--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not that Millennials don't believe…" description: "\"It's not that Millennials don't believe some things are serious. We'll make 'It Gets Better' videos or perform comedy for disaster relief. But sum up o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/alexandra-petri-5715_believe_it-s-not-that-millennials-don-t-believe_3216979.jpg" --- # It's not that Millennials don't believe some things are… ![“It's not that Millennials don't believe some things are serious. We'll make 'It Gets Better' videos or perform comedy for disaster relief. But sum up our lives in a phrase? The Importance of Never Being Too Earnest.” quote by Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/alexandra-petri-5715_believe_it-s-not-that-millennials-don-t-believe_3216979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/alexandra-petri-5715_believe_it-s-not-that-millennials-don-t-believe_3216979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb1/alexandra-petri-5715_believe_it-s-not-that-millennials-don-t-believe_3216979.jpg) > “It's not that Millennials don't believe some things are serious. We'll make 'It Gets Better' videos or perform comedy for disaster relief. But sum up our lives in a phrase? The Importance of Never Being Too Earnest.” [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Millennials balance seriousness with humor, using media to address crises while maintaining a light-hearted outlook. **In simple terms:** Millennials mix seriousness with humor. Key Takeaway Use humor to cope with serious issues. Themes culture humor generational identity Mood witty critical Type satirical observational When to use this quote - political activism - mental health - social media campaigns Key Concepts media activism social commentary earnestness Questions to Reflect On - When does humor become avoidance? - How can earnestness coexist with levity? A Different Perspective Humor can downplay the gravity of issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-things/) [Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better/) [Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedy/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Disaster relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster-relief/) [Gets Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gets-better/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Importance Earnest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/importance-earnest-2095800/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Perform Comedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perform-comedy-1185777/) [Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking/) ## Related quotes > [I've been driving in the city for years because, as a stand-up in N.Y.C., you can perform at more comedy clubs a night if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judah-friedlander/i-ve-been-driving-in-the-city-for-years-because-as-a-stand-up-in-n-y/) [Judah Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judah-friedlander/) > [I didn't want to perform comedy. I always loved humor. Loved making people laugh. I was a big stand up fan, but it wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-schulz/i-didn-t-want-to-perform-comedy-i-always-loved-humor-loved-making/) [Andrew Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-schulz/) > [I think the process of 'SNL' is still pretty formal. You make an audition tape, your agent sends it in, they watch people's tapes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-wells/i-think-the-process-of-snl-is-still-pretty-formal-you-make-an/) [Noel Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-wells/) > [I am more comfortable doing comedy, and I want to perform comedy. When you can really make someone laugh, that's a healing experience. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-tenuta/i-am-more-comfortable-doing-comedy-and-i-want-to-perform-comedy-when/) [Judy Tenuta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-tenuta/) > [I remember seeing 'Spinal Tap' at a young age and being like, 'That's how you perform comedy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/i-remember-seeing-spinal-tap-at-a-young-age-and-being-like-that-s-how/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [If I had to perform in a comedy club I would bomb; I would be trying too hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/if-i-had-to-perform-in-a-comedy-club-i-would-bomb-i-would-be-trying/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“What matters in the end in literature, what is always there, is the truly good. And -- though played out forms can throw up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul-2/what-matters-in-the-end-in-literature-what-is-always-there-is-the/) [V.S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul-2/) > [I've seen the most remarkable thing. It's in the New York Public Library. They've got the original typescript of 'The Importance of Being Earnest'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/i-ve-seen-the-most-remarkable-thing-it-s-in-the-new-york-public/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > ['The Importance of Being Earnest' is important, but it says nothing about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-importance-of-being-earnest-is-important-but-it-says-nothing/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-ve-now-realised-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-the-vital-importance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The first professional play I ever saw was The Importance Of Being Earnest, and I just fell in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/the-first-professional-play-i-ever-saw-was-the-importance-of-being/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [“Then they could discuss the possibilities of social inequity, the way your socks always fall down when you're wearing rubber boots, and the importance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-they-could-discuss-the-possibilities-of-social-inequity-the-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I got a lot of flak; in Texas, football is not only the social thing you must do, but you do it also to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/powers-boothe/i-got-a-lot-of-flak-in-texas-football-is-not-only-the-social-thing/) [Powers Boothe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/powers-boothe/) > [I love David Suchet. I'm obsessed with Poirot. Then I saw him in 'The Importance of Being Earnest,' where he did Lady Bracknell, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-love-david-suchet-i-m-obsessed-with-poirot-then-i-saw-him-in-the/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) > [Gwendolen, from The Importance of Being Earnest I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/gwendolen-from-the-importance-of-being-earnest-i-never-travel-without/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Alexandra Petri > [They will wrest 'dull words' from my cold dead hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/they-will-wrest-dull-words-from-my-cold-dead-hands/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Standup comedy was my weird hobby. I would drag my poor parents out to the only open mics that were in coffee shops instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/standup-comedy-was-my-weird-hobby-i-would-drag-my-poor-parents-out-to/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [You can be brilliant in some ways and despicable in others. You can be a clean, upright, moral individual in your private life who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/you-can-be-brilliant-in-some-ways-and-despicable-in-others-you-can-be/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Almost nothing anyone told me about Harvard has been accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/almost-nothing-anyone-told-me-about-harvard-has-been-accurate/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Success is like food caught in your teeth: much more noticeable when it happens to other people. If it happens to you, other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/success-is-like-food-caught-in-your-teeth-much-more-noticeable-when/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [I majored in extracurriculars, honestly. I joined the Harvard Stand Up Comedy Society, which is a ragtag band of misfits. I wrote for 'On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/i-majored-in-extracurriculars-honestly-i-joined-the-harvard-stand-up/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Dull words are what make many bright sentences shine. They do not call attention to themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/dull-words-are-what-make-many-bright-sentences-shine-they-do-not-call/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Bills ought to be passed with deliberation by committees. Change should be achieved in a bipartisan manner. Incrementally, day by day, we should reach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/bills-ought-to-be-passed-with-deliberation-by-committees-change/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [Although no one explicitly wants a president who could have a reliable fall back career in stand-up comedy, everyone shudders at the thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/although-no-one-explicitly-wants-a-president-who-could-have-a/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [George Washington didn't have to make us laugh; he just had to establish precedents and avoid chopping down more cherry trees than he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/george-washington-didn-t-have-to-make-us-laugh-he-just-had-to/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [At Harvard, people like to impart the idea that you are a mover and shaker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/at-harvard-people-like-to-impart-the-idea-that-you-are-a-mover-and/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [It's easier to find the joke in something when you think, 'This - this is ridiculous.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/it-s-easier-to-find-the-joke-in-something-when-you-think-this-this-is/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [The desire for attention has become a primal need along the lines of food, water, and clothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-desire-for-attention-has-become-a-primal-need-along-the-lines-of/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [The biggest way to be productive is if you're procrastinating on another more important project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/the-biggest-way-to-be-productive-is-if-you-re-procrastinating-on/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) > [As long as cantankerous old people have existed, they have complained that kids nowadays don't seem to know anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-petri/as-long-as-cantankerous-old-people-have-existed-they-have-complained/) [Alexandra Petri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) [Explore all 100 Alexandra Petri quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-petri/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's not that Millennials don't believe some things are serious. We'll make 'It Gets Better' videos or perform comedy for disaster relief. But sum up our lives in a phrase? 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