--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We no longer sing and dance. We don't…" description: "\"We no longer sing and dance. We don't know how to. Instead, we watch other people sing and dance on the television screen. Christmas, which was once a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/tom-hodgkinson-2852_active_we-no-longer-sing-and-dance-we-don-t-kno_2265122.png" --- # We no longer sing and dance. We don't know how to… ![“We no longer sing and dance. We don't know how to. Instead, we watch other people sing and dance on the television screen. Christmas, which was once a festival of active enjoyment, has turned into a binge of purely passive pleasures.” quote by Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/tom-hodgkinson-2852_active_we-no-longer-sing-and-dance-we-don-t-kno_2265122.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/tom-hodgkinson-2852_active_we-no-longer-sing-and-dance-we-don-t-kno_2265122.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/191/tom-hodgkinson-2852_active_we-no-longer-sing-and-dance-we-don-t-kno_2265122.png) > “We no longer sing and dance. We don't know how to. Instead, we watch other people sing and dance on the television screen. Christmas, which was once a festival of active enjoyment, has turned into a binge of purely passive pleasures.” [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques shift from active participation to passive consumption. **In simple terms:** We stopped actively enjoying festivals. Key Takeaway Reclaim active engagement in cultural events. Themes passivity culture technology Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type critical observational When to use this quote - holiday celebrations - family gatherings - community arts Key Concepts Media influence social change Questions to Reflect On - What active rituals can you revive? - How does media shape enjoyment? A Different Perspective May romanticize past. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Active](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active/) [Active Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/active-enjoyment-5226783/) [Binge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/binge/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Enjoyment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyment/) [Festival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/festival/) [How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/how/) [Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Longer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer/) [Once](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once/) [Other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/other/) [Passive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passive/) [Passive Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passive-pleasures-5226784/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasures/) [Purely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purely/) [Screen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screen/) [Sing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sing/) [Sing Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sing-dance-276794/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned/) [Watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch/) [Which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/which/) ## Related quotes > [. . . And some people sing and dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-miller/and-some-people-sing-and-dance/) [Roger Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-miller/) > [I saw Rain dance on TV and decided that I wanted to sing and dance like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeongyeon/i-saw-rain-dance-on-tv-and-decided-that-i-wanted-to-sing-and-dance/) [Jeongyeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeongyeon/) > [But from the time I was very little, it was something I would do all the time, just sing, dance and act. So it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/but-from-the-time-i-was-very-little-it-was-something-i-would-do-all/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [Everything want to be loved. Us sing and dance and holler, just trying to be loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/everything-want-to-be-loved-us-sing-and-dance-and-holler-just-trying/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [I can't sing or dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-edgerton/i-can-t-sing-or-dance/) [Joel Edgerton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-edgerton/) > [“Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/sing-and-dance-together-and-be-joyous-but-let-each-one-of-you-be-alone/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [I've always loved to sing and dance, but the caliber of my talent in those areas obviously is not nearing Patti LuPone or Sutton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-ve-always-loved-to-sing-and-dance-but-the-caliber-of-my-talent-in/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [What's great about musicals is their energy and go-for-brokeness - stopping the story to sing and dance. How can you not love that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/what-s-great-about-musicals-is-their-energy-and-go-for-brokeness/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [If I'm comfortable around you, ill be weird around you,sing to you and dance with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aalaynah-thompson/if-i-m-comfortable-around-you-ill-be-weird-around-you-sing-to-you-and/) [Aalaynah Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aalaynah-thompson/) > [In Hollywood, as I've often said, if you don't sing or dance, you end up as an after-dinner speaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/in-hollywood-as-i-ve-often-said-if-you-don-t-sing-or-dance-you-end-up/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I'm not a big sing-and-dance man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-bhabha/i-m-not-a-big-sing-and-dance-man/) [Satya Bhabha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-bhabha/) > [People like Little Mix... they've got a big lot of choreography that they need to do so it's difficult to sing and dance at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/people-like-little-mix-they-ve-got-a-big-lot-of-choreography-that/) [Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/) > [I never thought I'd sing or dance on national television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-krakowski/i-never-thought-i-d-sing-or-dance-on-national-television/) [Jane Krakowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-krakowski/) > [I don't want to be part of movies where I just sing and dance and go away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keerthy-suresh/i-don-t-want-to-be-part-of-movies-where-i-just-sing-and-dance-and-go/) [Keerthy Suresh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keerthy-suresh/) > [I see the stage as one place, where you sing, dance, move. It doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/i-see-the-stage-as-one-place-where-you-sing-dance-move-it-doesn-t/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) ## More by Tom Hodgkinson > [By taking out a loan, I am committing myself to years of interest repayments, and therefore to years of wage slavery. And the UK…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/by-taking-out-a-loan-i-am-committing-myself-to-years-of-interest/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Writing a book is a brilliant thing because once you've finished it, you've done it, and there's the potential for it to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/writing-a-book-is-a-brilliant-thing-because-once-you-ve-finished-it/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Truly, the bench is a boon to idlers. Whoever first came up with the idea is a genius: free public resting places where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/truly-the-bench-is-a-boon-to-idlers-whoever-first-came-up-with-the/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Beauty, pleasure, freedom and plenty of sleep: these are the hallmarks of a successful idler's break. Travel should not be hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/beauty-pleasure-freedom-and-plenty-of-sleep-these-are-the-hallmarks/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [These days we seem more bound to our bosses than ever before. We even identify our own selves with the jobs we do: 'What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/these-days-we-seem-more-bound-to-our-bosses-than-ever-before-we-even/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The way to stop feeling guilty is to read stuff - I'm not saying my book, but works by Bertrand Russell or Oscar Wilde,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-way-to-stop-feeling-guilty-is-to-read-stuff-i-m-not-saying-my/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The phrase 'work/life balance' encapsulates a depressing outlook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-phrase-work-life-balance-encapsulates-a-depressing-outlook/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [The idea of a government is to create an ordered, willing work force where there's no trouble. I think idlers are generally seen as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/the-idea-of-a-government-is-to-create-an-ordered-willing-work-force/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [When stuck years ago in a job I hated, my only friend was the public bench. As the tedious mornings dragged on, how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/when-stuck-years-ago-in-a-job-i-hated-my-only-friend-was-the-public/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [All poets are idlers, even if all idlers are not poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/all-poets-are-idlers-even-if-all-idlers-are-not-poets/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [Pain will never leave us. 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Commute by bike. At a stroke, you remove the need for and absurd cost of public transport.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/i-would-like-to-propose-slow-cycling-commute-by-bike-at-a-stroke-you/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) [Explore all 144 Tom Hodgkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. 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Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. 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