--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you are dealing with a mass…" description: "\"When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote \"elite,\" you are talking to people who don't have time to read long research p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg" --- # When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a… ![“When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote "elite," you are talking to people who don't have time to read long research papers. You have to communicate with them in sound bites, around every other thing they are doing. So it takes a long time to shift people from one…” quote by Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg) > “When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote "elite," you are talking to people who don't have time to read long research papers. You have to communicate with them in sound bites, around every other thing they are doing. So it takes a long time to shift people from one message to the next, especially if your foundational narrative was, "The only one thing in the entire world you should be paying attention to is Darfur."” [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Communicating with mass movements requires bite‑sized messages that fit into people’s busy lives, especially when shifting focus from a dominant narrative. **In simple terms:** Bite‑size messaging Key Takeaway Tailor messages to attention spans Themes Communication Mass media Narrative shift Attention economy Mood Strategic Urgent Type Advice Observation When to use this quote - Public health campaigns - Political advocacy - Social activism Key Concepts Message framing Audience segmentation Practical Applications - Design concise slogans - Create shareable sound bites Questions to Reflect On - How can a new narrative break through entrenched messages? - What formats best capture fleeting attention? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Attention Darfur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention-darfur-1108542/) [Bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bites/) [Communicate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communicate/) [Darfur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darfur/) [Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite/) [Elite Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elite-talking-1108540/) [Elites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elites/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Mass Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass-movement-268952/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Narrative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/narrative/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [One thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-thing/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Papers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/papers/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) [Paying Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paying-attention/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Sound bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound-bites/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unquote Elite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unquote-elite-1108541/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [No question that the spotlight on Darfur has, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. And that's deeply problematic, because it hasn't disappeared because Darfur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/no-question-that-the-spotlight-on-darfur-has-for-all-intents-and/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [ What's really interesting, though, is that some people in the Messirya are starting to see Darfuri rebels - so non-Arab, \[from the\] Justice and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/what-s-really-interesting-though-is-that-some-people-in-the-messirya/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [One, a mass movement from within, which, as you know, is constantly being put down brutally but which, again, regroups and moves forward as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-a-mass-movement-from-within-which-as-you-know-is-constantly-being/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [ “\[T\]he ideals and desires of the majority define the structure of society as it is; a would-be mass movement that pursues a different path… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-greer/t-he-ideals-and-desires-of-the-majority-define-the-structure-of/) [John Michael Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-greer/) > [The direction of the country isn't controlled by one person on top making decisions. It's a mass movement of people making a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-conover/the-direction-of-the-country-isn-t-controlled-by-one-person-on-top/) [Adam Conover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-conover/) > [I don't want to directly confront great powers, which we cannot defeat on their terms. They have more money, more clout, more airtime. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-want-to-directly-confront-great-powers-which-we-cannot-defeat/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [To build a mass movement, nonviolence is indispensable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-prashad/to-build-a-mass-movement-nonviolence-is-indispensable/) [Vijay Prashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-prashad/) > [This work of connecting our light to the world does not need to be done through a mass movement, or by millions of people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/llewellyn-vaughan-lee/this-work-of-connecting-our-light-to-the-world-does-not-need-to-be/) [Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/llewellyn-vaughan-lee/) > [The technique of a mass movement aims to infect people with a malady and then offer the movement as a cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-technique-of-a-mass-movement-aims-to-infect-people-with-a-malady/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [If the Negro is to achieve the goal of integration, he must organize himself into a militant and nonviolent mass movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/if-the-negro-is-to-achieve-the-goal-of-integration-he-must-organize/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [People haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/people-haunted-by-the-purposelessness-of-their-lives-try-to-find-a/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [If the only time you bang the drum is when it's time to get someone elected, and you don't get involved in a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boots-riley/if-the-only-time-you-bang-the-drum-is-when-it-s-time-to-get-someone/) [Boots Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boots-riley/) > [The Brexit campaign was transformed from a fringe eccentricity into a mass movement by a handful of people who decided to make it into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/the-brexit-campaign-was-transformed-from-a-fringe-eccentricity-into-a/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [Sometimes a few passionate people change the world; sometimes they start a mass movement and millions do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/sometimes-a-few-passionate-people-change-the-world-sometimes-they/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [If a mass movement turns into worshipping a particular person, that's a great problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/if-a-mass-movement-turns-into-worshipping-a-particular-person-that-s/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) ## More by Rebecca Hamilton > [No question that the spotlight on Darfur has, for all intents and purposes, disappeared. And that's deeply problematic, because it hasn't disappeared because Darfur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/no-question-that-the-spotlight-on-darfur-has-for-all-intents-and/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“As bland as oatmeal, yet somehow I'd become the rumor mill's hot sauce.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/as-bland-as-oatmeal-yet-somehow-i-d-become-the-rumor-mill-s-hot-sauce/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“I must be pretty special to have followed you here but arrived first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/i-must-be-pretty-special-to-have-followed-you-here-but-arrived-first/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“Faith, Sophia. Life isn’t always going to give you the answers to the questions you’re asking. Sometimes you have to make do with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/faith-sophia-life-isn-t-always-going-to-give-you-the-answers-to-the/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [Peacekeeping there is still just totally ineffective. The UN is now saying they are sending reinforcements in the area, but I have no particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/peacekeeping-there-is-still-just-totally-ineffective-the-un-is-now/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“This—” He shook his head. “You and me, you know it’s not a good idea.” “If you think so, maybe you should stay away.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/this-he-shook-his-head-you-and-me-you-know-it-s-not-a-good-idea-if/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [The south really wants Abyei; they have a core constituency who reside in the area who believe that Abyei belongs to the south. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/the-south-really-wants-abyei-they-have-a-core-constituency-who-reside/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [Something I've learned over time, and trying to remind myself this week as I am back in New York and feeling pretty anxious, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/something-i-ve-learned-over-time-and-trying-to-remind-myself-this/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“I’ve stopped protecting my heart from you,” he said. “I’ve stopped fighting the way I feel, stopped fighting the natural draw I feel toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/i-ve-stopped-protecting-my-heart-from-you-he-said-i-ve-stopped/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [o this idea that we fail to stop these things because there's not awareness about them, or that we need better early warning information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/o-this-idea-that-we-fail-to-stop-these-things-because-there-s-not/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“Then his eyes closed, and his lips Jed told, moving against mine with a soft sensuousness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/then-his-eyes-closed-and-his-lips-jed-told-moving-against-mine-with-a/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [You have to simplify - there is no other way to reach a mass audience. And you have to feed them evidence of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/you-have-to-simplify-there-is-no-other-way-to-reach-a-mass-audience/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“The Cruor are the reality from which legends of vampires arose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/the-cruor-are-the-reality-from-which-legends-of-vampires-arose/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [“Do you always assume the worst of people? Or is it yourself you think so poorly of? Perhaps you might consider life is complicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/do-you-always-assume-the-worst-of-people-or-is-it-yourself-you-think/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) > [During the civil war, the Sudanese government armed the Misseriya nomads as proxy. Even though both groups had coexisted quite well prior to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/during-the-civil-war-the-sudanese-government-armed-the-misseriya/) [Rebecca Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) [Explore all 35 Rebecca Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote \"elite,\" you are talking to people who don't have time to read long research papers. You have to communicate with them in sound bites, around every other thing they are doing. So it takes a long time to shift people from one message to the next, especially if your foundational narrative was, \"The only one thing in the entire world you should be paying attention to is Darfur.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Hamilton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09a/rebecca-hamilton-18346_attention_when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movemen_88624.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you are dealing with a mass movement, as opposed to a quote-unquote \"elite,\" you are talking to people…” — Rebecca Hamilton", "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": "Rebecca Hamilton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hamilton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you are dealing with a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hamilton/when-you-are-dealing-with-a-mass-movement-as-opposed-to-a-quote/#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 } } ] } ```