--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am being very humble about the Arab…" description: "\"I am being very humble about the Arab Spring. There's kind of a competition out there, you might have noticed, of who can be the first to say the Arab ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/thomas-friedman-1784_arab-spring_i-am-being-very-humble-about-the-arab-sp_1555560.png" --- # I am being very humble about the Arab Spring. There's kind… ![“I am being very humble about the Arab Spring. There's kind of a competition out there, you might have noticed, of who can be the first to say the Arab Spring is going to fail. Everyone says, "I told you so, I told you so about the Muslim Brotherhood." I have no desire to tell anyone anything. I…” quote by Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/thomas-friedman-1784_arab-spring_i-am-being-very-humble-about-the-arab-sp_1555560.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/thomas-friedman-1784_arab-spring_i-am-being-very-humble-about-the-arab-sp_1555560.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/thomas-friedman-1784_arab-spring_i-am-being-very-humble-about-the-arab-sp_1555560.png) > “I am being very humble about the Arab Spring. There's kind of a competition out there, you might have noticed, of who can be the first to say the Arab Spring is going to fail. Everyone says, "I told you so, I told you so about the Muslim Brotherhood." I have no desire to tell anyone anything. I don't know. I'm just listening, watching. It may turn out all these people are right, they may be wrong. They may be right this year and wrong next year, by the way. I'm just trying to listen day to day, figure it out.” [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observes the tendency to predict the Arab Spring’s failure and the competition to be first to claim it, urging listening over speculation. **In simple terms:** People rush to judge political events without full understanding. Key Takeaway Listen before forming conclusions. Themes politics media prediction humility Mood cautious reflective Type analytical observational When to use this quote - journalism analysis policy analysis - public discourse - academic study Key Concepts forecasting bias competition critical listening Questions to Reflect On - How does competition affect political analysis? - What value does listening bring to complex events? A Different Perspective Predictions can be premature and influence outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arab spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-spring/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Humble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humble/) [Muslim brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muslim-brotherhood/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) ## Related quotes > [A wise man once told me- he’s a muslim by the way- that he has more in common with a jew than he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/a-wise-man-once-told-me-he-s-a-muslim-by-the-way-that-he-has-more-in/) [Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/) > [At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/at-jerusalem-i-went-to-the-mosque-and-sat-down-a-man-asked-me-what-i/) [Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I think that the drama of people rising up demanding their own freedom is one that resonates very deeply with America. I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-think-that-the-drama-of-people-rising-up-demanding-their-own/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I made jokes about kissing Murphy Brown. But if that's what cost me my job, my wife will probably say, "Hey asshole, I told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-neuwirth/i-made-jokes-about-kissing-murphy-brown-but-if-that-s-what-cost-me-my/) [Bebe Neuwirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-neuwirth/) > [The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-four-most-beautiful-words-in-our-common-language-i-told-you-so/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I want to take back the secrets I told you so I can decide now whether to tell them to you again. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-want-to-take-back-the-secrets-i-told-you-so-i-can-decide-now/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Maturity is humility. It is being big enough to say, "I was wrong." And, when he/she is right, the mature person need not experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/maturity-is-humility-it-is-being-big-enough-to-say-i-was-wrong-and-2/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [I am not going to say I told you so, but I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/i-am-not-going-to-say-i-told-you-so-but-i-did/) [Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/) > [There is a hint of despair in the cry of 'I told you so,' an element of disappointment in the apparent satisfaction when idols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-thomas-ellis/there-is-a-hint-of-despair-in-the-cry-of-i-told-you-so-an-element-of/) [Alice Thomas Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-thomas-ellis/) > [I love my mother for all the times she said absolutely nothing… Thinking back on it all, it must have been the most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/i-love-my-mother-for-all-the-times-she-said-absolutely-nothing/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [I can't stand people who say 'I told you so.' That's worse than somebody coming up and eating your dinner before you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/i-can-t-stand-people-who-say-i-told-you-so-that-s-worse-than-somebody/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [I assure you, my children, that when a Christian carries out with love the most insignificant everyday action, that action overflows with the transcendence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josemaria-escriva/i-assure-you-my-children-that-when-a-christian-carries-out-with-love/) [Josemaria Escriva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josemaria-escriva/) > [Nobody who says, ‘I told you so’ has ever been, or will ever be, a hero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/nobody-who-says-i-told-you-so-has-ever-been-or-will-ever-be-a-hero/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I want you," she said. "I told you so," he said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-chase/i-want-you-she-said-i-told-you-so-he-said/) [Loretta Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-chase/) ## More by Thomas Friedman > [I'm pretty much an open book. I am a fanatic golfer and golf nut. If I have three free hours any day, my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-m-pretty-much-an-open-book-i-am-a-fanatic-golfer-and-golf-nut-if-i/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [The financial crisis just made the hole deeper, which is why our stimulus needs to be both big and smart, both financially and educationally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-financial-crisis-just-made-the-hole-deeper-which-is-why-our/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Many jobs at Google require math, computing, and coding skills, so if your good grades truly reflect skills in those areas that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/many-jobs-at-google-require-math-computing-and-coding-skills-so-if/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Never before in the history of the planet have so many people, on their own, had the ability to find so much information about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/never-before-in-the-history-of-the-planet-have-so-many-people-on/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. 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I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Geopolitics is all about leverage. We cannot make ourselves safer abroad unless we change our behavior at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/geopolitics-is-all-about-leverage-we-cannot-make-ourselves-safer/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Big breakthroughs happen when what is suddenly possible meets what is desperately needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/big-breakthroughs-happen-when-what-is-suddenly-possible-meets-what-is/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [That's right-the striking thing about greenhouse gases is the diversity of sources that emit them. A herd of cattle belching can be worse than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/that-s-right-the-striking-thing-about-greenhouse-gases-is-the/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [There is something more severe than the problem with Thomas Friedman, which can be generalized to represent someone causing action while being completely unaccountable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-is-something-more-severe-than-the-problem-with-thomas-friedman/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Pessimists are usually right and optimists are usually wrong but all the great changes have been accomplished by optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/pessimists-are-usually-right-and-optimists-are-usually-wrong-but-all/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) [Explore all 208 Thomas Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) ## More Arab spring quotes > [None of us is certain about the outcome of the Arab Spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/none-of-us-is-certain-about-the-outcome-of-the-arab-spring/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [As you know with the Arab Spring, there were no dividends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najib-razak/as-you-know-with-the-arab-spring-there-were-no-dividends/) [Najib Razak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najib-razak/) > [Some socialist movements in Egypt, Tunisia and Bahrain, for instance, were genuine. 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In this scenario, we discover that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/there-is-always-the-risk-that-a-conflagration-in-the-middle-east/) [Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/) > [One of the themes of 'The Longest War,' my book, which came out before the Arab spring happened, was how al-Qaida and bin Laden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/one-of-the-themes-of-the-longest-war-my-book-which-came-out-before/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I don't think the Arab Spring had much to do with energy. I think it was just the opposite, in fact. I think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/i-don-t-think-the-arab-spring-had-much-to-do-with-energy-i-think-it/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [I think Martin Luther King would always keep track of collective insurgencies among poor and working people. 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Embrace Arab Spring; embrace the aspiration for freedom of the people of Egypt, Syria, and Yemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/the-arab-spring-is-a-true-phenomenon-embrace-arab-spring-embrace-the/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [The death of Yemeni strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh shows that Saudi Arabia is paying for its betrayal of the Arab spring in Yemen in 2011.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamal-khashoggi/the-death-of-yemeni-strongman-ali-abdullah-saleh-shows-that-saudi/) [Jamal Khashoggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamal-khashoggi/) > [I believe democracy will succeed in Tunisia, but I also believe that it will succeed in the other Arab Spring countries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashid-al-ghannushi/i-believe-democracy-will-succeed-in-tunisia-but-i-also-believe-that/) [Rashid al-Ghannushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashid-al-ghannushi/) > [“The Arab Spring has been a dismal failure. All indications are that what comes next will be significantly worse than what existed before, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-bradley/the-arab-spring-has-been-a-dismal-failure-all-indications-are-that/) [John R. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-bradley/) [Browse all 108 Arab spring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arab-spring/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I am being very humble about the Arab Spring. There's kind of a competition out there, you might have noticed, of who can be the first to say the Arab Spring is going to fail. Everyone says, \"I told you so, I told you so about the Muslim Brotherhood.\" I have no desire to tell anyone anything. I don't know. I'm just listening, watching. It may turn out all these people are right, they may be wrong. They may be right this year and wrong next year, by the way. 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