--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No, most of our political elite has not…" description: "\"No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.\" — Thomas Friedman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png" --- # No, most of our political elite has not realized that the… ![“No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.” quote by Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png) > “No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.” [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The claim that the world is flat is a metaphor for ignorance among political leaders. **In simple terms:** Politicians often ignore basic facts. Key Takeaway Challenge misinformation. Themes politics knowledge misinformation Mood skeptical concerned Type opinion analytical When to use this quote - policy debates - media analysis - public speeches Key Concepts critical thinking public discourse education Questions to Reflect On - Why do leaders cling to outdated beliefs? - How can accurate information be better communicated? A Different Perspective Some may argue the metaphor oversimplifies complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Yes, the world is now flat for publishing as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/yes-the-world-is-now-flat-for-publishing-as-well/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I wrote 'The World Is Flat,' I said the world is flat. Yeah, we're all connected. Facebook didn't exist; Twitter was a sound;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-wrote-the-world-is-flat-i-said-the-world-is-flat-yeah-we-re/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I was in Bangalore, India, the Silicon Valley of India, when I realized that the world was flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-was-in-bangalore-india-the-silicon-valley-of-india-when-i-realized/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Wouldnt it be nice if the world was flat? That way we could just push off the people we dont like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-g/wouldnt-it-be-nice-if-the-world-was-flat-that-way-we-could-just-push/) Jeremy G > [By now, it seems as if everyone has already read Thomas L. Friedman's 'The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ross-sorkin/by-now-it-seems-as-if-everyone-has-already-read-thomas-l-friedman-s/) [Andrew Ross Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ross-sorkin/) > [If the world was flat I'd probably swim off it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-world-was-flat-i-d-probably-swim-off-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know the world must be flat, because when people leave town they never come back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-ketchum/you-know-the-world-must-be-flat-because-when-people-leave-town-they/) [Hal Ketchum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-ketchum/) > [Common sense is that which tells us the world is flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-is-that-which-tells-us-the-world-is-flat/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [Common sense tells us that the world is flat, that the sun goes around the earth, that heavy bodies always fall faster than light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-chase/common-sense-tells-us-that-the-world-is-flat-that-the-sun-goes-around/) [Stuart Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-chase/) > [“what if we still thought the world was flat?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gy-williams/what-if-we-still-thought-the-world-was-flat/) Gy Williams > [“I know the world is flat now, I'm not going back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-know-the-world-is-flat-now-i-m-not-going-back/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was flat? That way we could just push off the people we don’t like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-if-the-world-was-flat-that-way-we-could-just-push/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now, I am not saying that the world is flat, but it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/now-i-am-not-saying-that-the-world-is-flat-but-it-could-be/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [If you followed this economic crisis and you do not think that the world is getting flatter, you are not paying attention. We saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/if-you-followed-this-economic-crisis-and-you-do-not-think-that-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [People are starting to notice the great divide. The Tea party sees the aloofness in a political elite that thinks it knows best and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/people-are-starting-to-notice-the-great-divide-the-tea-party-sees-the/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) ## More by Thomas Friedman > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [The financial crisis just made the hole deeper, which is why our stimulus needs to be both big and smart, both financially and educationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-financial-crisis-just-made-the-hole-deeper-which-is-why-our/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Never before in the history of the planet have so many people, on their own, had the ability to find so much information about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/never-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet-have-so-many-people-on/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' I tell my daughters, 'Finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/when-i-was-growing-up-my-parents-told-me-finish-your-dinner-people-in/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Hillary Clinton has decided to line up with John McCain in pushing to suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline, 18.4 cents a gallon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/hillary-clinton-has-decided-to-line-up-with-john-mccain-in-pushing-to/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Two things are going on at the same time with the flattening of the world: The relentless quest for efficiency is squeezing some of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/two-things-are-going-on-at-the-same-time-with-the-flattening-of-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Our president's latest energy initiative was to go to Saudi Arabia and beg King Abdullah to give us a little relief on gasoline prices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/our-president-s-latest-energy-initiative-was-to-go-to-saudi-arabia/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Geopolitics is all about leverage. We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/geopolitics-is-all-about-leverage-we-cannot-make-ourselves-safer/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/big-breakthroughs-happen-when-what-is-suddenly-possible-meets-what-is/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [There is something more severe than the problem with Thomas Friedman, which can be generalized to represent someone causing action while being completely unaccountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-something-more-severe-than-the-problem-with-thomas-friedman/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) [Explore all 208 Thomas Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More Flat quotes > [There's very little about being in a functional-M.R.I. scanner that is natural: you are flat on your back, absolutely still, with your head immobilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-marantz-henig/there-s-very-little-about-being-in-a-functional-m-r-i-scanner-that-is/) [Robin Marantz Henig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-marantz-henig/) > [I remember my own life as a small boy, son of Jewish immigrants, in a janitor's flat on Orchard and Stanton streets on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-k-javits/i-remember-my-own-life-as-a-small-boy-son-of-jewish-immigrants-in-a/) [Jacob K. Javits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-k-javits/) > [I've always been interested in DIY and home renovation - even from my first student flat. I've always left places better than when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-mclean/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-diy-and-home-renovation-even-from-my/) [Andrea McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-mclean/) > [In spring they lie flat at the first warmth, they ruin my summer and in autumn they smell of women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-claus/in-spring-they-lie-flat-at-the-first-warmth-they-ruin-my-summer-and/) [Hugo Claus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-claus/) > [If I'm outside, I want something flat on my feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/if-i-m-outside-i-want-something-flat-on-my-feet/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [A flat black bug, that is London.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-verlaine/a-flat-black-bug-that-is-london/) [Paul Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-verlaine/) > [I'm all about a flat shoe. It takes a lot to get me into a heel!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-taylor/i-m-all-about-a-flat-shoe-it-takes-a-lot-to-get-me-into-a-heel/) [Rachael Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-taylor/) > [Now, I am not saying that the world is flat, but it could be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-flintoff/now-i-am-not-saying-that-the-world-is-flat-but-it-could-be/) [Andrew Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-flintoff/) > [From as far back as I can remember, I was always insecure about my looks, whether it was my flat chest, my skinny legs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/from-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-insecure-about-my/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [“Wouldn’t it be nice if the world was flat? That way we could just push off the people we don’t like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wouldn-t-it-be-nice-if-the-world-was-flat-that-way-we-could-just-push/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A flat tax is roughly the same as a sales tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frank/a-flat-tax-is-roughly-the-same-as-a-sales-tax/) [Bob Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frank/) > [“Today is a day when the world turns out to be flat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-dellaira/today-is-a-day-when-the-world-turns-out-to-be-flat/) [Ava Dellaira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-dellaira/) > [I live like in the days of Daniel Boone, hauling water by hand. I used to have two Rolls-Royces. Now I got one. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-live-like-in-the-days-of-daniel-boone-hauling-water-by-hand-i-used/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [I remember an old Singer sewing machine at home that belonged to my grandmother. It had a pedal. My mom taught me how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibhu-mohapatra/i-remember-an-old-singer-sewing-machine-at-home-that-belonged-to-my/) [Bibhu Mohapatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibhu-mohapatra/) > [If there's anything consistent about my work, it's not flat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/if-there-s-anything-consistent-about-my-work-it-s-not-flat/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) Browse all 280 Flat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Friedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-realized-that-the-world-is-flat/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-realized-that-the-world-is-flat/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0cb/thomas-friedman-1784_flat_no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-r_664596.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No, most of our political elite has not realized that the world is flat.” — Thomas Friedman", "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": "Thomas Friedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No, most of our political elite...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-realized-that-the-world-is-flat/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/no-most-of-our-political-elite-has-not-realized-that-the-world-is-flat/#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 } } ] } ```