--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people are not for or against…" description: "\"Most people are not for or against anything; the first object of getting people together is to make them respond somehow, to overcome inertia.\" — Mary ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg" --- # Most people are not for or against anything; the first… ![“Most people are not for or against anything; the first object of getting people together is to make them respond somehow, to overcome inertia.” quote by Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg) > “Most people are not for or against anything; the first object of getting people together is to make them respond somehow, to overcome inertia.” [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often lack strong positions; the goal is to spark any response to overcome inertia and foster collaboration. **In simple terms:** Ignite any response to overcome inertia and foster. Key Takeaway Start small to engage others. Themes leadership collaboration motivation Mood encouraging strategic Type motivational practical When to use this quote - team building - community organizing - political campaigns Key Concepts Social dynamics group behavior Questions to Reflect On - How can you provoke meaningful engagement? - What small action could break the inertia? A Different Perspective Too weak a response may not sustain momentum. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Inertia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inertia/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [When you regularly take continuous action toward your most important goals, you activate the Momentum Principle of success. This principle says that although it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/when-you-regularly-take-continuous-action-toward-your-most-important/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [So many fail because they don't get started - they don't go. They don't overcome inertia. 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It means getting people to do their best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/leadership-does-not-mean-getting-people-to-do-their-job-it-means/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) ## More by Mary Parker Follett > [Many people tell me what I ought to do and just how I ought to do it, but Few have made me want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/many-people-tell-me-what-i-ought-to-do-and-just-how-i-ought-to-do-it/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [We are not wholly patriotic when we are working with all our heart for America merely; we are truly patriotic only when we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/we-are-not-wholly-patriotic-when-we-are-working-with-all-our-heart/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [One of the greatest values of controversy is its revealing nature. 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We have human problems, with psychological, ethical and economical aspects, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/i-do-not-think-that-we-have-psychological-and-ethical-and-economic/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [An order then should always be given not as a personal matter, not because the man giving it wants the thing done, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/an-order-then-should-always-be-given-not-as-a-personal-matter-not/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [Idealism and realism meet in the actual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/idealism-and-realism-meet-in-the-actual/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. We attain unity only through variety. Differences must be integrated, not annihilated, not absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/unity-not-uniformity-must-be-our-aim-we-attain-unity-only-through/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [Democracy is not brute numbers; it is a genuine union of true individuals...the essence of democracy is creating. The technique of democracy is group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/democracy-is-not-brute-numbers-it-is-a-genuine-union-of-true/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) [Explore all 85 Mary Parker Follett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) ## More Commitment quotes > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“You make me believe in happiness... if I had my way, if anything were up to me, I’d never be without you. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kirchoff/you-make-me-believe-in-happiness-if-i-had-my-way-if-anything-were-up/) [Courtney Kirchoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-kirchoff/) > [Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. 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Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/when-you-make-a-commitment-to-a-relationship-you-invest-your/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Browse all 4,004 Commitment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most people are not for or against anything; the first object of getting people together is to make them respond somehow, to overcome inertia.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Parker Follett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anything-the-first-object-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Commitment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anything-the-first-object-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f02/mary-parker-follett-7967_commitment_most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anyth_1957390.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most people are not for or against anything; the first object of getting people together is to make them…” — Mary Parker Follett", "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": "Mary Parker Follett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Most people are not for or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anything-the-first-object-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/most-people-are-not-for-or-against-anything-the-first-object-of/#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 } } ] } ```