--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the question that tugged at me, and I…" description: "\"“But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and over was: What was that “it” that was being sustained? I needed to know because I wanted to b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg" --- # But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and… ![“But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and over was: What was that “it” that was being sustained? I needed to know because I wanted to bottle “it” and share “it.” Nothing, it seemed to me, would be more useful in this age of accelerations. Having returned home to reconstruct what had…” quote by Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg) > ““But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and over was: What was that “it” that was being sustained? I needed to know because I wanted to bottle “it” and share “it.” Nothing, it seemed to me, would be more useful in this age of accelerations. Having returned home to reconstruct what had worked in the past to make my community an inclusive place that could anchor and propel many of its citizens, I wanted to understand what was still working today—and that is what this chapter is about. I eventually concluded that the “it” starts with the fact that Minnesota, and even little St. Louis Park, has and had a critical mass of leaders who year in and year out came to politics and power in order to govern.”” [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author seeks to identify the sustaining force behind community resilience, concluding it is a continuous presence of dedicated local leaders who repeatedly engage in politics and governance. **In simple terms:** Community strength comes from persistent local leadership. Key Takeaway Cultivate and support local leaders. Themes leadership community resilience politics continuity Mood hopeful analytical Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - local elections - community organizing - policy making - neighborhood initiatives Key Concepts Civic engagement social capital collective action Questions to Reflect On - Who are the unsung leaders in your community? - How can you empower more people to lead? A Different Perspective Relying on leaders alone may overlook grassroots participation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [What can be sustained and repeated without emptying out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-peacock/what-can-be-sustained-and-repeated-without-emptying-out/) [Jan Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-peacock/) > [“writing is a sustained act of empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubois/writing-is-a-sustained-act-of-empathy/) Andre Dubois > [“The body is literally manufactured and sustained by mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-body-is-literally-manufactured-and-sustained-by-mind/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I never gave up. I never quit. I've been a leader all my life, from elementary school to president of my class to excelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-never-gave-up-i-never-quit-i-ve-been-a-leader-all-my-life-from/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [When people discuss the 1960s and the great Civil Rights Era, they often speak in romantic terms as if there wasn't immense work put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/when-people-discuss-the-1960s-and-the-great-civil-rights-era-they/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [We have to make a sustained effort, again and again, to cultivate the positive aspects within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-have-to-make-a-sustained-effort-again-and-again-to-cultivate-the/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [The Obama administration's large and sustained increases in debt raise the specter of another financial crisis and large future tax increases, further chilling business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hubbard/the-obama-administration-s-large-and-sustained-increases-in-debt/) [Glenn Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hubbard/) > [It's the sustained ability to change that really counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/it-s-the-sustained-ability-to-change-that-really-counts/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [The decision to begin a new day should be out of constant self reflection and be sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awukuvillage-of-hope/the-decision-to-begin-a-new-day-should-be-out-of-constant-self/) AwukuVillage Of Hope > [With infinite wisdom and care your life is constantly sustained because Nature flows through you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-cohen/with-infinite-wisdom-and-care-your-life-is-constantly-sustained/) [Michael J Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-cohen/) > [My Christian faith has sustained me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/my-christian-faith-has-sustained-me/) [B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/) > [By persistent and sustained practice, anyone and everyone can make the yoga journey and reach the goal of illumination and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/by-persistent-and-sustained-practice-anyone-and-everyone-can-make-the/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/no-problem-can-withstand-the-assault-of-sustained-thinking/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [The interval allowed was only five minutes, at the end of which I resumed the lecture; but so refreshing was the effects of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-combe/the-interval-allowed-was-only-five-minutes-at-the-end-of-which-i/) [George Combe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-combe/) > [“The soul can only be sustained by the spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-soul-can-only-be-sustained-by-the-spirit/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Thomas L. Friedman > [“When my dad died suddenly, my widowed mom couldn’t afford my college tuition, so Morrie and his friend Jake Garber, my dad’s boss, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/when-my-dad-died-suddenly-my-widowed-mom-couldn-t-afford-my-college/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“These alliances began with the most basic blood association—the family—and then expanded to the clan, the tribe, and then to other tribes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/these-alliances-began-with-the-most-basic-blood-association-the/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“Social conservatives from the right wing of the Republican party, who do not like globalization or closer integration with the world because it brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/social-conservatives-from-the-right-wing-of-the-republican-party-who/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“When Muslim radicals and fundamentalists look at the West, they see only the openness that makes us, in their eyes, decadent and promiscuous. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/when-muslim-radicals-and-fundamentalists-look-at-the-west-they-see/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“Men grant and withdraw their love according to their whims, but fear is a hand that rests on their shoulders in a way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/men-grant-and-withdraw-their-love-according-to-their-whims-but-fear/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“It is fun to be around really, really creative makers in the second half of the chessboard, to see what they can do, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/it-is-fun-to-be-around-really-really-creative-makers-in-the-second/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“Today more than ever, the traditional boundaries between politics, culture, technology, finance, national security and ecology are disappearing. You often cannot explain one without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/today-more-than-ever-the-traditional-boundaries-between-politics/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“Second, in the desert there was no outside mediator or government to enforce laws or to adjudicate disputes in a neutral way between tribes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/second-in-the-desert-there-was-no-outside-mediator-or-government-to/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“NAZ was founded in 2008 in Minneapolis, and is modeled on Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone. It uses a holistic web of family coaches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/naz-was-founded-in-2008-in-minneapolis-and-is-modeled-on-geoffrey/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“I got to see with my own eyes the boundaries of men’s compassion alongside their unfathomable brutality, their ingenuity alongside astounding folly, their insanity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/i-got-to-see-with-my-own-eyes-the-boundaries-of-men-s-compassion/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“While their parents knew a different life and would never really feel at home again without it, their kids had never known anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/while-their-parents-knew-a-different-life-and-would-never-really-feel/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“The resulting article—an almost hour-by-hour reconstruction of the massacre—was published across four full pages of The New York Times on September 26, 1982; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/the-resulting-article-an-almost-hour-by-hour-reconstruction-of-the/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“LinkedIn was barely known and most people thought it was a prison,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/linkedin-was-barely-known-and-most-people-thought-it-was-a-prison/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“Goods are traded, but services are consumed and produced in the same place. And you cannot export a haircut. But we are coming close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/goods-are-traded-but-services-are-consumed-and-produced-in-the-same/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) > [“In my world, you don’t get to call yourself “pro-life” and be against common-sense gun control — like banning public access to the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/in-my-world-you-don-t-get-to-call-yourself-pro-life-and-be-against/) [Thomas L. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) [Explore all 63 Thomas L. Friedman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/) ## More Sustained quotes > [What can be sustained and repeated without emptying out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-peacock/what-can-be-sustained-and-repeated-without-emptying-out/) [Jan Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-peacock/) > [The interval allowed was only five minutes, at the end of which I resumed the lecture; but so refreshing was the effects of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-combe/the-interval-allowed-was-only-five-minutes-at-the-end-of-which-i/) [George Combe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-combe/) > [No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/no-problem-can-withstand-the-assault-of-sustained-thinking/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [By persistent and sustained practice, anyone and everyone can make the yoga journey and reach the goal of illumination and freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/by-persistent-and-sustained-practice-anyone-and-everyone-can-make-the/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [My Christian faith has sustained me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-thomas/my-christian-faith-has-sustained-me/) [B. J. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-thomas/) > [With infinite wisdom and care your life is constantly sustained because Nature flows through you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-cohen/with-infinite-wisdom-and-care-your-life-is-constantly-sustained/) [Michael J Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-cohen/) > [The decision to begin a new day should be out of constant self reflection and be sustained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/awukuvillage-of-hope/the-decision-to-begin-a-new-day-should-be-out-of-constant-self/) AwukuVillage Of Hope > [It's the sustained ability to change that really counts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-immelt/it-s-the-sustained-ability-to-change-that-really-counts/) [Jeffrey R. Immelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-immelt/) > [The Obama administration's large and sustained increases in debt raise the specter of another financial crisis and large future tax increases, further chilling business…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hubbard/the-obama-administration-s-large-and-sustained-increases-in-debt/) [Glenn Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hubbard/) > [We have to make a sustained effort, again and again, to cultivate the positive aspects within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-have-to-make-a-sustained-effort-again-and-again-to-cultivate-the/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [When people discuss the 1960s and the great Civil Rights Era, they often speak in romantic terms as if there wasn't immense work put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/when-people-discuss-the-1960s-and-the-great-civil-rights-era-they/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I never gave up. I never quit. I've been a leader all my life, from elementary school to president of my class to excelling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenifer-lewis/i-never-gave-up-i-never-quit-i-ve-been-a-leader-all-my-life-from/) [Jenifer Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenifer-lewis/) > [“The body is literally manufactured and sustained by mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-body-is-literally-manufactured-and-sustained-by-mind/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“writing is a sustained act of empathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-dubois/writing-is-a-sustained-act-of-empathy/) Andre Dubois > [“The soul can only be sustained by the spirit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-soul-can-only-be-sustained-by-the-spirit/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) Browse all 81 Sustained quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and over was: What was that “it” that was being sustained? I needed to know because I wanted to bottle “it” and share “it.” Nothing, it seemed to me, would be more useful in this age of accelerations. Having returned home to reconstruct what had worked in the past to make my community an inclusive place that could anchor and propel many of its citizens, I wanted to understand what was still working today—and that is what this chapter is about. I eventually concluded that the “it” starts with the fact that Minnesota, and even little St. Louis Park, has and had a critical mass of leaders who year in and year out came to politics and power in order to govern.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas L. Friedman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i-asked-over-and-over-was-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Sustained" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i-asked-over-and-over-was-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c8/thomas-l-friedman-5270_quote_but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i_536834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But the question that tugged at me, and I asked over and over was: What was that “it” that was being…” — Thomas L. Friedman", "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": "Thomas L. Friedman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-l-friedman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But the question that tugged at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i-asked-over-and-over-was-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-l-friedman/but-the-question-that-tugged-at-me-and-i-asked-over-and-over-was-what/#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 } } ] } ```