--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You've got to be a thermostat rather than…" description: "\"You've got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate of opinion; a thermometer just reflects it.\" — Cornel West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/cornel-west-708_climate_you-ve-got-to-be-a-thermostat-rather-tha_2260395.jpg" --- # You've got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A… ![“You've got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate of opinion; a thermometer just reflects it.” quote by Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/cornel-west-708_climate_you-ve-got-to-be-a-thermostat-rather-tha_2260395.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/cornel-west-708_climate_you-ve-got-to-be-a-thermostat-rather-tha_2260395.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee2/cornel-west-708_climate_you-ve-got-to-be-a-thermostat-rather-tha_2260395.jpg) > “You've got to be a thermostat rather than a thermometer. A thermostat shapes the climate of opinion; a thermometer just reflects it.” [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Influence shapes opinion; proactive leadership guides climate, passive measurement only mirrors. **In simple terms:** Lead, don’t just observe. Key Takeaway Take active role in shaping views. Themes leadership influence responsibility Mood thoughtful assertive Type political motivational When to use this quote - political campaigns - brand management - social movements Key Concepts political theory psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance shaping and reflecting? - When is observation more appropriate? A Different Perspective Being a thermometer can provide valuable data. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Opinion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinion/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Thermometer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thermometer/) ## Related quotes > [Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? A thermometer only reflects the temperature of its environment, adjusting to the situation. But a thermostat initiates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nido-r-qubein/are-you-a-thermometer-or-a-thermostat-a-thermometer-only-reflects-the/) [Nido R Qubein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nido-r-qubein/) > [“Be a thermometer and not a thermostat! (Set the temperature rather than registering it!)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-budzinski/be-a-thermometer-and-not-a-thermostat-set-the-temperature-rather-than/) [Karen Budzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-budzinski/) > [“At any point in your career, you are either a thermostat or a thermometer. You either define the temperature of the people around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/at-any-point-in-your-career-you-are-either-a-thermostat-or-a/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [There are two different types of leader. A person can either be like a thermometer or a thermostat. A thermometer will tell you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarthy/there-are-two-different-types-of-leader-a-person-can-either-be-like-a/) [Kevin McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarthy/) > [He is a thermostat leader, not a thermometer...He does not react to the environment he's in. He changes every environment he's in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-dilfer/he-is-a-thermostat-leader-not-a-thermometer-he-does-not-react-to-the/) [Trent Dilfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-dilfer/) > [The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-best-thermometer-to-the-progress-of-a-nation-is-its-treatment-of/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The Ocean Health Index is like the thermometer of the ocean. It will allow us to take the temperature to know what is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enric-sala/the-ocean-health-index-is-like-the-thermometer-of-the-ocean-it-will/) [Enric Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enric-sala/) > [I know of no better thermometer to your spiritual temperature than this, the measure of the intensity of your prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-know-of-no-better-thermometer-to-your-spiritual-temperature-than/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Temperament is the thermometer of character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/temperament-is-the-thermometer-of-character/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Friends are the thermometer by which we may judge the temperature of our fortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/friends-are-the-thermometer-by-which-we-may-judge-the-temperature-of/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Everone has a pain thermometer that goes from zero to ten. No one will make a change until they reach ten. Nine won't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-myron/everone-has-a-pain-thermometer-that-goes-from-zero-to-ten-no-one-will/) [Vicki Myron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-myron/) > [There is no thermometer for wants!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-bottome/there-is-no-thermometer-for-wants/) [Phyllis Bottome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-bottome/) > [I have invented the Thermometer style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-albers/i-have-invented-the-thermometer-style/) [Josef Albers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-albers/) > [Prayer is the thermometer of grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/prayer-is-the-thermometer-of-grace/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [I have the thermometer in my mouth and I am listening to it all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-the-thermometer-in-my-mouth-and-i-am-listening-to-it-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Cornel West > [There has certainly been ugly, right-wing hatred targeting Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/there-has-certainly-been-ugly-right-wing-hatred-targeting-barack-obama/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I feel as if I have been blessed to undergo a transformation from 'gangster' to 'redeemed sinner with gangster proclivities.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-feel-as-if-i-have-been-blessed-to-undergo-a-transformation-from/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ “You can't really move forward until you look back. \[From Remaking America panel discussion at George Washington University\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-t-really-move-forward-until-you-look-back-from-remaking/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [When we think of globalization we are thinking in part of structures and institutions that have been developed over time and that have allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/when-we-think-of-globalization-we-are-thinking-in-part-of-structures/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The challenge artists face today is whether to be an underground, unheard genius, or to dilute their art for the marketplace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-challenge-artists-face-today-is-whether-to-be-an-underground/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The need of black conservatives to gain the respect of their white peers deeply shapes certain elements of their conservatism. In this regard, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-need-of-black-conservatives-to-gain-the-respect-of-their-white/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [For me, musicians are poets. Beethoven describes himself as a poet of tones, just like Coltrane's a poet of tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/for-me-musicians-are-poets-beethoven-describes-himself-as-a-poet-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [I don't draw any distinctions between forms of bigotry or forms of ideology that lose sight of the humanity of people. I can't stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-don-t-draw-any-distinctions-between-forms-of-bigotry-or-forms-of/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Barack Obama has domesticated the left in such a way that we feel as if we have no alternative but him...I refuse to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/barack-obama-has-domesticated-the-left-in-such-a-way-that-we-feel-as/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Larry Summers, I think, he had a long history of arrogance and relative ignorance about poor people's culture and working people's culture and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/larry-summers-i-think-he-had-a-long-history-of-arrogance-and-relative/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-someone-is-the-gift-of-inspiration/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [You can see it in terms of the obsession on Wall Street with not just profits but greed, more profit, more profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/you-can-see-it-in-terms-of-the-obsession-on-wall-street-with-not-just/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Anybody who takes Martin Luther King seriously has got to go beyond the standard understanding of who he was, has to connect those dots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/anybody-who-takes-martin-luther-king-seriously-has-got-to-go-beyond/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) [Explore all 400 Cornel West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) ## More Climate quotes > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [In the current climate, things that are true, brave human stories become political.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/in-the-current-climate-things-that-are-true-brave-human-stories/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [There are many more traits that the climate deniers share with the creationists and Holocaust deniers and others who distort the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-r-prothero/there-are-many-more-traits-that-the-climate-deniers-share-with-the/) [Donald R. Prothero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-r-prothero/) > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I talk to fashion designers and say I want some money to save the rainforest, and they say, 'Oh, I agree with you completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/i-talk-to-fashion-designers-and-say-i-want-some-money-to-save-the/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/climate-change-poses-clear-catastrophic-threats-we-may-not-agree-on/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Fossil fuels, including oil, are running out and supplies are getting harder to find. If we do nothing, prices will continue to rise and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-powell/fossil-fuels-including-oil-are-running-out-and-supplies-are-getting/) [Lucy Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-powell/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. 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Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. 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