--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The gym instructor was the first to raise…" description: "\"“The gym instructor was the first to raise his hand. All the other hands flew up after his. While raising their hands, everybody looked at the raised h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/herta-m-ller-4269_gym_the-gym-instructor-was-the-first-to-rais_241703.jpg" --- # The gym instructor was the first to raise his hand. All… ![“The gym instructor was the first to raise his hand. All the other hands flew up after his. While raising their hands, everybody looked at the raised hands of the others. If someone's own hand wasn't as high as the others', he would stretch his arms a little farther. People kept their hands up…” quote by Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/herta-m-ller-4269_gym_the-gym-instructor-was-the-first-to-rais_241703.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/herta-m-ller-4269_gym_the-gym-instructor-was-the-first-to-rais_241703.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9db/herta-m-ller-4269_gym_the-gym-instructor-was-the-first-to-rais_241703.jpg) > ““The gym instructor was the first to raise his hand. All the other hands flew up after his. While raising their hands, everybody looked at the raised hands of the others. If someone's own hand wasn't as high as the others', he would stretch his arms a little farther. People kept their hands up until their fingers grew tired and started to droop and their elbows began to feel heavy and pull downward. Everyone looked around, and since no one else's arm was lowered, they straightened their fingers again and extended their elbows. Sweat stains showed under the arms; shirts and blouses came untucked. Necks were stretched, ears turned red, lips parted and stayed half-open. Heads kept still, while eyes slid from side to side.”” [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People mimic leaders’ actions, escalating collective behavior until exhaustion. **In simple terms:** We follow others, pushing limits together. Key Takeaway Recognize and break unproductive conformity. Themes conformity leadership group dynamics exhaustion Mood observational critical Type sociological descriptive When to use this quote - team meetings - classroom participation - protest movements - fitness classes Key Concepts social psychology collective behavior Questions to Reflect On - When does following become harmful? - How can you maintain personal boundaries? A Different Perspective May overlook individual agency or dissent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gym/) [Red lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red-lips/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know how good your hearing is, but if you don't understand what I'm saying I always have a little bit of sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/i-don-t-know-how-good-your-hearing-is-but-if-you-don-t-understand-2/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [“He raised his hands and, guided by a redeeming impulse of truth-like a conductor leading his orchestra in a grand symphony-finally set fingers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-rodrigues-dos-santos/he-raised-his-hands-and-guided-by-a-redeeming-impulse-of-truth-like-a/) [José Rodrigues dos Santos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-rodrigues-dos-santos/) > [Admit it, when you've raised your hands to answer an obvious question so that you don't get called later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/admit-it-when-you-ve-raised-your-hands-to-answer-an-obvious-question/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Father raised his hands. "Gentlemen, gentlemen,please!" he interjected. "I would like to remind you there is freedom of practice in this country." Three apoplectic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/father-raised-his-hands-gentlemen-gentlemen-please-he-interjected-i/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Since then, whenever I make new acquaintances, men or women with the potential of becoming friends or lovers, I project them back into that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/since-then-whenever-i-make-new-acquaintances-men-or-women-with-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“When they’d drawn their swords on me, I’d raised my hands. It’s a good habit to have when anyone points something sharp at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/when-they-d-drawn-their-swords-on-me-i-d-raised-my-hands-it-s-a-good/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I raised my hands, trying to shush her. "Don't shush me," she said, eyes blazing. "I hate being shushed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-oppel/i-raised-my-hands-trying-to-shush-her-don-t-shush-me-she-said-eyes/) [Kenneth Oppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-oppel/) > [I put on lip balm first thing in the morning and always use it before I swipe on my red lipstick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-morris/i-put-on-lip-balm-first-thing-in-the-morning-and-always-use-it-before/) [Heather Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-morris/) > [Who dreamed that beauty passes like a dream? 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I'm just being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asap-rocky/but-for-real-for-me-i-feel-like-with-the-red-lipstick-thing-it-all/) [ASAP Rocky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asap-rocky/) > [If You want a man to notice you, just wear red lipstick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-bellucci/if-you-want-a-man-to-notice-you-just-wear-red-lipstick/) [Monica Bellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-bellucci/) > [Red lips and fragrance always top off an outfit for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/red-lips-and-fragrance-always-top-off-an-outfit-for-me/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Is that not ridiculous that people thought that Justin Bieber and I were on a vacation together, on a romantic vacation, in the Bahamas,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/is-that-not-ridiculous-that-people-thought-that-justin-bieber-and-i/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [There's a witch under this hair. The red lips are - I don't want to call them "armor," but they're the clothes of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/there-s-a-witch-under-this-hair-the-red-lips-are-i-don-t-want-to-call/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work - I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/when-i-get-home-i-m-not-the-boss-like-i-am-at-work-i-slip-into-a-more/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) ## More by Herta Müller > [“And I’m different without you. You’re the only one who thinks you’re never different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/and-i-m-different-without-you-you-re-the-only-one-who-thinks-you-re/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [Working with language requires beauty for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/working-with-language-requires-beauty-for-me/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“I wanted to work out a trade with things that aren’t alive but aren’t dead either. I wanted to make an emergency exchange, trading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/i-wanted-to-work-out-a-trade-with-things-that-aren-t-alive-but-aren-t/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [My first book, 'Nadirs,' was very important for me. I'll leave its literary worth for others to judge. But its publication in Berlin in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/my-first-book-nadirs-was-very-important-for-me-i-ll-leave-its/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“I'm drawn outside to the empty yard of the afternoon. The wind tosses thin snow that crackles against my neck. With open hunger the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/i-m-drawn-outside-to-the-empty-yard-of-the-afternoon-the-wind-tosses/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“The cabbage white flies through the tailor's cheek. The tailor sinks his head. The cabbage white flies out of the back of the tailor's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/the-cabbage-white-flies-through-the-tailor-s-cheek-the-tailor-sinks/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“The reasaon I'm shy of objects is because I like them. I transfer the thoughts that are against me onto them. Then these thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/the-reasaon-i-m-shy-of-objects-is-because-i-like-them-i-transfer-the/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [I have packed myself into silence so deeply and for so long that I can never unpack myself using words. When I speak, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/i-have-packed-myself-into-silence-so-deeply-and-for-so-long-that-i/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [I never wanted to be a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/i-never-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [To combat death you don't need much of a life, just one that isn't yet finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/to-combat-death-you-don-t-need-much-of-a-life-just-one-that-isn-t-yet/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [Some people speak and sing and walk and sit and sleep and silence their homesickness, for a long time, and to no avail. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/some-people-speak-and-sing-and-walk-and-sit-and-sleep-and-silence/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“I wanted love to grow back, like the grass when it’s mown down. To grow differently, if need be, like children’s teeth, like hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/i-wanted-love-to-grow-back-like-the-grass-when-it-s-mown-down-to-grow/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [Whatever I read went under my skin. I almost devoured the literature, which became like a road to discovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/whatever-i-read-went-under-my-skin-i-almost-devoured-the-literature/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [“Some say that over time homesickness loses its specific content, that it starts to smolder and only then becomes all-consuming, because it’s no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/some-say-that-over-time-homesickness-loses-its-specific-content-that/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [For me, each journey to Romania is also a journey into another time, in which I never knew which events in my life were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/for-me-each-journey-to-romania-is-also-a-journey-into-another-time-in/) [Herta Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) [Explore all 92 Herta Müller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) ## More Gym quotes > [What do you think of our gym <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-of-our-gym-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being fit is the easiest part of being a dance professional. I used to just throw on a backpack full of rocks and run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-du-beke/being-fit-is-the-easiest-part-of-being-a-dance-professional-i-used-to/) [Anton du Beke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-du-beke/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [For girls who want to get their waistline down a little bit and don't have any weights in the house, they can actually use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepa/for-girls-who-want-to-get-their-waistline-down-a-little-bit-and-don-t/) [Pepa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepa/) > [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I do not like to go to the gym; I am more of a nature person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nushrat-bharucha/i-do-not-like-to-go-to-the-gym-i-am-more-of-a-nature-person/) [Nushrat Bharucha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nushrat-bharucha/) > [Get out there, even if it's a hike or something, just break up the monotony of going to the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-biel/get-out-there-even-if-it-s-a-hike-or-something-just-break-up-the/) [Jessica Biel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-biel/) > [Some people get up in the morning, don't go to the gym, they go take a shower. Well, I go to the gym, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-plitt/some-people-get-up-in-the-morning-don-t-go-to-the-gym-they-go-take-a/) [Greg Plitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-plitt/) > [One of the big misconceptions about me is that I walk around in mini-skirts and high heels twenty-four seven and go to the gym…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-electra/one-of-the-big-misconceptions-about-me-is-that-i-walk-around-in-mini/) [Carmen Electra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-electra/) > [I forgot to go to the gym today... That's 5 years in a row now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-forgot-to-go-to-the-gym-today-that-s-5-years-in-a-row-now/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [On the rare occasions I go to the gym, I prefer silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-neuwirth/on-the-rare-occasions-i-go-to-the-gym-i-prefer-silence/) [Bebe Neuwirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-neuwirth/) > [I am first one in the gym, I do cardio before I have breakfast, and I am training hard every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jinder-mahal/i-am-first-one-in-the-gym-i-do-cardio-before-i-have-breakfast-and-i/) [Jinder Mahal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jinder-mahal/) > [The harder I train every day on the track and in the gym, the more trust I gain in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cotto/the-harder-i-train-every-day-on-the-track-and-in-the-gym-the-more/) [Miguel Cotto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-cotto/) > [I dislike the gym, but I'll chase a tennis ball all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kuchar/i-dislike-the-gym-but-i-ll-chase-a-tennis-ball-all-day/) [Matt Kuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kuchar/) > [I love spin classes. I'm also very big on music, so I make a mix on my iPod that's 45 minutes to an hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-accola/i-love-spin-classes-i-m-also-very-big-on-music-so-i-make-a-mix-on-my/) [Candice Accola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-accola/) [Browse all 1,966 Gym quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gym/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The gym instructor was the first to raise his hand. All the other hands flew up after his. While raising their hands, everybody looked at the raised hands of the others. If someone's own hand wasn't as high as the others', he would stretch his arms a little farther. People kept their hands up until their fingers grew tired and started to droop and their elbows began to feel heavy and pull downward. Everyone looked around, and since no one else's arm was lowered, they straightened their fingers again and extended their elbows. 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