--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I said \"Somebody should do something…" description: "\"“I said \"Somebody should do something about that.\" Then I realized I am somebody.”\" — Lily Tomlin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png" --- # I said "Somebody should do something about that." Then I… ![“I said "Somebody should do something about that." Then I realized I am somebody.” quote by Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png) > ““I said "Somebody should do something about that." Then I realized I am somebody.”” [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing personal agency turns passive concern into active responsibility. **In simple terms:** You are the change you seek. Key Takeaway Act on what you care about. Themes responsibility empowerment self‑efficacy Mood motivational reflective Type inspirational empowering When to use this quote - community activism - personal projects - everyday decisions Key Concepts agency personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What issue will you address today? - How does recognizing your role shift your mindset? A Different Perspective Change is limited without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) ## Related quotes > [I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-always-wondered-why-somebody-doesn-t-do-something-about-that-then-i/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realized I should hv been more specific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ladygaga/i-always-wanted-to-be-somebody-but-now-i-realized-i-should-hv-been/) [Ladygaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ladygaga/) > [“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. And then I realized I was somebody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-always-wondered-why-somebody-didn-t-do-something-about-that-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Nobody knows who said it first, but somebody must have: 'Kid's gotta be a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/nobody-knows-who-said-it-first-but-somebody-must-have-kid-s-gotta-be/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [I hear it said of somebody that he is leading a double life. I think to myself: Just two?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-wieseltier/i-hear-it-said-of-somebody-that-he-is-leading-a-double-life-i-think/) [Leon Wieseltier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-wieseltier/) > [Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/everything-of-importance-has-been-said-before-by-somebody-who-did-not/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [“One more game," somebody behind her said, and somebody else said, "But who's going to be It?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-smith/one-more-game-somebody-behind-her-said-and-somebody-else-said-but-who/) [L.J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-smith/) > [“He was a nice guy. That was the sort of thing you said about somebody you had nothing against and nothing in common with;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-davis/he-was-a-nice-guy-that-was-the-sort-of-thing-you-said-about-somebody/) [L.J. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-davis/) > [“Anyway,” he said, “if somebody doesn’t belong in the world, there’s no door they can throw him out. They can’t take the world away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anyway-he-said-if-somebody-doesn-t-belong-in-the-world-there-s-no/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“You said somebody beat me to damning you.” “Melodrama. Did it curry favor? You kissed me.” You don‘t feel damned?” “God said, Let there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/you-said-somebody-beat-me-to-damning-you-melodrama-did-it-curry-favor/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Diogenes was asked what wine he liked best; and he answered as I would have done when he said, "Somebody else's".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/diogenes-was-asked-what-wine-he-liked-best-and-he-answered-as-i-would/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [“A student asked me recently why somebody always dies in my books. I said, because somebody is always dying in my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/a-student-asked-me-recently-why-somebody-always-dies-in-my-books-i/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [“It might not have been Mike,' she said, 'but somebody left something somewhere.' I couldn't really argue with that. It was as succinct a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-tarte/it-might-not-have-been-mike-she-said-but-somebody-left-something/) Bob Tarte > [“Today, I am doing well in every aspect of my life. But, this is only because I've realized that I can do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohith-agadi/today-i-am-doing-well-in-every-aspect-of-my-life-but-this-is-only/) [Mohith Agadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohith-agadi/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) ## More by Lily Tomlin > [If truth is beauty, how come no one has their hair done in a library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/if-truth-is-beauty-how-come-no-one-has-their-hair-done-in-a-library/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“So if you've had a good time tonight, or if you've had a good time any night, for gosh sake's why not drop a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/so-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-tonight-or-if-you-ve-had-a-good-time-any/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/forgiveness-means-giving-up-all-hope-for-a-better-past/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I bought a box of animal crackers, but there was nothing inside. They'd eaten each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-bought-a-box-of-animal-crackers-but-there-was-nothing-inside-they-d/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Wouldn't it be great if we all grew up to be what we wanted to be? The world would be full of nurses, firemen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/wouldn-t-it-be-great-if-we-all-grew-up-to-be-what-we-wanted-to-be-the/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [You know being relevant or coming up with something interesting, funny to say about what's current is just as hard as it might ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/you-know-being-relevant-or-coming-up-with-something-interesting-funny/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [I wanted to be a stage actress. I wanted to be a New York actress and have a community with other actors. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-wanted-to-be-a-stage-actress-i-wanted-to-be-a-new-york-actress-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [We have reason to believe that man first walked upright to free his hands for masturbation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-have-reason-to-believe-that-man-first-walked-upright-to-free-his/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [We don't care. We don't have to. We're the phone company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/we-don-t-care-we-don-t-have-to-we-re-the-phone-company/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [No matter how cynical I get, I can't keep up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/no-matter-how-cynical-i-get-i-can-t-keep-up/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [In the depths of the night, fear grips my heart. It paralyzes my mind. But most of all, I feel very, very alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/in-the-depths-of-the-night-fear-grips-my-heart-it-paralyzes-my-mind/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“I always wondered why somebody didn't do something about that. And then I realized I was somebody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-always-wondered-why-somebody-didn-t-do-something-about-that-and/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/sometimes-i-worry-about-being-a-success-in-a-mediocre-world/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [And yet humanity is so not evolved that how can you expect anything absolutely major to happen? Look how long, we move ahead in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/and-yet-humanity-is-so-not-evolved-that-how-can-you-expect-anything/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [The whole idea of being in captivity in such limited space, especially in a zoo, causes elephants to suffer. They develop all kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/the-whole-idea-of-being-in-captivity-in-such-limited-space-especially/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) [Explore all 135 Lily Tomlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I said \"Somebody should do something about that.\" Then I realized I am somebody.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lily Tomlin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-said-somebody-should-do-something-about-that-then-i-realized-i-am/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-said-somebody-should-do-something-about-that-then-i-realized-i-am/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa8/lily-tomlin-3278_life_i-said-somebody-should-do-something-abou_1378032.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I said \"Somebody should do something about that.\" Then I realized I am somebody.” — Lily Tomlin", "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": "Lily Tomlin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I said \"Somebody should do something...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-said-somebody-should-do-something-about-that-then-i-realized-i-am/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-said-somebody-should-do-something-about-that-then-i-realized-i-am/#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 } } ] } ```