go-by-where-i-would-not/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I'm not totally comfortable with the ways in which our culture monetises art and literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-m-not-totally-comfortable-with-the-ways-in-which-our-culture/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [Dialogue is the most fun to write. It's kind of like a tennis match.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/dialogue-is-the-most-fun-to-write-it-s-kind-of-like-a-tennis-match/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [I don't really believe in the idea of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/i-don-t-really-believe-in-the-idea-of-the-individual/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [It annoys me when contemporary films and television shows create artificial tensions that could easily be resolved by a quick email or the use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/it-annoys-me-when-contemporary-films-and-television-shows-create/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) [Explore all 74 Sally Rooney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) ## More Experience quotes > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. 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Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) Michael Bugeja > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [Experience is a thorough teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-holmes/experience-is-a-thorough-teacher/) [Mary Jane Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-holmes/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [I have no physical genius about me. 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