--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When people ask me what they should do, I…" description: "\"When people ask me what they should do, I reply, \"Get informed, get outraged, and then get political.\"\" — Joseph J. Romm" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-j-romm-17334_ask-me_when-people-ask-me-what-they-should-do-i_2275082.jpg" --- # When people ask me what they should do, I reply, "Get… ![“When people ask me what they should do, I reply, "Get informed, get outraged, and then get political."” quote by Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-j-romm-17334_ask-me_when-people-ask-me-what-they-should-do-i_2275082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-j-romm-17334_ask-me_when-people-ask-me-what-they-should-do-i_2275082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/joseph-j-romm-17334_ask-me_when-people-ask-me-what-they-should-do-i_2275082.jpg) > “When people ask me what they should do, I reply, "Get informed, get outraged, and then get political."” [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective activism starts with knowledge, emotional drive, and direct political action to create change. **In simple terms:** Get informed, get angry, then act politically. Key Takeaway Turn awareness into political participation. Themes civic engagement information emotion political action activism Mood urgent inspirational Type activist educational When to use this quote - voting - contacting representatives - organizing protests - writing op‑eds Key Concepts public policy social movements media literacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can keep outrage productive? - How do you verify information before acting? A Different Perspective Emotional anger can lead to burnout if not channeled constructively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ask me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-me/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Informed Outraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/informed-outraged-3413329/) [Outraged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outraged/) [Outraged Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outraged-political-5287781/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-ask-272785/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Reply Informed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reply-informed-5287782/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) ## Related quotes > [Get informed. Get outraged. Get inspired. Get active.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/get-informed-get-outraged-get-inspired-get-active/) [Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/) > [People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don’t know, I’m never there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/people-always-ask-me-how-long-it-takes-to-do-my-hair-i-don-t-know-i-m/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [People always ask me if they're mine. Yes, they are... all bought and paid for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/people-always-ask-me-if-they-re-mine-yes-they-are-all-bought-and-paid/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [People ask me why I write. I write to find out what I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/people-ask-me-why-i-write-i-write-to-find-out-what-i-know/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [When people ask me how old the Earth is, I tell them I don't know because I don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-ask-me-how-old-the-earth-is-i-tell-them-i-don-t-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People ask me all the time how I got hired onto the Office. Another common question is how do I manage to stay so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/people-ask-me-all-the-time-how-i-got-hired-onto-the-office-another/) [Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/) > [I’ve always been able to tell a lot about people by whether they ask me about my scar. Most people never ask, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-ve-always-been-able-to-tell-a-lot-about-people-by-whether-they-ask/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [My dad bought me a guitar and people would ask me to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/my-dad-bought-me-a-guitar-and-people-would-ask-me-to-play/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [I sort of have various sort of theories when people ask me about songwriting because it is a mystery. You don't really know. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lowe/i-sort-of-have-various-sort-of-theories-when-people-ask-me-about/) [Nick Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lowe/) > [Do you know how many times a week people ask me why I'm yelling?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/do-you-know-how-many-times-a-week-people-ask-me-why-i-m-yelling/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [People often ask me what happened to my first husband? And I say, I killed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-henderson/people-often-ask-me-what-happened-to-my-first-husband-and-i-say-i/) [Florence Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-henderson/) > [People always ask me when they see me working out, "What are you training for?" The answer is I'm training for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/people-always-ask-me-when-they-see-me-working-out-what-are-you/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [People ask me why I keep getting injured but I have just had to accept it is one of those things that happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-redknapp/people-ask-me-why-i-keep-getting-injured-but-i-have-just-had-to/) [Jamie Redknapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-redknapp/) > [“People always ask me "Son what does it take To reach out and touch your dreams?" To them I always say Are you hungry?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-mcgraw/people-always-ask-me-son-what-does-it-take-to-reach-out-and-touch/) [Tim McGraw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-mcgraw/) > [People ask me about that all the time. They say, "Did you ever think of directing?" And I say, "It's completely out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rourke/people-ask-me-about-that-all-the-time-they-say-did-you-ever-think-of/) [Mickey Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rourke/) ## More by Joseph J. Romm > [Protecting dozens of major coastal cities from future flooding will be challenging enough-rebuilding major coastal cities destroyed by super-hurricanes will be an almost impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/protecting-dozens-of-major-coastal-cities-from-future-flooding-will/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [If the politics of inaction and delay that have triumphed in this country continues for another decade, then Planetary Purgatory in the likely future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/if-the-politics-of-inaction-and-delay-that-have-triumphed-in-this/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Much of the scientific community has been astonished that their increasingly strong and detailed warnings have been either ignored or attacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/much-of-the-scientific-community-has-been-astonished-that-their/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [As long as a handful of U.S. scientists, most receiving funds from the fossil fuel industry, get equal time with hundreds of the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/as-long-as-a-handful-of-u-s-scientists-most-receiving-funds-from-the/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Would PBS go so far as to give air time to an even more extreme kind of disinformer, a Holocaust denier?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/would-pbs-go-so-far-as-to-give-air-time-to-an-even-more-extreme-kind/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Since 1955 the oceans have absorbed roughly twenty times more heat than the atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/since-1955-the-oceans-have-absorbed-roughly-twenty-times-more-heat/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [The first few feet of sea-level rise alone will displace more than 100 million people worldwide and turn all our major Gulf and Atlantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/the-first-few-feet-of-sea-level-rise-alone-will-displace-more-than/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [You must become a climate champion, a single-issue voter. You must take whatever action you can. You must use whatever influence you have wherever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/you-must-become-a-climate-champion-a-single-issue-voter-you-must-take/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Conservatives... are so opposed to government regulations that they are skeptical of anyone who identifies a problem that requires regulatory solutions - and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/conservatives-are-so-opposed-to-government-regulations-that-they-are/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [On our current path, all our great Gulf and Atlantic coast cities are at risk of meeting the same fate as New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/on-our-current-path-all-our-great-gulf-and-atlantic-coast-cities-are/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Time is short. We have at most a decade to sharply reverse course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/time-is-short-we-have-at-most-a-decade-to-sharply-reverse-course/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [The best thing about improvements in health care is that all the climate-change deniers are now going to live long enough to see how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/the-best-thing-about-improvements-in-health-care-is-that-all-the/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [I've always believed that you should stick as closely to the science as possible. And my biggest advice to reporters has been, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/i-ve-always-believed-that-you-should-stick-as-closely-to-the-science/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [On moral grounds, I think that if you believe a certain outcome is a very possible outcome, you have an obligation to tell people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/on-moral-grounds-i-think-that-if-you-believe-a-certain-outcome-is-a/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) > [Conservative Denyers and Delayers are the main reason America lacks the consensus and the political will to take up the fight against catastrophic climate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-j-romm/conservative-denyers-and-delayers-are-the-main-reason-america-lacks/) [Joseph J. Romm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) [Explore all 37 Joseph J. Romm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-j-romm/) ## More Ask me quotes > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [I'd always have grease in at least two places, in case the umpires would ask me to wipe one off. I never wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaylord-perry/i-d-always-have-grease-in-at-least-two-places-in-case-the-umpires/) [Gaylord Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaylord-perry/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I am a practicing Catholic, but my lineage is Jewish, so if someone asks me if I'm Jewish, I say yes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-campbell/i-am-a-practicing-catholic-but-my-lineage-is-jewish-so-if-someone/) [Neve Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-campbell/) > [Why did Erich von Stronheim leave Germany? Why did Hitchcock leave England? If you were a director you'd like to work in Hollywood too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/why-did-erich-von-stronheim-leave-germany-why-did-hitchcock-leave/) [Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/) > [I am a conservative type of person, so sometimes when I'm chilling with myself, people always come ask me, 'What's wrong with you? What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-wonder/i-am-a-conservative-type-of-person-so-sometimes-when-i-m-chilling/) [Wayne Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-wonder/) > [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [My identity shifted when I got into # recovery . That's who I am now, and it actually gives me greater pleasure to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-clapton/my-identity-shifted-when-i-got-into-recovery-that-s-who-i-am-now-and/) [Eric Clapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-clapton/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [When a young artist asks me a question, I want to do what I can to give them an answer if I have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tait/when-a-young-artist-asks-me-a-question-i-want-to-do-what-i-can-to/) [Michael Tait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tait/) > [I've never asked a girl out in my life, they have to ask me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-ve-never-asked-a-girl-out-in-my-life-they-have-to-ask-me/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [I would do almost anything Tina Fey asks me to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/i-would-do-almost-anything-tina-fey-asks-me-to-do/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Space Jam is my favorite movie. Don't ask me why, it just is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/space-jam-is-my-favorite-movie-don-t-ask-me-why-it-just-is/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [It is very hard to tell when I started to be a spiritual teacher. There was a time when occasionally somebody would come and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/it-is-very-hard-to-tell-when-i-started-to-be-a-spiritual-teacher/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) [Browse all 1,282 Ask me quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-me/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When people ask me what they should do, I reply, \"Get informed, get outraged, and then get political.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph J. 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