--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who were personally concerned…" description: "\"“People who were personally concerned about a better world, came to Washington, were drawn to it. Even though where we were going was still to be worke..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/studs-terkel-3020_adventure_people-who-were-personally-concerned-abo_1536355.jpg" --- # People who were personally concerned about a better world… ![“People who were personally concerned about a better world, came to Washington, were drawn to it. Even though where we were going was still to be worked out. There was an elan, an optimism . . . an evangelism . . . it was an adventure.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/studs-terkel-3020_adventure_people-who-were-personally-concerned-abo_1536355.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/studs-terkel-3020_adventure_people-who-were-personally-concerned-abo_1536355.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/studs-terkel-3020_adventure_people-who-were-personally-concerned-abo_1536355.jpg) > ““People who were personally concerned about a better world, came to Washington, were drawn to it. Even though where we were going was still to be worked out. There was an elan, an optimism . . . an evangelism . . . it was an adventure.”” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes idealistic optimism and adventurous spirit among reformers in Washington. **In simple terms:** Activists were hopeful and adventurous. Key Takeaway Channel optimism into concrete action. Themes activism optimism community adventure Mood inspirational hopeful Type historical political When to use this quote - policy advocacy - grassroots organizing - community meetings - public demonstrations Key Concepts Social movements collective hope Questions to Reflect On - How to sustain hope amid setbacks? - What practical steps turn optimism into results? A Different Perspective Idealism can clash with political realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Better world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-world/) [Came Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-washington-1099916/) [Elan Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elan-optimism-5712058/) [Evangelism Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelism-adventure-5712057/) [Optimism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism/) [Optimism Evangelism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimism-evangelism-5712056/) ## Related quotes > [The first time I ever came to Washington was to visit Calvin Coolidge in the White House with my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-dellinger/the-first-time-i-ever-came-to-washington-was-to-visit-calvin-coolidge/) [David Dellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-dellinger/) > [To his credit, Obama didn't just come to Washington to be someone. Like Reagan, he came to Washington to do something -- to introduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-krauthammer/to-his-credit-obama-didn-t-just-come-to-washington-to-be-someone-like/) [Charles Krauthammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-krauthammer/) > [I was unknown because I came to Washington from the West. I started covering Watergate. Immodestly, I'd say I did it pretty well, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/i-was-unknown-because-i-came-to-washington-from-the-west-i-started/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) > [People assume that I came back to Washington because of the 'Post', but the truth is less romantic. I came back for a job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-weymouth/people-assume-that-i-came-back-to-washington-because-of-the-post-but/) [Katharine Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-weymouth/) > [I came to Washington to get things done, and I'll work with anyone to lower costs and defend protections for those with pre-existing conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-allred/i-came-to-washington-to-get-things-done-and-i-ll-work-with-anyone-to/) [Colin Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-allred/) > [I guess I've always liked hitting here, even when I was with Chicago before I came to Washington. I had a good time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/i-guess-i-ve-always-liked-hitting-here-even-when-i-was-with-chicago/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [I came to Washington to work for God, FDR, and the millions of forgotten, plain common workingmen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-perkins/i-came-to-washington-to-work-for-god-fdr-and-the-millions-of/) [Frances Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-perkins/) > [Well, what I tried to do is simply to get out on the land. And when I came to Washington, I think one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-babbitt/well-what-i-tried-to-do-is-simply-to-get-out-on-the-land-and-when-i/) [Bruce Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-babbitt/) > [I came to Washington D.C. to continue President Trump's America First agenda and deliver for Northwest Georgia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/i-came-to-washington-d-c-to-continue-president-trump-s-america-first/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [Dean Acheson was one of the very best and brightest of the men who ever came to Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-graham/dean-acheson-was-one-of-the-very-best-and-brightest-of-the-men-who/) [Katharine Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-graham/) > [I came to Washington to stand up for the people who put their trust in me and to ensure the safety of the families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/i-came-to-washington-to-stand-up-for-the-people-who-put-their-trust/) [Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/) > [I came to Washington to get things done in a bipartisan way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-kim/i-came-to-washington-to-get-things-done-in-a-bipartisan-way/) [Young Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-kim/) > [When I left my mountain home and came to Washington, I promised the veterans in our district that I would be their weapon in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/when-i-left-my-mountain-home-and-came-to-washington-i-promised-the/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [I went to see President Nixon at the White House. It wasn't difficult to get a meeting because I was heavyweight champion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-frazier/i-went-to-see-president-nixon-at-the-white-house-it-wasn-t-difficult/) [Joe Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-frazier/) > [I remember when I first came to Washington. For the first six months you wonder how the hell you ever got here. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman-2/i-remember-when-i-first-came-to-washington-for-the-first-six-months/) [Harry S Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman-2/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-read-somewhere-that-when-a-person-takes-part-in-community-action/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/don-t-be-an-examiner-be-the-interested-inquirer/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Hope never trickles down. It always springs up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/hope-never-trickles-down-it-always-springs-up/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/to-survive-the-day-is-triumph-enough-for-the-walking-wounded-among/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I’ll never forget that Depression Easter Sunday. Our son was four years old. I bought ten or fifteen cents’ worth of eggs. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-ll-never-forget-that-depression-easter-sunday-our-son-was-four/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [All you need in life is truth and beauty and you can find both at the Public Library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/all-you-need-in-life-is-truth-and-beauty-and-you-can-find-both-at-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Reading a book should not be a passive exercise, but rather a raucous conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/reading-a-book-should-not-be-a-passive-exercise-but-rather-a-raucous/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-hope-for-peace-and-sanity-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“The total cost of the Federal Arts Project was only $23 million. Many of these paintings, sculptures and prints were given to museums, courthouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-total-cost-of-the-federal-arts-project-was-only-23-million-many/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I find labels "liberal" and "conservative" of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-find-labels-liberal-and-conservative-of-little-meaning-our-language/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“Who knows Bob’s name in this outfit—let alone his lame child’s? (“The last place I worked for, I was let go,” recalls the bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/who-knows-bob-s-name-in-this-outfit-let-alone-his-lame-child-s-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-trouble-with-censorship-is-that-once-it-starts-it-is-hard-to-stop/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) [Explore all 142 Studs Terkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People who were personally concerned about a better world, came to Washington, were drawn to it. Even though where we were going was still to be worked out. 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