--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As important as it is to change the light…" description: "\"As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws\" — Al Gore" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg" --- # As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more… ![“As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws” quote by Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg) > “As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws” [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technological changes like lighting are minor; systemic change in laws is far more impactful for society. **In simple terms:** Change laws, not just gadgets. Key Takeaway Prioritize policy reform. Themes politics environment change Mood determined urgent Type political activist When to use this quote - career - activism - community organizing Key Concepts legislation systemic reform public policy Questions to Reflect On - Which laws most need reform today? - How can individuals influence legislative change? A Different Perspective Legal change can be slow and face resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bulbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulbs/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light bulb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-bulb/) ## Related quotes > [Even though it's important for all of us to change our light bulbs and the vehicles we drive, it's much more important to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/even-though-it-s-important-for-all-of-us-to-change-our-light-bulbs/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Sometimes it's more important to change politicians than light bulbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-f-kennedy-jr/sometimes-it-s-more-important-to-change-politicians-than-light-bulbs/) [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-f-kennedy-jr/) > [Fame changes a lot of things, but it can't change a light bulb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilda-radner/fame-changes-a-lot-of-things-but-it-can-t-change-a-light-bulb/) [Gilda Radner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilda-radner/) > [“Buying light bulbs today is really hard, as there are so many different types!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/buying-light-bulbs-today-is-really-hard-as-there-are-so-many/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Yeah, yeah and there ain't nobody fresher. Semester to semester, ravin' with the fresher's. 20 light bulbs around my table on my dresser. ClC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinie-tempah/yeah-yeah-and-there-ain-t-nobody-fresher-semester-to-semester-ravin/) [Tinie Tempah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinie-tempah/) > [Of the 200 light bulbs that didn't work, every failure told me something that I was able to incorporate into the next attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/of-the-200-light-bulbs-that-didn-t-work-every-failure-told-me/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [Well, what did we buy? Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-bachmann/well-what-did-we-buy-instead-of-a-leaner-smarter-government-we-bought/) [Michele Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-bachmann/) > [Change your leaders, not your light bulbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/change-your-leaders-not-your-light-bulbs/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Boobs are to men what light bulbs are to moths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-cole/boobs-are-to-men-what-light-bulbs-are-to-moths/) [Kendrick Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-cole/) > [Often when I'm on TV, they'll ask what are the three most important things for people to do. I know they want me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/often-when-i-m-on-tv-they-ll-ask-what-are-the-three-most-important/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [Now, if you're Al Gore, you can afford $10 a pop for squiggly-pig-tailed fluorescent light bulbs. But if you're mainstream America, two or three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-barton/now-if-you-re-al-gore-you-can-afford-10-a-pop-for-squiggly-pig-tailed/) [Joe Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-barton/) > [I come from Montana, and in eastern Montana we have a lot of dirt between light bulbs. It is expensive trying to bring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-burns/i-come-from-montana-and-in-eastern-montana-we-have-a-lot-of-dirt/) [Conrad Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-burns/) > [Everything in Russia is made of cement - phone booths, fence posts and light bulbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/everything-in-russia-is-made-of-cement-phone-booths-fence-posts-and/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) > [Our work on light bulbs wasn't an arbitrary mandate. We didn't just pick a standard out of the air, or look for a catchy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-upton/our-work-on-light-bulbs-wasn-t-an-arbitrary-mandate-we-didn-t-just/) [Fred Upton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-upton/) > [“It was in the 1880s, when German companies tried to develop more efficient light bulbs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manjit-kumar/it-was-in-the-1880s-when-german-companies-tried-to-develop-more/) [Manjit Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manjit-kumar/) ## More by Al Gore > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Mother Nature does not do bailouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/mother-nature-does-not-do-bailouts/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The climate crisis is not a political issue, it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity. It is also our greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-climate-crisis-is-not-a-political-issue-it-is-a-moral-and/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I decided to pick the diet that I thought would maximize my chances of long-term survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-decided-to-pick-the-diet-that-i-thought-would-maximize-my-chances/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [You know there's an old african proverb that i made up: "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/you-know-there-s-an-old-african-proverb-that-i-made-up-if-you-want-to/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [One tragic example of the loss of forests and then water is found in Ethiopia. The amount of its forested land has decreased from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/one-tragic-example-of-the-loss-of-forests-and-then-water-is-found-in/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The ten hottest years in the atmospheric record, going back only 160 years, have been in the last eleven years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-ten-hottest-years-in-the-atmospheric-record-going-back-only-160/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Hey, you know what, I've gotta go on that 'Letterman' show. That show is so lame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/hey-you-know-what-i-ve-gotta-go-on-that-letterman-show-that-show-is/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [When you talk about President Trump, the cable networks turned over so many hours of prime time to him. Why? Because he was entertaining,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/when-you-talk-about-president-trump-the-cable-networks-turned-over-so/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/iraq-does-pose-a-serious-threat-to-the-stability-of-the-persian-gulf/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There are skeptics who do not come to their view because they have a source of income from carbon polluters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/there-are-skeptics-who-do-not-come-to-their-view-because-they-have-a/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Our civilization is experiencing unprecedented changes across many realms, largely due to the rapid advancement of information technology. The ability to code and understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/our-civilization-is-experiencing-unprecedented-changes-across-many/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There are many who would much prefer that the word 'climate' never be mentioned and that the issue be eliminated from our national conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/there-are-many-who-would-much-prefer-that-the-word-climate-never-be/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [As many know, the Chinese expression for "crisis" consists of two characters side by side. The first is the symbol for "danger," the second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-many-know-the-chinese-expression-for-crisis-consists-of-two/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [I think George W. Bush has a warm, engaging personality. But, you know, the presidency is more than just a popularity contest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/i-think-george-w-bush-has-a-warm-engaging-personality-but-you-know/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) [Explore all 447 Al Gore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## More Bulbs quotes > [Greece is a sort of American vassal; the Netherlands is the country of American bases that grow like tulip bulbs; Cuba is the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/greece-is-a-sort-of-american-vassal-the-netherlands-is-the-country-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My parents are actors as well, so I grew up around that world. It was always a very romantic, mythical world. They did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-fox/my-parents-are-actors-as-well-so-i-grew-up-around-that-world-it-was/) [Phoebe Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-fox/) > [We can never be like lillies in the garden unless we have spent time as bulbs in the dark, totally ignored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-can-never-be-like-lillies-in-the-garden-unless-we-have-spent-time/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [A hotel is a place that keeps the manufacturers of 25-watt bulbs in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-berman/a-hotel-is-a-place-that-keeps-the-manufacturers-of-25-watt-bulbs-in/) [Shelley Berman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-berman/) > [Mostly, I straddle reality and the imagination. My reality needs imagination like a bulb needs a socket. My imagination needs reality like a blind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/mostly-i-straddle-reality-and-the-imagination-my-reality-needs/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [We live technologically, with man as the master of nature, man as the engineer, and let anyone who raises his voice against it stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/we-live-technologically-with-man-as-the-master-of-nature-man-as-the/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) > [I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-long-for-the-bulbs-to-arrive-for-the-early-autumn-chores-are/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [We talked death with burned-up intensity, both of us drawn to it like moths to an electric light bulb. Sucking on it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/we-talked-death-with-burned-up-intensity-both-of-us-drawn-to-it-like/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [My co-pastor is Randy Frazee. Randy is the brightest bulb in this box. He really has a feeling for what a church needs in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/my-co-pastor-is-randy-frazee-randy-is-the-brightest-bulb-in-this-box/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [He spent more time on the road to Damascus than a Syrian camel driver. And we thought nobody could fill John Kerry's flip-flops! ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/he-spent-more-time-on-the-road-to-damascus-than-a-syrian-camel-driver/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [I plant daffodil bulbs about eight inches deep. As I mentioned before, I don't use a ruler. As a married woman, I know perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-danz/i-plant-daffodil-bulbs-about-eight-inches-deep-as-i-mentioned-before/) [Cassandra Danz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-danz/) > [I went to a doctor and told him I felt normal on acid, that I was a light bulb in a world of moths.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-went-to-a-doctor-and-told-him-i-felt-normal-on-acid-that-i-was-a/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [People are mostly layers of violence and tenderness wrapped like bulbs, and it is difficult to say what makes them onions or hyacinths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/people-are-mostly-layers-of-violence-and-tenderness-wrapped-like/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [Groucho Marx, in his later days, gave me the best review I've ever had and probably will ever have. I changed a light bulb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-gould/groucho-marx-in-his-later-days-gave-me-the-best-review-i-ve-ever-had/) [Elliott Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-gould/) > [How many people does it take to change a searchlight bulb?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/how-many-people-does-it-take-to-change-a-searchlight-bulb/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) [Browse all 170 Bulbs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bulbs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Gore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-light-bulbs-its-more-important-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bulbs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-light-bulbs-its-more-important-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ec/al-gore-609_bulbs_as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-ligh_2306636.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As important as it is to change the light bulbs, its more important to change the laws” — Al Gore", "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": "Al Gore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As important as it is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-light-bulbs-its-more-important-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-important-as-it-is-to-change-the-light-bulbs-its-more-important-to/#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 } } ] } ```