---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't have to convince people how…"
description: "\"We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.\" — Jill Stein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg"
---

#  We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.

![“We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.” quote by Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg)

> “We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.”

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

## About This Quote

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

She argues that people already recognize their problems; persuasion isn’t needed.

**In simple terms:** People already know they’re screwed.

Key Takeaway

Focus on solutions, not convincing.

Themes

activism awareness politics

Mood

determined urgent

Type

activist motivational

When to use this quote

- policy advocacy
- community organizing
- education campaigns

Key Concepts

social change public perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we move from awareness to action?
- What motivates people to change?

A Different Perspective

Some may remain in denial despite awareness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [This is what happens when you try to help people. You get screwed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/this-is-what-happens-when-you-try-to-help-people-you-get-screwed/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [If you're happy inside you don't have to convince everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-maxted/if-you-re-happy-inside-you-don-t-have-to-convince-everyone-else/)

[Anna Maxted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-maxted/)

> [People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/people-are-screwed-up-in-this-world-i-d-rather-be-with-someone-2/)

[Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/)

> [“People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed and open about it than somebody perfect and...you know... ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini-it-s-kind-of-a-funny-story/people-are-screwed-up-in-this-world-i-d-rather-be-with-someone/)

Ned Vizzini It's kind of a Funny Story

> [Did Alan Moore get screwed on his contract? Of course. Lots of people get screwed, but we still have Spider-Man and lots of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-michael-straczynski/did-alan-moore-get-screwed-on-his-contract-of-course-lots-of-people/)

[J. Michael Straczynski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-michael-straczynski/)

> [“Numbers alone don’t convince anyone of anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimitri-maex/numbers-alone-don-t-convince-anyone-of-anything/)

Dimitri Maex

> [It's hard to convince people that you're killing them for their own good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/it-s-hard-to-convince-people-that-you-re-killing-them-for-their-own/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [Convince people and you win their minds. Inspire people and you win their hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-kaufman/convince-people-and-you-win-their-minds-inspire-people-and-you-win/)

[Ron Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-kaufman/)

> [If you have to go around trying to convince people that you aren't 2 faced, a back stabber, a whore, or a liar, chances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-have-to-go-around-trying-to-convince-people-that-you-aren-t-2/)

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

> [I want to write weirder stuff and convince people that it's Top 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verite/i-want-to-write-weirder-stuff-and-convince-people-that-it-s-top-40/)

Verite

> [Do not waste time trying to convince people who have their mind made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-waste-time-trying-to-convince-people-who-have-their-mind-made/)

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

> [If we can just convince other people to get involved, this could make some major changes in our society. It's very exhilarating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-huerta/if-we-can-just-convince-other-people-to-get-involved-this-could-make/)

[Dolores Huerta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-huerta/)

> [On a Chinese film you just give orders, no one questions you. Here, you have to convince people, you have to tell them why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/on-a-chinese-film-you-just-give-orders-no-one-questions-you-here-you/)

[Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/)

> [I don't think of myself as a movie star and I can pretty easily convince other people that I'm not a movie star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-movie-star-and-i-can-pretty-easily/)

[Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/)

> [For actors, the idea is that you convince people you're someone you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bateman/for-actors-the-idea-is-that-you-convince-people-you-re-someone-you-re/)

[Tom Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bateman/)

## More by Jill Stein

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [I was very engaged by the folk music movement.Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul and Mary. And then I sort of discovered world music,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-was-very-engaged-by-the-folk-music-movement-bob-dylan-joan-baez/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [According to a recent Harvard study, $6 trillion, when you include the ongoing healthcare expenses for our wounded soldiers, which is the least they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/according-to-a-recent-harvard-study-6-trillion-when-you-include-the/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [I wouldn't say it's a done deal yet, by any means. I think there are a lot of people who feel like their lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-wouldn-t-say-it-s-a-done-deal-yet-by-any-means-i-think-there-are-a/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [To my mind, to say that says to young people "and you probably are not going to get out of debt, and you probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/to-my-mind-to-say-that-says-to-young-people-and-you-probably-are-not/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [For ISIS, the answer is to cut off their food, their water, their armaments, you know, and their funding. I don't mean literally their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/for-isis-the-answer-is-to-cut-off-their-food-their-water-their/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [ They \[Democrats\] are not just going up, they are accelerating on their way up. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/they-democrats-are-not-just-going-up-they-are-accelerating-on-their/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [I don't want to revisit history or try to re-interpret it, you know, but starting from where we are now, given the experience that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-don-t-want-to-revisit-history-or-try-to-re-interpret-it-you-know/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [I am not an expert on the Clinton Foundation, so, you know, I don't want to pass judgment on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/i-am-not-an-expert-on-the-clinton-foundation-so-you-know-i-don-t-want/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [ He \[Donald Trump\] is like - he's a magnet for crime and extortion and, you know, just really criminal investments which are extremely dangerous. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/he-donald-trump-is-like-he-s-a-magnet-for-crime-and-extortion-and-you/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [ By needlessly provoking him \[Vladimir Putin\] and humiliating him, we empower far worse possibilities in Russia. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/by-needlessly-provoking-him-vladimir-putin-and-humiliating-him-we/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [We will not really address our foreign policy and these endless wars that show no end in sight and seem to be getting deeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-will-not-really-address-our-foreign-policy-and-these-endless-wars/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [ Remember, Bernie \[Sanders\] was the guy. He was the one guy that could win this, and head-to-head he could go against \[Donald\] Trump and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/remember-bernie-sanders-was-the-guy-he-was-the-one-guy-that-could-win/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Democracy needs to start with an open Presidential debate. So come on out and let's take back the promise of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/democracy-needs-to-start-with-an-open-presidential-debate-so-come-on/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the most disliked and untrusted candidates for president in American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-are-the-most-disliked-and-untrusted/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

[Explore all 423 Jill Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

## More Convince quotes

> [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [The privilege of prayer to me is one of the most cherished possessions, because faith and experience alike convince me that God himself sees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-grenfell/the-privilege-of-prayer-to-me-is-one-of-the-most-cherished/)

[Wilfred Grenfell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-grenfell/)

> [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments, and sympathies with their just feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-first-duty-of-a-wise-advocate-is-to-convince-his-opponents-that/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Once you convince people that they're victims, you really own them because you've just told them that whatever problems they have in life, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/once-you-convince-people-that-they-re-victims-you-really-own-them/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [The people on the QVC shopping channel convince me that life is worth living. They see the good in everything. People who go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/the-people-on-the-qvc-shopping-channel-convince-me-that-life-is-worth/)

[Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/)

> [“What can I say to convince you the Houses of Parliament dissolve night after night to become the fluid dream of the Thames? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/what-can-i-say-to-convince-you-the-houses-of-parliament-dissolve/)

[Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/)

> [Human beings have the incredible capacity for denial. I think they do. And although it's really hard to believe, I have my doubts. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/human-beings-have-the-incredible-capacity-for-denial-i-think-they-do/)

[David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/)

> [“If you can convince yourself, you can convince the other fellow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/if-you-can-convince-yourself-you-can-convince-the-other-fellow/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [Don't lie to yourself about what you can't or can achieve. Convince yourself on a realistic level that you can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-lie-to-yourself-about-what-you-can-t-or-can-achieve-convince/)

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

> [“Don't ever let anyone convince you that your imagination is wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-bianco/don-t-ever-let-anyone-convince-you-that-your-imagination-is-wrong/)

[Giuseppe Bianco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-bianco/)

> [It's hard to convince your agents and managers to do theater, because it's not as financially rewarding and it takes up a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-helberg/it-s-hard-to-convince-your-agents-and-managers-to-do-theater-because/)

[Simon Helberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-helberg/)

> [I guess that is the strange part of the human brain that people have studied for eons - is hatred and self-hatred. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-noah/i-guess-that-is-the-strange-part-of-the-human-brain-that-people-have/)

[Trevor Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-noah/)

> [I knew I shouldn't like him cause I know it's not working, and everybody tells me that, and I convince myself I don't... and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-knew-i-shouldn-t-like-him-cause-i-know-it-s-not-working-and/)

[Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/)

> [The statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting the blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-statesmen-will-invent-cheap-lies-putting-the-blame-upon-the/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

Browse all 1,431 Convince quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jill Stein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-screwed-they-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Convince"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-screwed-they-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/jill-stein-660_convince_we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-scr_429306.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We don't have to convince people how screwed they are.” — Jill Stein",
                "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": "Jill Stein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We don't have to convince people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-screwed-they-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/we-don-t-have-to-convince-people-how-screwed-they-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
