--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We must hang on to the idea that we can…" description: "\"We must hang on to the idea that we can actually change things. That's the sort of environment that Joe finds himself in, in Young Adam.\" — Tilda Swinton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/tilda-swinton-4434_adam_we-must-hang-on-to-the-idea-that-we-can_3165841.png" --- # We must hang on to the idea that we can actually change… ![“We must hang on to the idea that we can actually change things. That's the sort of environment that Joe finds himself in, in Young Adam.” quote by Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/tilda-swinton-4434_adam_we-must-hang-on-to-the-idea-that-we-can_3165841.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/tilda-swinton-4434_adam_we-must-hang-on-to-the-idea-that-we-can_3165841.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/048/tilda-swinton-4434_adam_we-must-hang-on-to-the-idea-that-we-can_3165841.png) > “We must hang on to the idea that we can actually change things. That's the sort of environment that Joe finds himself in, in Young Adam.” [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Belief in personal agency can transform challenging circumstances. **In simple terms:** We can change things if we believe we can. Key Takeaway Cultivate belief in your power to act. Themes agency hope resilience Mood determined reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career setbacks - social activism - community building - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn belief into concrete action? - What obstacles might limit your influence? A Different Perspective Belief alone may not overcome systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actually Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actually-change-565988/) [Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-things/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-adam-1355551/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I feel like doing smaller budget stuff. When I did 'Young Adam', for instance, I'd come out of 'Black Hawk Down' and 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/sometimes-i-feel-like-doing-smaller-budget-stuff-when-i-did-young/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [ We were very clear that this film's \[Young Adam\] so much about a relationship that's borne out through the sexual contact, and that that's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/we-were-very-clear-that-this-film-s-young-adam-so-much-about-a/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [“Don't worry about things you can't change, because at the end you miss the opportunity to change things you can actually change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mcfai/don-t-worry-about-things-you-can-t-change-because-at-the-end-you-miss/) [McFAI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mcfai/) > [“He walked through the woods like a young Adam, naming creation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/he-walked-through-the-woods-like-a-young-adam-naming-creation/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [The thing is, some girls think they can actually change guys. And what’s funny is that if they actually did change them, they’d get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/the-thing-is-some-girls-think-they-can-actually-change-guys-and-what/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [Wearing the right thing, at the right moment, could actually change your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-tree/wearing-the-right-thing-at-the-right-moment-could-actually-change/) [Penelope Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-tree/) > [They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/they-always-say-time-changes-things-but-you-actually-have-to-change/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I have learned that sometimes sorry is not enough. Sometimes you actually have to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-learned-that-sometimes-sorry-is-not-enough-sometimes-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Few of us can actually change the world. We can only change ourselves. But if enough people took that to heart, the world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammara-webber/few-of-us-can-actually-change-the-world-we-can-only-change-ourselves/) [Tammara Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammara-webber/) > [“Peer pressure, in other words, is not only unpleasant, but can actually change your view of a problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/peer-pressure-in-other-words-is-not-only-unpleasant-but-can-actually/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [You're living in a fantasy to think that music can actually change something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/you-re-living-in-a-fantasy-to-think-that-music-can-actually-change/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [“I suppose the important thing is to make some sort of difference,’ she said. ‘You know, actually change something.’ ‘What, like “change the world”,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-suppose-the-important-thing-is-to-make-some-sort-of-difference-she/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I have learned that sometimes SORRY is not enough. You actually have to change yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-learned-that-sometimes-sorry-is-not-enough-you-actually-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a man spends enough time in a library, he may actually change his mind. I have seen it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/if-a-man-spends-enough-time-in-a-library-he-may-actually-change-his/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) > [You think I live in the past. You don't understand that I actually change with every era, I always have as best I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-think-i-live-in-the-past-you-don-t-understand-that-i-actually/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by Tilda Swinton > [I think there's a dishonorable tradition in Hollywood to give the idea, particularly to children, that evil characters are dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-think-there-s-a-dishonorable-tradition-in-hollywood-to-give-the/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [ The Ancient One, as you know, is the master, is the Sorcerer Supreme, and \[Doctor\] Strange comes to learn how to heal himself and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/the-ancient-one-as-you-know-is-the-master-is-the-sorcerer-supreme-and/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I'll tell you one thing, and this is banal to say because it just makes it sound like it's all planned, and nothing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-ll-tell-you-one-thing-and-this-is-banal-to-say-because-it-just/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I remember noticing, when I had my babies, how much I liked them, and not just loved them, but I was really into them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-remember-noticing-when-i-had-my-babies-how-much-i-liked-them-and/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I follow my nose. It’s as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-follow-my-nose-it-s-as-simple-as-that/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [It may be unfair of me but I do feel I know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/it-may-be-unfair-of-me-but-i-do-feel-i-know-it/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [What very often happens when people make films about rich people, the camera is quite mesmerised by the opulence and quite theatrical in fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/what-very-often-happens-when-people-make-films-about-rich-people-the/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I wasn't around when Nic was playing Donald. I was around with Charlie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-wasn-t-around-when-nic-was-playing-donald-i-was-around-with-charlie/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I never quite understand the way society decides who is beautiful and who is not. But an open face and a capacity for kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-never-quite-understand-the-way-society-decides-who-is-beautiful-and/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [Even beyond sexuality, I'm generally interested in identity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/even-beyond-sexuality-i-m-generally-interested-in-identity/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [When I'm in northern Italy, I walk about feeling slightly less of a freak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/when-i-m-in-northern-italy-i-walk-about-feeling-slightly-less-of-a/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [Nic's Charlie is something very particular. You can't really put them together. It's a phantasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/nic-s-charlie-is-something-very-particular-you-can-t-really-put-them/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [In The Deep End, you have a woman who looks like a J. Crew mother who can manage it all. Then we begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/in-the-deep-end-you-have-a-woman-who-looks-like-a-j-crew-mother-who/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [I live a soldier's life when I'm working. That's how it feels to me, except I've got a slightly greater chance of survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-live-a-soldier-s-life-when-i-m-working-that-s-how-it-feels-to-me/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [ \[My work\] just develops and develops, and I'm very nicely served by the universe: just as I'm ready to take the conversation further with… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/my-work-just-develops-and-develops-and-i-m-very-nicely-served-by-the/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) [Explore all 111 Tilda Swinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) ## More Adam quotes > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Adam could imagine what he looked like: a debauched nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/adam-could-imagine-what-he-looked-like-a-debauched-nerd/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [Adam Berenson knows how to compose, organize an ensemble, do musical research, play solo and trio piano, write for musical journals, and enlist others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/adam-berenson-knows-how-to-compose-organize-an-ensemble-do-musical/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“Barışı elde etmek için çabalayan her adam olağanüstü bir adamdır!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bar-elde-etmek-i-in-abalayan-her-adam-ola-an-st-bir-adamd-r/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 1,360 Adam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We must hang on to the idea that we can actually change things. 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