--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the big turning moment was when I…" description: "\"I think the big turning moment was when I joined the student political action club and started studying nonviolent civil disobedience in response to th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/cecily-mcmillan-33116_action_i-think-the-big-turning-moment-was-when_2405196.jpg" --- # I think the big turning moment was when I joined the… ![“I think the big turning moment was when I joined the student political action club and started studying nonviolent civil disobedience in response to the Iraq War. The first anti-Bush protest in Atlanta was the first protest that I'd ever been to, and I helped organize the school walkout when I was…” quote by Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/cecily-mcmillan-33116_action_i-think-the-big-turning-moment-was-when_2405196.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/cecily-mcmillan-33116_action_i-think-the-big-turning-moment-was-when_2405196.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e7/cecily-mcmillan-33116_action_i-think-the-big-turning-moment-was-when_2405196.jpg) > “I think the big turning moment was when I joined the student political action club and started studying nonviolent civil disobedience in response to the Iraq War. The first anti-Bush protest in Atlanta was the first protest that I'd ever been to, and I helped organize the school walkout when I was a junior. It was a really solidifying moment.” [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Joining a political club and protesting war solidified the speaker’s commitment to nonviolent activism. **In simple terms:** Activism shaped her identity. Key Takeaway Engage in causes you care about. Themes activism politics peace Mood reflective determined Type personal educational When to use this quote - college campuses - community organizing - peace movements Key Concepts nonviolent resistance social justice identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What cause ignites your passion? - How will you sustain long‑term involvement? A Different Perspective Activism can lead to burnout or backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Atlanta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlanta/) [Atlanta Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atlanta-protest-6036183/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Civil disobedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-disobedience/) [Clubs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clubs/) [Disobedience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disobedience/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Iraq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq/) [Iraq war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iraq-war/) [Juniors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juniors/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Organize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/organize/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Political action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political-action/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest/) [Protest Helped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest-helped-4118833/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Studying Nonviolent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studying-nonviolent-6036182/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Turning Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turning-moment-6036181/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [ I talked to Shailene Woodley the next day \[after arrest\]. 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Books change your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/books-are-a-form-of-political-action-books-are-knowledge-books-are/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [The essential thing is the formation of the political will of the nation: that is the starting point for political action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-essential-thing-is-the-formation-of-the-political-will-of-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/one-cannot-expect-positive-results-from-an-educational-or-political/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [The tragedy of all political action is that some problems have no solution; none of the alternatives are intellectually consistent or morally uncompromising; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joll/the-tragedy-of-all-political-action-is-that-some-problems-have-no/) [James Joll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joll/) ## More by Cecily McMillan > [My town was all-white and shut down Section 8 housing because they didn't want black people to move into the town. 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It just happens that here, the problems are far more out in the open, we don't live with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/jail-is-just-another-micro-society-it-just-happens-that-here-the/) [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) > [If somebody is acting maladjusted - which means not happy to be at Rikers - the protocol, as I understand it and have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/if-somebody-is-acting-maladjusted-which-means-not-happy-to-be-at/) [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) > [You can't put people in jail for having mental disorders. You can't do that, and they should not be held there. 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