--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most subversive people are those who…" description: "\"The most subversive people are those who ask questions.\" — Jostein Gaarder" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png" --- # The most subversive people are those who ask questions. ![“The most subversive people are those who ask questions.” quote by Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png) > “The most subversive people are those who ask questions.” [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning challenges entrenched power structures and prompts critical reassessment of accepted norms. **In simple terms:** Questioning subverts authority. Key Takeaway Ask to to destabilize complacency. Themes critical thinking power dynamics intellectual rebellion curiosity Mood provocative inquisitive Type aphorism motivational When to use this quote - academic debate - political activism - organizational change - personal growth Key Concepts authority norms individual agency Practical Applications - fostering innovation - encouraging dissent Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions are we overlooking? - How can questioning reshape our environment? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Questions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/questions/) [Subversive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subversive/) ## Related quotes > [Socrates himself said, 'One thing only I know, and this is that I know nothing.' Remember this statement, because it is an admission that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/socrates-himself-said-one-thing-only-i-know-and-this-is-that-i-know/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [I think that's always the goal of art, is to make people ask themselves questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chance-the-rapper/i-think-that-s-always-the-goal-of-art-is-to-make-people-ask/) [Chance The Rapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chance-the-rapper/) > [The people who ask questions decide the quality of their conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-dutta/the-people-who-ask-questions-decide-the-quality-of-their-conversation/) Vikrant Dutta > [Sometimes I get a little nervous when people ask questions, because I don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-ortiz/sometimes-i-get-a-little-nervous-when-people-ask-questions-because-i/) [Luis Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-ortiz/) > [Television is a great leveler. You always end up sounding like the people who ask the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/television-is-a-great-leveler-you-always-end-up-sounding-like-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [There is no such thing as a stupid question, just stupid people who ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-berman/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stupid-question-just-stupid-people-who/) Chris Berman > [Most people ask questions because they want to know the answer; lawyers are trained never to ask questions unless they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lani-guinier/most-people-ask-questions-because-they-want-to-know-the-answer/) Lani Guinier > [Successful people ask questions. They seek new teachers. They're always learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/successful-people-ask-questions-they-seek-new-teachers-they-re-always/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“Most people only ask questions so they can listen to themselves talk. Or hear something they are able to cope with, but please, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-george/most-people-only-ask-questions-so-they-can-listen-to-themselves-talk/) [Nina George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-george/) > [When you ask for help listen. It's one thing to ask the question and it's another thing to listen to the answer. Many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/when-you-ask-for-help-listen-it-s-one-thing-to-ask-the-question-and/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [A lot of people ask me about my past. It's part of my life, so I expect people to ask certain questions. Maybe they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letoya-luckett/a-lot-of-people-ask-me-about-my-past-it-s-part-of-my-life-so-i-expect/) [LeToya Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letoya-luckett/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [I was allowed to believe things that weren't true and I would ask questions about them and talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-was-allowed-to-believe-things-that-weren-t-true-and-i-would-ask/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) ## More by Jostein Gaarder > [“I no longer feel the need to see and sense more than I've already experienced. I just want so desperately to hang on what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/i-no-longer-feel-the-need-to-see-and-sense-more-than-i-ve-already/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [The sophists were as a rule men who had traveled widely and seen different forms of government. Both conventions and local laws in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-sophists-were-as-a-rule-men-who-had-traveled-widely-and-seen/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Where did the world come from? The question has an answer, even though I cannot get to it. It is a good question. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/where-did-the-world-come-from-the-question-has-an-answer-even-though/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“As soon as she concentrated on being alive now, the thought of dying also came into her mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/as-soon-as-she-concentrated-on-being-alive-now-the-thought-of-dying/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Po haljini sam mogao da vidim kako njeno telo diše, jer se haljina dizala i spuštala, dizala i spuštala, skoro kao da morski talasi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/po-haljini-sam-mogao-da-vidim-kako-njeno-telo-di-e-jer-se-haljina/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [Since the Renaissance, people have had to get used to living their life on a random planet in the vast galaxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/since-the-renaissance-people-have-had-to-get-used-to-living-their/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“without imagination, nothing really new will ever be created.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/without-imagination-nothing-really-new-will-ever-be-created/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“The German poet Goethe once said that "he who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth." I don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-german-poet-goethe-once-said-that-he-who-cannot-draw-on-three/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Sophie left the den and wandered about in the large garden. She tried to forget what she had learned at school, especially in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/sophie-left-the-den-and-wandered-about-in-the-large-garden-she-tried/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [...long before the child learns to talk properly-and long before it learns to think philosophically-the world will have become a habit. A pity, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/long-before-the-child-learns-to-talk-properly-and-long-before-it/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“any one question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/any-one-question-can-be-more-explosive-than-a-thousand-answers/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“We can't own each other's past. The question is whether we have a future together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/we-can-t-own-each-other-s-past-the-question-is-whether-we-have-a/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Uno no muere en medio del quinto acto.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/uno-no-muere-en-medio-del-quinto-acto/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [“Wer das Schicksal durchschauen will, muss es überleben.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/wer-das-schicksal-durchschauen-will-muss-es-berleben/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) > [What Plato was really asking was perhaps why a horse was a horse, and not, for example, a cross between a horse and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/what-plato-was-really-asking-was-perhaps-why-a-horse-was-a-horse-and/) [Jostein Gaarder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) [Explore all 305 Jostein Gaarder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/) ## More Ask questions quotes > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) > [I was allowed to believe things that weren't true and I would ask questions about them and talk about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-was-allowed-to-believe-things-that-weren-t-true-and-i-would-ask/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [We in US need active intelligence: people being on the streets, people being able to stop and ask questions of individuals that they suspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/we-in-us-need-active-intelligence-people-being-on-the-streets-people/) [Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [What makes us human, I think, is an ability to ask questions, a consequence of our sophisticated spoken language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/what-makes-us-human-i-think-is-an-ability-to-ask-questions-a/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) > [“you do that all the time you know. you ask me questions when you know the answer will piss you off. ask me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/you-do-that-all-the-time-you-know-you-ask-me-questions-when-you-know/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [I feel really strongly about not wanting to overly guide the reader about what he or she should think. I really trust the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-feel-really-strongly-about-not-wanting-to-overly-guide-the-reader/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [...all the answers are but waiting for us while we, poor fools, ask questions and wait for the secrets of God to open themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/all-the-answers-are-but-waiting-for-us-while-we-poor-fools-ask/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) > [“It’s funny how the devout pretend like they want people to ask questions, but really they only want you to ask the questions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tal-m-klein/it-s-funny-how-the-devout-pretend-like-they-want-people-to-ask/) [Tal M. Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tal-m-klein/) > [“This was a success in itself, but it came with an added and unexpected benefit: The act of thinking about the problem and responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-catmull/this-was-a-success-in-itself-but-it-came-with-an-added-and-unexpected/) [Ed Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-catmull/) > [I feel like a good director provokes you to ask questions about your character, but doesn't answer them for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-reed/i-feel-like-a-good-director-provokes-you-to-ask-questions-about-your/) [Crystal Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-reed/) > [“You ask questions. You take your life seriously, but you don't take yourself too seriously. You're going to take over the world, and change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophia-amoruso/you-ask-questions-you-take-your-life-seriously-but-you-don-t-take/) [Sophia Amoruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophia-amoruso/) > [Rules for texting a girl: 1. Don't take 40 minutes to reply. 2. Use good grammar. 3. Ask Questions. 4. Use the :) face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rules-for-texting-a-girl-1-don-t-take-40-minutes-to-reply-2-use-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I could give my younger self some advice at that time, I'd tell her to enjoy the ride and don't be afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-valletta/if-i-could-give-my-younger-self-some-advice-at-that-time-i-d-tell-her/) [Amber Valletta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-valletta/) Browse all 828 Ask questions quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The most subversive people are those who ask questions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jostein Gaarder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ask questions" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83b/jostein-gaarder-676_ask-questions_the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who_37637.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The most subversive people are those who ask questions.” — Jostein Gaarder", "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": "Jostein Gaarder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jostein-gaarder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The most subversive people are those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jostein-gaarder/the-most-subversive-people-are-those-who-ask-questions/#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 } } ] } ```