--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Power holders as well as seekers of power…" description: "\"“Power holders as well as seekers of power work to legitimate their chosen frames through rituals and symbols. We saw earlier that this is in part a ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg" --- # Power holders as well as seekers of power work to… ![“Power holders as well as seekers of power work to legitimate their chosen frames through rituals and symbols. We saw earlier that this is in part a matter of efficiency: It is cheaper to organize a parade that whips up enthusiasm for the regime than it is to operate a police state.” quote by Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg) > ““Power holders as well as seekers of power work to legitimate their chosen frames through rituals and symbols. We saw earlier that this is in part a matter of efficiency: It is cheaper to organize a parade that whips up enthusiasm for the regime than it is to operate a police state.”” [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rulers use rituals and symbols to legitimize power because it is cheaper than force. **In simple terms:** Symbols make power seem natural and accepted. Key Takeaway Use symbols wisely to build support, not just control. Themes political power legitimacy symbolic interaction Mood critical analytical Type theoretical political When to use this quote - campaign branding - national ceremonies - organizational culture building Key Concepts political theory social psychology Questions to Reflect On - When do symbols replace genuine consent? - How can we see through symbolic manipulation? A Different Perspective Symbols can mask oppression and limit critical thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Police state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-state/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) ## Related quotes > [“This was laughable, of course, but that’s always the way with totalitarian regimes. Language gets turned on its head. Serfdom is freedom. Repression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/this-was-laughable-of-course-but-that-s-always-the-way-with/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [Americans have no idea why they have been at war in the Middle East, Asia and Africa for a decade. They don't realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/americans-have-no-idea-why-they-have-been-at-war-in-the-middle-east/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [The notion that Americans can be protected from "terror" by giving up the Bill of Rights is absurd. Democrats are complicit in this absurd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-notion-that-americans-can-be-protected-from-terror-by-giving-up/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [If middle-class Americans do not feel threatened by the slow encroachment of the police state or the Patriot Act, it is because they live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bageant/if-middle-class-americans-do-not-feel-threatened-by-the-slow/) [Joe Bageant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bageant/) > [There was no doubt that there was a vast organization which was making fools of all the liberals in Hollywood and taking their money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-was-no-doubt-that-there-was-a-vast-organization-which-was/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [“Should we wrap it all up and simply say that they arrested the innocent? But we omitted saying that the very concept of guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/should-we-wrap-it-all-up-and-simply-say-that-they-arrested-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There's one overriding issue, namely, that we live in a police state so long as the police get to police themselves. And that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/there-s-one-overriding-issue-namely-that-we-live-in-a-police-state-so/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [“The regime's policies, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had engendered a sharp divide between Muslims and Christians, in spite of the fact that generations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wael-ghonim/the-regime-s-policies-whether-intentionally-or-unintentionally-had/) [Wael Ghonim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wael-ghonim/) > [“Life in a police state is pretty good—if you are the state police.” Though”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-cameron/life-in-a-police-state-is-pretty-good-if-you-are-the-state-police/) [Marc Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-cameron/) > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [“Always Remember... Once You Give Up Your Rights, You Can Never Get Them Back. Once You Turn On That Police State, You Can Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/always-remember-once-you-give-up-your-rights-you-can-never-get-them/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [California always struck me as a police state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/california-always-struck-me-as-a-police-state/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Start with the observation that American law is not designed to catch and punish every instance of illegal conduct. Nothing short of a totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carpenter/start-with-the-observation-that-american-law-is-not-designed-to-catch/) [Dale Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carpenter/) ## More by Wendy Griswold > [“He (Zerubavel) draws attention to the social influences on perception (what people notice), attention and concern (what people care about), classification (how people categorize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/he-zerubavel-draws-attention-to-the-social-influences-on-perception/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“We known the past - and shape our schemas about it - through memory, history, and relics but also through imagination. With such aids,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/we-known-the-past-and-shape-our-schemas-about-it-through-memory/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Recall Clifford Geertz definition of culture: "an historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in symbols, a system of inherited conceptions expressed in symbolic forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/recall-clifford-geertz-definition-of-culture-an-historically/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“History is complex, with levels of detail; it must be taught and may not be known by all members of the group. Collective memory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/history-is-complex-with-levels-of-detail-it-must-be-taught-and-may/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“...printing and the proliferation of written materials allowed ordinary people to be members of any number of relational communities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/printing-and-the-proliferation-of-written-materials-allowed-ordinary/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Many live where they must, not where they choose, yet still endeavor to form lifestyle enclaves to whatever degree they are able. Simlarly, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/many-live-where-they-must-not-where-they-choose-yet-still-endeavor-to/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Identities are the key to political thought and action. IF cultural creators can frame their message so it resonates with a frame that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/identities-are-the-key-to-political-thought-and-action-if-cultural/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Two intellectual consequences of literacy were the separation of history from myth and the increased individualism based on highly specialized knowledge. In literate cultures,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/two-intellectual-consequences-of-literacy-were-the-separation-of/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Paul DiMaggio (1997) has looked at the interaction between cognition and social life. He notes that under everyday circumstances, people organize information via automatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/paul-dimaggio-1997-has-looked-at-the-interaction-between-cognition/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“We have seen some of the mechanisms whereby culture serves the interests of power, including making something legitimate, moral, or common sense. One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/we-have-seen-some-of-the-mechanisms-whereby-culture-serves-the/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Charles Cooley (1956) wrote that primary groups, those groups such as the family and neighborhood where we have our earliest and most intimate interactions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/charles-cooley-1956-wrote-that-primary-groups-those-groups-such-as/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“A more general statement of Davies's point would be that when institutions and meaning systems are threatened or disrupted, it may not be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/a-more-general-statement-of-davies-s-point-would-be-that-when/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Power gets legitimated through schemas; if there is an underlying schema that says that men are more decisive than women, this schema will structure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/power-gets-legitimated-through-schemas-if-there-is-an-underlying/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) > [“Information and Communication technologies have not so much changed cultural practices as reproduced and facilitated them. Groups and nations become networks, and in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/information-and-communication-technologies-have-not-so-much-changed/) [Wendy Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) [Explore all 15 Wendy Griswold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/) ## More Police state quotes > [“This was laughable, of course, but that’s always the way with totalitarian regimes. Language gets turned on its head. Serfdom is freedom. Repression is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/this-was-laughable-of-course-but-that-s-always-the-way-with/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [I mean a real police state just to get a token recognition of a law. It take, it took, I think, 15,000 troops and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-mean-a-real-police-state-just-to-get-a-token-recognition-of-a-law/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [California always struck me as a police state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-russell/california-always-struck-me-as-a-police-state/) [Leon Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-russell/) > [“Always Remember... Once You Give Up Your Rights, You Can Never Get Them Back. Once You Turn On That Police State, You Can Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/always-remember-once-you-give-up-your-rights-you-can-never-get-them/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [What must be addressed in the most immediate sense is the threat that the emerging police state in the United States poses not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/what-must-be-addressed-in-the-most-immediate-sense-is-the-threat-that/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [“Police not enforcing laws results in a high crime rate that is formally reported as a low crime rate in police statistics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/police-not-enforcing-laws-results-in-a-high-crime-rate-that-is/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Life in a police state is pretty good—if you are the state police.” Though”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-cameron/life-in-a-police-state-is-pretty-good-if-you-are-the-state-police/) [Marc Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-cameron/) > [“The regime's policies, whether intentionally or unintentionally, had engendered a sharp divide between Muslims and Christians, in spite of the fact that generations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wael-ghonim/the-regime-s-policies-whether-intentionally-or-unintentionally-had/) [Wael Ghonim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wael-ghonim/) > [There's one overriding issue, namely, that we live in a police state so long as the police get to police themselves. And that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/there-s-one-overriding-issue-namely-that-we-live-in-a-police-state-so/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [“Should we wrap it all up and simply say that they arrested the innocent? But we omitted saying that the very concept of guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/should-we-wrap-it-all-up-and-simply-say-that-they-arrested-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [There was no doubt that there was a vast organization which was making fools of all the liberals in Hollywood and taking their money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/there-was-no-doubt-that-there-was-a-vast-organization-which-was/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) > [If middle-class Americans do not feel threatened by the slow encroachment of the police state or the Patriot Act, it is because they live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bageant/if-middle-class-americans-do-not-feel-threatened-by-the-slow/) [Joe Bageant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bageant/) > [The notion that Americans can be protected from "terror" by giving up the Bill of Rights is absurd. Democrats are complicit in this absurd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-notion-that-americans-can-be-protected-from-terror-by-giving-up/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [Americans have no idea why they have been at war in the Middle East, Asia and Africa for a decade. They don't realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/americans-have-no-idea-why-they-have-been-at-war-in-the-middle-east/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) > [“Start with the observation that American law is not designed to catch and punish every instance of illegal conduct. Nothing short of a totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carpenter/start-with-the-observation-that-american-law-is-not-designed-to-catch/) [Dale Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carpenter/) [Browse all 147 Police state quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-state/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Power holders as well as seekers of power work to legitimate their chosen frames through rituals and symbols. We saw earlier that this is in part a matter of efficiency: It is cheaper to organize a parade that whips up enthusiasm for the regime than it is to operate a police state.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendy Griswold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-power-work-to-legitimate-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Police state" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-power-work-to-legitimate-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/wendy-griswold-33303_police-state_power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-powe_2437607.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Power holders as well as seekers of power work to legitimate their chosen frames through rituals and…” — Wendy Griswold", "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": "Wendy Griswold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-griswold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Power holders as well as seekers...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-power-work-to-legitimate-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-griswold/power-holders-as-well-as-seekers-of-power-work-to-legitimate-their/#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 } } ] } ```