--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We will pay a heavy price if we insist on…" description: "\"We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the 21st century with a 20th century mindset.\" — Tom Steyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg" --- # We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the… ![“We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the 21st century with a 20th century mindset.” quote by Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg) > “We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the 21st century with a 20th century mindset.” [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clinging to outdated mindsets will cost heavily as we navigate modern challenges. **In simple terms:** Outdated mindsets incur high costs in modern times. Key Takeaway Adapt thinking to contemporary realities. Themes change progress mindset Mood critical urgent Type strategic motivational When to use this quote - business strategy - political discourse - education reform Key Concepts innovation policy future planning Questions to Reflect On - What 20th‑th hinder progress? - How can societies shift mindsets effectively? 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In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) ## More by Tom Steyer > [The American people know that climate change is the kind of problem only America can solve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/the-american-people-know-that-climate-change-is-the-kind-of-problem/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [The more we allow Republicans to concentrate the lion's share of wealth in the hands of a few, the more power these wealthy few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/the-more-we-allow-republicans-to-concentrate-the-lion-s-share-of/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [I think I understand the relationships between different people within the company: people who are straightforward employees, people who can impact the bottom line,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/i-think-i-understand-the-relationships-between-different-people/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [Trump's vitriol attracts large crowds and may even win him the Republican presidential nomination but dishonors our best traditions. It spits in the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/trump-s-vitriol-attracts-large-crowds-and-may-even-win-him-the/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [I've always said that climate change is the defining issue of our generation. I've set out to hold candidates and elected officials accountable and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/i-ve-always-said-that-climate-change-is-the-defining-issue-of-our/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [Donald Trump may be unusually flamboyant, but his views are all too representative of the party that is about to nominate him for president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/donald-trump-may-be-unusually-flamboyant-but-his-views-are-all-too/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [In American politics, the deepest rivalry is between the rational world and the right wing of the GOP, who are increasingly marginalized in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/in-american-politics-the-deepest-rivalry-is-between-the-rational/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [On the path to a low-carbon, clean-energy future, we need cleaner, non-intermittent sources of power that will allow us to keep the lights on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/on-the-path-to-a-low-carbon-clean-energy-future-we-need-cleaner-non/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [I founded NextGen Climate with a clear mission in mind: to act politically to prevent climate disaster and preserve American prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/i-founded-nextgen-climate-with-a-clear-mission-in-mind-to-act/) [Tom Steyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/) > [Since the Reagan era, Republicans have prescribed cuts for rich people and corporations as a cure-all. 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We sent a generation to college. We cultivated the most educated workforce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-thrived-in-the-20th-century-because-we-made-high-school-free/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The 20th century has been marked by cynicism, selfishness, greed, and the desire to please, all without changing the status quo. In the 21st…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scar-arias/the-20th-century-has-been-marked-by-cynicism-selfishness-greed-and/) [Óscar Arias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scar-arias/) > [I've studied the lives of the 20th century's great businessmen and concluded self-confidence was instrumental in all their success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-spanos/i-ve-studied-the-lives-of-the-20th-century-s-great-businessmen-and/) [Alex Spanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-spanos/) > [Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/universal-literacy-was-a-20th-century-goal-before-then-reading-and/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [The great wars of the 20th Century made it into the worst Century ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/the-great-wars-of-the-20th-century-made-it-into-the-worst-century-ever/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [That is very different from how it used to be in the 20th century. Media was very one way. There's a small little industry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/that-is-very-different-from-how-it-used-to-be-in-the-20th-century/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [If you look back on the history of the 20th century, the 19th century or even to the ancien régime of the 18th, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/if-you-look-back-on-the-history-of-the-20th-century-the-19th-century/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [Up to the 20th century, we can say that this whole period was an Earth epoch, 'Earth' meaning the riches of the earth, simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lech-walesa/up-to-the-20th-century-we-can-say-that-this-whole-period-was-an-earth/) [Lech Walesa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lech-walesa/) > [I think this century more than any other really has seen the phenomenon of people being uprooted in such numbers, such a degree. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/i-think-this-century-more-than-any-other-really-has-seen-the/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [If you look at that incredible burst of fantastic characters that emerged in the late 19th century/early 20th century, you can see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/if-you-look-at-that-incredible-burst-of-fantastic-characters-that/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Cruel and paradoxical though it undoubtedly is, the record shows that yje most succesful 20th century monarchs have been those who were not actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cannadine/cruel-and-paradoxical-though-it-undoubtedly-is-the-record-shows-that/) [David Cannadine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cannadine/) > [An interesting thing about New Zealand, you know, literature is that it really didn't begin in any real sense until the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-catton/an-interesting-thing-about-new-zealand-you-know-literature-is-that-it/) [Eleanor Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-catton/) > [The Warmth of Other Suns is a sweeping and yet deeply personal tale of America's hidden 20th century history - the long and difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brokaw/the-warmth-of-other-suns-is-a-sweeping-and-yet-deeply-personal-tale/) [Tom Brokaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brokaw/) Browse all 672 20th century quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the 21st century with a 20th century mindset.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Steyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-on-navigating-the-21st-century/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "20th century" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-on-navigating-the-21st-century/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c72/tom-steyer-6110_20th-century_we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-o_1710366.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We will pay a heavy price if we insist on navigating the 21st century with a 20th century mindset.” — Tom Steyer", "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": "Tom Steyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-steyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We will pay a heavy price...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-on-navigating-the-21st-century/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-steyer/we-will-pay-a-heavy-price-if-we-insist-on-navigating-the-21st-century/#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 } } ] } ```