---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But then, apart from politicians and the…"
description: "\"“But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does anyone else use Twitter? Perhaps to feel important.”\" — Umberto Eco"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg"
---

#  But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does…

![“But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does anyone else use Twitter? Perhaps to feel important.” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg)

> ““But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does anyone else use Twitter? Perhaps to feel important.””

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Twitter is used mainly by political and religious elites; others join to feel significance.

**In simple terms:** People use Twitter for status, not necessity.

Key Takeaway

Seek genuine validation beyond social media.

Themes

status validation media power identity

Mood

reflective critical

Type

observational social commentary

When to use this quote

- political campaigning
- religious outreach
- personal branding
- online community

Key Concepts

social media psychology elitism

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you seek importance online?
- How does social media affect self-worth?

A Different Perspective

It can amplify echo chambers and superficial engagement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/)

## Related quotes

> [I mainly use Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. Those are my three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finn-wolfhard/i-mainly-use-twitter-instagram-and-snapchat-those-are-my-three/)

[Finn Wolfhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finn-wolfhard/)

> [Now, two things happen. One is, people know people, whether that's on Facebook or Twitter. They feel closer to the event. Secondly, people see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-cashmore/now-two-things-happen-one-is-people-know-people-whether-that-s-on/)

[Pete Cashmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-cashmore/)

> [Shark Tank's participatory. There's so many people on Twitter for this show, and they all feel like they're in the tank, making calls on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/shark-tank-s-participatory-there-s-so-many-people-on-twitter-for-this/)

[Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/)

> [Make tweets effortless to enjoy, make it easier for all to participate, and make each of us on Twitter feel heard and valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sacca/make-tweets-effortless-to-enjoy-make-it-easier-for-all-to-participate/)

[Chris Sacca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sacca/)

> [Who you follow on Twitter, I feel like, doesn't matter even a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennys-sandgren/who-you-follow-on-twitter-i-feel-like-doesn-t-matter-even-a-little-bit/)

[Tennys Sandgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennys-sandgren/)

> [I work a lot, but at night time, thats basically my down time when I get to just lay in bed, play on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-work-a-lot-but-at-night-time-thats-basically-my-down-time-when-i/)

[Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/)

> [With everybody having a Facebook and a Twitter, I feel like regular people consider themselves stars. It's a live, real-time upload of every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/with-everybody-having-a-facebook-and-a-twitter-i-feel-like-regular/)

[Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/)

> [“A habit is at work when users feel a tad bored and instantly open Twitter. They feel a pang of loneliness and before rational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/a-habit-is-at-work-when-users-feel-a-tad-bored-and-instantly-open/)

[Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/)

> [Whenever you feel down, you can check on Twitter and feel better about yourself, because it's only people who like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-swanepoel/whenever-you-feel-down-you-can-check-on-twitter-and-feel-better-about/)

[Candice Swanepoel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-swanepoel/)

> [I'm not on Twitter. I feel like it has a purpose because there are fans around the world that want to have some sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-m-not-on-twitter-i-feel-like-it-has-a-purpose-because-there-are/)

[Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/)

> [Don't you love it that Prince doesn't use Twitter? Don't you think he's somewhere on a unicorn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/don-t-you-love-it-that-prince-doesn-t-use-twitter-don-t-you-think-he/)

[Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/)

> [I have a daily message, 'Stimumail,' which I use to stimulate the mind and heart. I have the opportunity to touch over 60,000 people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-have-a-daily-message-stimumail-which-i-use-to-stimulate-the-mind/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [I don't use Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-don-t-use-twitter/)

[Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/)

> [I don't have a Facebook page. I don't use Twitter. I don't give anyone a lot to grab onto. Sometimes, I even take out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-suarez/i-don-t-have-a-facebook-page-i-don-t-use-twitter-i-don-t-give-anyone/)

[Daniel Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-suarez/)

> [I know very little about the viral, electronic world, but I use Twitter to communicate not only information that I think some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shatner/i-know-very-little-about-the-viral-electronic-world-but-i-use-twitter/)

[William Shatner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shatner/)

## More by Umberto Eco

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

[Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## More Politics quotes

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [“Only careful political manoeuvring will be able to manage the situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davan-yahya-khalil/only-careful-political-manoeuvring-will-be-able-to-manage-the/)

Davan Yahya Khalil

> [We could form a government of national unity fighting corruption. The ordinary Afghan is sick and tired of it, because it's she or he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashraf-ghani/we-could-form-a-government-of-national-unity-fighting-corruption-the/)

[Ashraf Ghani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashraf-ghani/)

> [Politics is not an issue whether you like or dislike , but every citizen must involve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-veasna/politics-is-not-an-issue-whether-you-like-or-dislike-but-every/)

[Khem Veasna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khem-veasna/)

> [For the Scottish government, the practice of having meetings in different parts of the country is well established, but for the U.K. government, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-sturgeon/for-the-scottish-government-the-practice-of-having-meetings-in/)

[Nicola Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-sturgeon/)

> [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [Scepticism and cynicism about politics is so great that one of the best counters to it is what you can do at a local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/scepticism-and-cynicism-about-politics-is-so-great-that-one-of-the/)

[Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/)

> [Right now we're concerned about budget. Right now we're concerned about the prospect of interest rate rise. We're concerned about government corruption, government handing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amity-shlaes/right-now-we-re-concerned-about-budget-right-now-we-re-concerned/)

[Amity Shlaes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amity-shlaes/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [“Jim Reston: Walking through the crowds of air-kissing politicians, actors and high fliers, it was tough to tell where the politics stopped and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/jim-reston-walking-through-the-crowds-of-air-kissing-politicians/)

[Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/)

> [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/)

[Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/)

> [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [A man who kills on his own is a murderer. A man who kills at his government's request is a national hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramman-kenoun/a-man-who-kills-on-his-own-is-a-murderer-a-man-who-kills-at-his/)

[Ramman Kenoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramman-kenoun/)

> [Politics in Philadelphia is a contact sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-nutter/politics-in-philadelphia-is-a-contact-sport/)

[Michael Nutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-nutter/)

[Browse all 44,914 Politics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does anyone else use Twitter? Perhaps to feel important.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Umberto Eco"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the-pope-why-does-anyone-else-use/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Politics"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the-pope-why-does-anyone-else-use/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/umberto-eco-313_politics_but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the_2010436.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But then, apart from politicians and the pope, why does anyone else use Twitter? Perhaps to feel important.” — Umberto Eco",
                "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": "Umberto Eco",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But then, apart from politicians and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the-pope-why-does-anyone-else-use/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/but-then-apart-from-politicians-and-the-pope-why-does-anyone-else-use/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
