---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That word means something else, you…"
description: "\"“That word means something else, you know,' his father had told him once, when Mission had spoken of revolution. 'It also means to go around and around..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg"
---

#  That word means something else, you know,' his father had…

![“That word means something else, you know,' his father had told him once, when Mission had spoken of revolution. 'It also means to go around and around. To revolve. One revolution, and you get right back to where you started.” quote by Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg)

> ““That word means something else, you know,' his father had told him once, when Mission had spoken of revolution. 'It also means to go around and around. To revolve. One revolution, and you get right back to where you started.””

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The term “revolution” can imply cyclical change that returns to the starting point rather than progress.

**In simple terms:** Revolution may just be a circle.

Key Takeaway

Beware of change that doesn’t move forward.

Themes

change politics history philosophy

Mood

reflective cautious

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- political movements
- organizational reform
- personal growth
- social activism

Key Concepts

cyclical dynamics progress vs. stagnation

Questions to Reflect On

- Is the change you seek truly transformative?
- How can you ensure progress isn’t just a loop?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the possibility of linear advancement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Revolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revolution/)

## Related quotes

> [Revolution means democracy in today's world, not the enslavement of peoples to the corrupt and degrading horrors of totalitarianism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/revolution-means-democracy-in-today-s-world-not-the-enslavement-of/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The term revolution means: a sudden, radical, and complete change from the way things are normally done. I love that definition because I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/the-term-revolution-means-a-sudden-radical-and-complete-change-from/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [I think that revolution means change. And if somebody feels like there's nothing wrong, everything's great even when it ain't, why would they ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/i-think-that-revolution-means-change-and-if-somebody-feels-like-there/)

[Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/)

> [Revolution means turning the wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/igor-stravinsky/revolution-means-turning-the-wheel/)

[Igor Stravinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/igor-stravinsky/)

> [To die for the revolution is a one-shot deal; to live for the revolution means taking on the more difficult commitment of changing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-m-beal/to-die-for-the-revolution-is-a-one-shot-deal-to-live-for-the/)

Frances M. Beal

> [Revolution does not mean torrents of blood, the taking of the Winter Palace, and so on. Revolution means a radical transformation of society's institutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelius-castoriadis/revolution-does-not-mean-torrents-of-blood-the-taking-of-the-winter/)

Cornelius Castoriadis

> [It depends upon what the meaning of the word 'is' means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/it-depends-upon-what-the-meaning-of-the-word-is-means/)

[Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/)

> [Feminism? The word itself means exactly the same thing to me as the word God does - it's a spirituality that is deeply personal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-tamblyn/feminism-the-word-itself-means-exactly-the-same-thing-to-me-as-the/)

[Amber Tamblyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-tamblyn/)

> [“You know what a word means when you know how to use it, not what its definition is. That is why we can understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/you-know-what-a-word-means-when-you-know-how-to-use-it-not-what-its/)

[Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/)

> [Just what is meant by 'your word?' It means your conscious intention, your conscious direction, your conscious faith and acceptance that, because of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-holmes/just-what-is-meant-by-your-word-it-means-your-conscious-intention/)

[Ernest Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-holmes/)

> [I am an artist... It's self-evident that what that word implies is looking for something all the time without ever finding it in full.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/i-am-an-artist-it-s-self-evident-that-what-that-word-implies-is/)

[Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/)

> [M- O -T -H - E -R M is for the million things she gave me , O means only that she ' s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/m-o-t-h-e-r-m-is-for-the-million-things-she-gave-me-o-means-only-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Abligurition: an actual, if very obscure, English word, which means the spending of too much money on food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/abligurition-an-actual-if-very-obscure-english-word-which-means-the/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Yorkshire word and means spoiled and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/yorkshire-word-and-means-spoiled-and/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [Don't get stuck on the level of words. A word is no more than a means to an end. It's an abstraction. Not unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-get-stuck-on-the-level-of-words-a-word-is-no-more-than-a-means/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

## More by Hugh Howey

> [“the mind-numbing routine. It was the castration of thought,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-mind-numbing-routine-it-was-the-castration-of-thought/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“The Loud came before the quiet. That was a Rule of the World, for the bangs and shouts need somewhere to echo, just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/the-loud-came-before-the-quiet-that-was-a-rule-of-the-world-for-the/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“People from IT sent to replace those they’d killed. Juliette’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/people-from-it-sent-to-replace-those-they-d-killed-juliette-s/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“a heap of words designed to hinder communication rather than facilitate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-heap-of-words-designed-to-hinder-communication-rather-than/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“That leaves Bravo Company, the expendables who know what they’re doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-leaves-bravo-company-the-expendables-who-know-what-they-re-doing/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Overhead, tangles of wires knotted together in a grand display of unplanned infrastructure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/overhead-tangles-of-wires-knotted-together-in-a-grand-display-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Montana wants to scream, but the thing she is angry at is in the past. The past can’t hear her. This is the thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/montana-wants-to-scream-but-the-thing-she-is-angry-at-is-in-the-past/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“I guess what I'm sayin' is, if you want to give Jules a job, be very careful.” “Why be careful?” Marnes asked. Marck gazed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-guess-what-i-m-sayin-is-if-you-want-to-give-jules-a-job-be-very/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [One of the many things that surprised me about 'Wool' is how many of its fans don't consider themselves science fiction readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/one-of-the-many-things-that-surprised-me-about-wool-is-how-many-of/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“We have allowed a dangerous forest to grow as we try to guard against individual trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-have-allowed-a-dangerous-forest-to-grow-as-we-try-to-guard-against/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“You’re . . . a rock,” I tell the rock. “The fuck I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/you-re-a-rock-i-tell-the-rock-the-fuck-i-am/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“I hated Sundays as a kid. From the moment I woke up, I could feel Monday looming,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/i-hated-sundays-as-a-kid-from-the-moment-i-woke-up-i-could-feel/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

[Explore all 351 Hugh Howey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

## More Goals quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/)

[Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/)

> [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/)

> [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/)

[Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/)

> [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [The goal of spiritual practice is full recovery, and the only thing you need to recover from is a fractured sense of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-goal-of-spiritual-practice-is-full-recovery-and-the-only-thing/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [Every drop of rain hits its appointed target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/every-drop-of-rain-hits-its-appointed-target/)

[John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/)

> [“Achieving mental harmony is one of the greatest goals and experiences in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kambiz-mostofizadeh/achieving-mental-harmony-is-one-of-the-greatest-goals-and-experiences/)

[Kambiz Mostofizadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kambiz-mostofizadeh/)

> [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/)

[Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/)

> [Too many times we flitter our energy into too many goals and in the process don't achieve much. Focus is very important in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishali-kasture/too-many-times-we-flitter-our-energy-into-too-many-goals-and-in-the/)

[Vaishali Kasture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishali-kasture/)

> [Plainly, the environment must be a living one, directed by a higher intelligence, arranged by an adult who is prepared for his mission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/plainly-the-environment-must-be-a-living-one-directed-by-a-higher/)

[Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/)

> [According to the best research, less than 3% of Americans have written goals, and less than 1% review and rewrite their goals on a daily basis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/according-to-the-best-research-less-than-3-of-americans-have-written/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [When you have accomplished your goal simply walk away. This is the path way to Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-you-have-accomplished-your-goal-simply-walk-away-this-is-the/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [“What shapes us is not always our achievements but our omissions. Not lies; simply the truths we don’t tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-tudor/what-shapes-us-is-not-always-our-achievements-but-our-omissions-not/)

[C.J. Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-tudor/)

[Browse all 21,276 Goals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That word means something else, you know,' his father had told him once, when Mission had spoken of revolution. 'It also means to go around and around. To revolve. One revolution, and you get right back to where you started.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hugh Howey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-word-means-something-else-you-know-his-father-had-told-him-once/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Goals"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-word-means-something-else-you-know-his-father-had-told-him-once/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/789/hugh-howey-841_goals_that-word-means-something-else-you-know_2070232.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That word means something else, you know,' his father had told him once, when Mission had spoken of…” — Hugh Howey",
                "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": "Hugh Howey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That word means something else, you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-word-means-something-else-you-know-his-father-had-told-him-once/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/that-word-means-something-else-you-know-his-father-had-told-him-once/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
