--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people hear the term 'political…" description: "\"When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially on the Left, it becomes a kind of abstraction. Folks are aware of injustice, and they're awa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png" --- # When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially… ![“When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially on the Left, it becomes a kind of abstraction. Folks are aware of injustice, and they're aware that there are folks in prison who are in prison, you know, largely because of their activism.” quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png) > “When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially on the Left, it becomes a kind of abstraction. Folks are aware of injustice, and they're aware that there are folks in prison who are in prison, you know, largely because of their activism.” [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The term “political prisoner” is abstracted on the Left, obscuring the concrete injustices faced by activists. **In simple terms:** Labeling can dilute real suffering. Key Takeaway Address specific injustices directly. Themes politics activism human rights Mood critical concerned Type political philosophical When to use this quote - activism - legal systems - public discourse Key Concepts social justice media framing Questions to Reflect On - How can we make activist struggles visible? - What language best conveys their reality? A Different Perspective May generalize all left perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Injustice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injustice/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) ## Related quotes > [I've worked in the prison system for five years, and most of those folks in prison didn't have a direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stedman-graham/i-ve-worked-in-the-prison-system-for-five-years-and-most-of-those/) [Stedman Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stedman-graham/) > [I'm not excusing crime or those who bring poison into the community, but I do want brothers and sisters in prison to know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hill-harper/i-m-not-excusing-crime-or-those-who-bring-poison-into-the-community/) [Hill Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hill-harper/) > [There was always, he thought, this pleasure ahead of him, an ace of joy up his sleeve so he could say you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/there-was-always-he-thought-this-pleasure-ahead-of-him-an-ace-of-joy/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [I'd like to have a boyfriend in prison so I'd always know where he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-snow/i-d-like-to-have-a-boyfriend-in-prison-so-i-d-always-know-where-he-is/) [Carrie Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-snow/) > [“What if I lose what little control I have left? I may live in a prison now, but at least I know my way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-deese/what-if-i-lose-what-little-control-i-have-left-i-may-live-in-a-prison/) [Nicole Deese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-deese/) > [I think it's important to visit people in prison. And if you know anyone in prison, I would encourage you very much to visit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-think-it-s-important-to-visit-people-in-prison-and-if-you-know/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [I myself spent some time in prison, so I know the type of trajectory that a criminal offense can put on someone's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-stanton-king/i-myself-spent-some-time-in-prison-so-i-know-the-type-of-trajectory/) [Angela Stanton-King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-stanton-king/) > [You can not escape a prison if you do not know you're in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-howard/you-can-not-escape-a-prison-if-you-do-not-know-you-re-in-one/) [Vernon Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-howard/) > [You don't need a lot of credentials to be prison guard in a federal prison. And, you know, you give them a set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-lee-miller/you-don-t-need-a-lot-of-credentials-to-be-prison-guard-in-a-federal/) [Abby Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-lee-miller/) > [My arrest in Egypt happened in 2002, and I was convicted to five years as a political prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/my-arrest-in-egypt-happened-in-2002-and-i-was-convicted-to-five-years/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“What good is it to be rich if we canna scrape up the scratch to buy a political prisoner on a whim?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/what-good-is-it-to-be-rich-if-we-canna-scrape-up-the-scratch-to-buy-a/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [A political prisoner is someone who is out fighting for his or her people's rights and freedom and is imprisoned for that alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-peltier/a-political-prisoner-is-someone-who-is-out-fighting-for-his-or-her/) [Leonard Peltier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-peltier/) > [Among those people lucky enough, if you will, to have actually been brought to trial as a political prisoner, several historians have said there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-amiel/among-those-people-lucky-enough-if-you-will-to-have-actually-been/) [Barbara Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-amiel/) > [Nobody wants a political prisoner, but a political emigrant is no problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/nobody-wants-a-political-prisoner-but-a-political-emigrant-is-no/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [Due to the fact that I experienced personally the situation of a political prisoner, I have an historical commitment to all those that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilma-rousseff/due-to-the-fact-that-i-experienced-personally-the-situation-of-a/) [Dilma Rousseff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilma-rousseff/) ## More by Ta-Nehisi Coates > [“To Trump whiteness is neither notional nor symbolic but is the very core of his power. In this, Trump is not singular. But whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/to-trump-whiteness-is-neither-notional-nor-symbolic-but-is-the-very/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“The focus on one sector of Trump voters—the white working class—is puzzling, given the breadth of his white coalition. Indeed, there is a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-focus-on-one-sector-of-trump-voters-the-white-working-class-is/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-greatest-reward-of-this-constant-interrogation-confrontation-with/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I think 'Dear White People,' the show, is a tremendous artistic achievement. It's always hinting that there is something beyond the pleading and wokeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-dear-white-people-the-show-is-a-tremendous-artistic/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [What sets black people apart is not some deficit in personal responsibility. It's the weight on our shoulders. That is what's actually different. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-sets-black-people-apart-is-not-some-deficit-in-personal/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [Like a lot of people, I'm very, very concerned about Senator Clinton's record. I'm very, very concerned about where her positions were in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/like-a-lot-of-people-i-m-very-very-concerned-about-senator-clinton-s/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“I drove away, as always, thinking of you. I do not believe that we can stop them, Samori, because they must ultimately stop themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-drove-away-as-always-thinking-of-you-i-do-not-believe-that-we-can/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [What I’m talking about is more than recompense for past injustices—more than a handout, a payoff, hush money, or a reluctant bribe. What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The mainstream sort of presentation of the civil rights movement was not something that I directly inherited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-mainstream-sort-of-presentation-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [ \[Grew up in Hawaii\] that gave \[Barack Obama\] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/grew-up-in-hawaii-that-gave-barack-obama-a-kind-of-optimism-an/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“I sensed the schools were hiding something, drugging us with false morality so that we would not see, so that we did not ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-sensed-the-schools-were-hiding-something-drugging-us-with-false/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [You don't make a case for reparations thinking, 'Oh yeah, people are gonna love this.' I didn't see that coming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/you-don-t-make-a-case-for-reparations-thinking-oh-yeah-people-are/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“And I know that there are black boys and black girls out there lost in a Bermuda triangle of the mind or stranded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/and-i-know-that-there-are-black-boys-and-black-girls-out-there-lost/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) [Explore all 388 Ta-Nehisi Coates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) ## More Becomes quotes > [Hollywood is very much an industry town. Your life becomes caught up in all of the parties and this list and that list. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-johnson/hollywood-is-very-much-an-industry-town-your-life-becomes-caught-up/) [Don Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-johnson/) > [If you have more downforce, everything becomes much easier. Drivers drive better, engineers they have more room for setup, the tyres are working better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kubica/if-you-have-more-downforce-everything-becomes-much-easier-drivers/) [Robert Kubica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kubica/) > [I think being on a TV show is amazing but also, people get kind of used to seeing you a certain way and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-plaza/i-think-being-on-a-tv-show-is-amazing-but-also-people-get-kind-of/) [Aubrey Plaza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-plaza/) > [For someone who works in theatre, the rehearsal is where you discover everything. It is where magic happens, where the script enters you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-fazal/for-someone-who-works-in-theatre-the-rehearsal-is-where-you-discover/) [Ali Fazal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-fazal/) > [We spend millions of dollars to remove pain from our lives. It's why so many people get hooked on painkillers. The body becomes addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/we-spend-millions-of-dollars-to-remove-pain-from-our-lives-it-s-why/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [As artists, we can't help but infuse our art with our own experience, so your experience becomes informative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/as-artists-we-can-t-help-but-infuse-our-art-with-our-own-experience/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [When you try to become a good cook, in the beginning, most likely the dish is not going to be good. But you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/when-you-try-to-become-a-good-cook-in-the-beginning-most-likely-the/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [It's interesting how sleepwalking in a certain way becomes an accumulation of your outside stimuli that's actually there and what's happening in your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/it-s-interesting-how-sleepwalking-in-a-certain-way-becomes-an/) [Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/) > [What actor do you really take seriously who becomes a singer? It's kind of ridiculous. I can't think of anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/what-actor-do-you-really-take-seriously-who-becomes-a-singer-it-s/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [You don't really write a hit song - you write a great song, and then, if the public decides it's a hit, they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuno-bettencourt/you-don-t-really-write-a-hit-song-you-write-a-great-song-and-then-if/) [Nuno Bettencourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuno-bettencourt/) > [When an accident or a crime happens, there's a period of time before the yellow tape goes up, before the official response becomes formalized.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-gilroy/when-an-accident-or-a-crime-happens-there-s-a-period-of-time-before/) [Dan Gilroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-gilroy/) > [Our society is so obsessed with working out to be skinny, and none of that has a purpose. I love that my daughter sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megyn-price/our-society-is-so-obsessed-with-working-out-to-be-skinny-and-none-of/) [Megyn Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megyn-price/) > [It's easier for me to act in Spanish, but as soon as I get the lines in English and I know them by heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-la-reguera/it-s-easier-for-me-to-act-in-spanish-but-as-soon-as-i-get-the-lines/) [Ana de la Reguera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-la-reguera/) Browse all 1,096 Becomes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially on the Left, it becomes a kind of abstraction. Folks are aware of injustice, and they're aware that there are folks in prison who are in prison, you know, largely because of their activism.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ta-Nehisi Coates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/when-people-hear-the-term-political-prisoner-especially-on-the-left/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Becomes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/when-people-hear-the-term-political-prisoner-especially-on-the-left/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b35/ta-nehisi-coates-733_becomes_when-people-hear-the-term-political-pris_2785580.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When people hear the term 'political prisoner,' especially on the Left, it becomes a kind of abstraction…” — Ta-Nehisi Coates", "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": "Ta-Nehisi Coates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When people hear the term 'political...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/when-people-hear-the-term-political-prisoner-especially-on-the-left/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/when-people-hear-the-term-political-prisoner-especially-on-the-left/#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 } } ] } ```