--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wonder at what point do you stop doing…" description: "\"I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is right and you start doing what the majority of the American people want?\" — Scott Pelley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg" --- # I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is… ![“I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is right and you start doing what the majority of the American people want?” quote by Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg) > “I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is right and you start doing what the majority of the American people want?” [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He questions when personal morals diverge from popular public opinion. **In simple terms:** Weigh personal ethics against majority views. Key Takeaway Consider ethical implications of conformity. Themes ethics society individualism Mood thought‑provoking critical Type philosophical political When to use this quote - political activism - journalism - community decision‑making - voting Key Concepts Moral philosophy social conformity Questions to Reflect On - When is it right to oppose the majority? - How do you stay true to personal values? A Different Perspective Majority pressure can suppress minority rights. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [The vast majority of the American people are hard-working taxpayers who take responsibility for their families, go to work every day, they pay their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/the-vast-majority-of-the-american-people-are-hard-working-taxpayers/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [You don't meet one line of division with another line of division. We believe that the vast majority of American people don't agree with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/you-don-t-meet-one-line-of-division-with-another-line-of-division-we/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [Prohibition cannot be enforced for the simple reason that the majority of American people do not want it enforced and are resisting its enforcement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiorello-h-la-guardia/prohibition-cannot-be-enforced-for-the-simple-reason-that-the/) [Fiorello H. La Guardia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiorello-h-la-guardia/) > [ We \[women\] are the majority of the population, majority of the electorate, majority of the workforce... and yet we're still doing majority of family… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-jen-poo/we-women-are-the-majority-of-the-population-majority-of-the/) [Ai-jen Poo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-jen-poo/) > [When we look at the majority of the American people, when they believe that their leadership is letting them down, there is only one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/when-we-look-at-the-majority-of-the-american-people-when-they-believe/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [One of the reasons a strategist never sits in a stadium and gets caught up in the crowds - and never sits watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-rollins/one-of-the-reasons-a-strategist-never-sits-in-a-stadium-and-gets/) [Ed Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-rollins/) > [Because of a mass media more interested in gossip and sensationalism than real issues, I would say a vast majority of the American public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/because-of-a-mass-media-more-interested-in-gossip-and-sensationalism/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [The majority of American voters have rejected both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/the-majority-of-american-voters-have-rejected-both-hillary-clinton/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [I think for the great majority of the American people, they've suffered economically under Obama and they really are looking forward to Trump delivering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/i-think-for-the-great-majority-of-the-american-people-they-ve/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [I disagree with what the majority of the American people want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-disagree-with-what-the-majority-of-the-american-people-want/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [I am convinced that the majority of American people do understand that we have a moral responsibility to foster the concepts of opportunity, free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lugar/i-am-convinced-that-the-majority-of-american-people-do-understand/) [Richard Lugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lugar/) > [“none of this matters to an Electoral College majority of American”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/none-of-this-matters-to-an-electoral-college-majority-of-american/) [Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/) > [I think the overwhelming majority of the American people know that we have got to stand together, that we're going to grow together, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-think-the-overwhelming-majority-of-the-american-people-know-that-we/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Some segments within the American government orchestrated the attack to reverse the declining American economy, and its grips on the Middle East, in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/some-segments-within-the-american-government-orchestrated-the-attack/) [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-ahmadinejad/) > [It seems very obvious that a vast majority of the American people are sick and tired of political correctness and prevailing partisanship that does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-robison/it-seems-very-obvious-that-a-vast-majority-of-the-american-people-are/) [James Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-robison/) ## More by Scott Pelley > [The American people can always be trusted with the information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/the-american-people-can-always-be-trusted-with-the-information/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Journalists are getting big stories wrong, over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/journalists-are-getting-big-stories-wrong-over-and-over-again/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [You have to take risks on policy. You can't be a politician, wringing your hands, worried about what the public opinion polls are saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/you-have-to-take-risks-on-policy-you-can-t-be-a-politician-wringing/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [The quality of life in America is dependent on the quality of the journalism. Most people don't realize that, but if you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/the-quality-of-life-in-america-is-dependent-on-the-quality-of-the/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Never before in human history has more information been available to more people. But at the same time, never before in human history has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/never-before-in-human-history-has-more-information-been-available-to/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [ If I do an interview with \[Holocaust survivor\] Elie Wiesel, am I required as a journalist to find a Holocaust denier? ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/if-i-do-an-interview-with-holocaust-survivor-elie-wiesel-am-i/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [That's gossip. Journalism was invented as an antidote to gossip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/that-s-gossip-journalism-was-invented-as-an-antidote-to-gossip/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Never before in human history has more bad information been available to more people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/never-before-in-human-history-has-more-bad-information-been-available/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Most people don't realize that two-thirds of the federal budget is Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Pentagon. The U.S. government is an insurance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/most-people-don-t-realize-that-two-thirds-of-the-federal-budget-is/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [I'm always trying to get those interviews that are impossible to get, because they are the ones that are most interesting to the audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/i-m-always-trying-to-get-those-interviews-that-are-impossible-to-get/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [Not a lot of people watch cable news, they just don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/not-a-lot-of-people-watch-cable-news-they-just-don-t/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [No one ever wanted to hire me. Ever. I've never been recruited anywhere. I have beat my head against every wall, at every place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/no-one-ever-wanted-to-hire-me-ever-i-ve-never-been-recruited-anywhere/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [If you're first, no one will ever remember. If you're wrong, no one will ever forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/if-you-re-first-no-one-will-ever-remember-if-you-re-wrong-no-one-will/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [There is no democracy without journalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/there-is-no-democracy-without-journalism/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) > [When you are talking to 7 million viewers across the country, man you have got to represent everybody's views and have got to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/when-you-are-talking-to-7-million-viewers-across-the-country-man-you/) [Scott Pelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) [Explore all 27 Scott Pelley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/) ## More American people quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-as-much-as-government-can-do-and-must-do-it-is-ultimately-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Given a choice between two bald political candidates, the American people will vote for the less bald of the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-gold/given-a-choice-between-two-bald-political-candidates-the-american/) Victor Gold > [When the American people saw the LA riots and crowds of Blacks cheering O.J. Simpson (who was acquitted by the almost all Black jury),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duke/when-the-american-people-saw-the-la-riots-and-crowds-of-blacks/) [David Duke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duke/) > [In any event, it is one thing to assert, then or now, that the Iraq war was ill-advised. It is quite another to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-silberman/in-any-event-it-is-one-thing-to-assert-then-or-now-that-the-iraq-war/) [Laurence Silberman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-silberman/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [I don't know a politician who enjoys fundraising. The system is such that the American people have lost faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-don-t-know-a-politician-who-enjoys-fundraising-the-system-is-such/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Probably the greatest single obstacle to the progress and happiness of the American people lies in the willingness of so many men to invest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/probably-the-greatest-single-obstacle-to-the-progress-and-happiness/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [If a financial institution has business operations in the United States, hires people in the United States, if they are clogged with illiquid assets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-paulson/if-a-financial-institution-has-business-operations-in-the-united/) [Henry Paulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-paulson/) > [The American people reject the idea of giving Washington a blank check to increase the debt limit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-roby/the-american-people-reject-the-idea-of-giving-washington-a-blank/) [Martha Roby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-roby/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [The American people demand results, not rhetoric, especially when it comes to national security issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-hayworth/the-american-people-demand-results-not-rhetoric-especially-when-it/) [J. D. Hayworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-hayworth/) > [Hillary Clinton truly is sincere, but she has to connect more with the American people in terms of what she believes in and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/hillary-clinton-truly-is-sincere-but-she-has-to-connect-more-with-the/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [The American people are incredibly generous and even playful when you open yourself up and feed the media beast until it goes away satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-ball/the-american-people-are-incredibly-generous-and-even-playful-when-you/) [Krystal Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-ball/) [Browse all 2,233 American people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is right and you start doing what the majority of the American people want?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Scott Pelley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing-what-you-think-is-right-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing-what-you-think-is-right-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/scott-pelley-22805_american-people_i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing_134851.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wonder at what point do you stop doing what you think is right and you start doing what the majority of…” — Scott Pelley", "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": "Scott Pelley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pelley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I wonder at what point do...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing-what-you-think-is-right-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pelley/i-wonder-at-what-point-do-you-stop-doing-what-you-think-is-right-and/#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 } } ] } ```