--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When they put me in jail, that's when…" description: "\"When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. Up until the time I went to jail, I was just a comedian.\" — Tommy Chong" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/tommy-chong-4039_activist_when-they-put-me-in-jail-that-s-when-the_349367.png" --- # When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into… ![“When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. Up until the time I went to jail, I was just a comedian.” quote by Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/tommy-chong-4039_activist_when-they-put-me-in-jail-that-s-when-the_349367.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/tommy-chong-4039_activist_when-they-put-me-in-jail-that-s-when-the_349367.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/039/tommy-chong-4039_activist_when-they-put-me-in-jail-that-s-when-the_349367.png) > “When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. Up until the time I went to jail, I was just a comedian.” [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal transformation occurs when adversity forces a shift from entertainment to activism, revealing deeper purpose. **In simple terms:** Hardship can change a comedian into an activist. Key Takeaway Embrace change when faced with hardship. Themes identity activism adversity purpose growth Mood reflective determined hopeful Type personal motivational transformational When to use this quote - incarceration - career pivot - public speaking - community organizing Key Concepts personal evolution social responsibility catharsis Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn personal setbacks into social impact? - What aspects of your identity can you leverage for activism? A Different Perspective Transformation may be limited by external stigma and loss of audience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activist/) [Comedian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comedian/) [Jail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail/) [Jail Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail-just-746969/) [Jail Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jail-turned-2694548/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Put](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/put/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned/) [Turned Activist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-activist-1600405/) [Until](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/until/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Went Jail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/went-jail/) ## Related quotes > [That's the misconceptions that people have, that Chuck Berry went to jail. They're just totally wrong. It might have said something in the large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-berry/that-s-the-misconceptions-that-people-have-that-chuck-berry-went-to/) [Chuck Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-berry/) > [Navalny is a blogger-turned-activist, but he finds stuff and he puts together these very, very clever, very high production value videos which underline the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-applebaum/navalny-is-a-blogger-turned-activist-but-he-finds-stuff-and-he-puts/) [Anne Applebaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-applebaum/) > [In my view, one of the major reasons that we have so many people in jail is that we have turned our backs on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/in-my-view-one-of-the-major-reasons-that-we-have-so-many-people-in/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [“You might come here Sunday on a whim. Say your life broke down. The last good kiss you had was years ago. You walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hugo/you-might-come-here-sunday-on-a-whim-say-your-life-broke-down-the/) [Richard Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hugo/) > [-I'm seventeen and he's 34 -OMG,I'm sure it's not legal! - Age is just a number - Yeah, and so is 911, and jail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/najwa-wahbi/i-m-seventeen-and-he-s-34-omg-i-m-sure-it-s-not-legal-age-is-just-a/) [Najwa Wahbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/najwa-wahbi/) > [Justice doesn't mean the bad guy goes to jail, it just means that someone pays for the crime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/justice-doesn-t-mean-the-bad-guy-goes-to-jail-it-just-means-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes going to jail is just the price you have to pay for social reform or social change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/sometimes-going-to-jail-is-just-the-price-you-have-to-pay-for-social/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [“Johnny, you don't know what a few months in jail can do to you, man. You get mean in jail, I just don't wanna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton-2/johnny-you-don-t-know-what-a-few-months-in-jail-can-do-to-you-man-you/) [S.E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton-2/) > [When you're in jail and you're just sitting there, you find out who was really there for you and who wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stephens/when-you-re-in-jail-and-you-re-just-sitting-there-you-find-out-who/) [Jeremy Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stephens/) > [Jail is just another micro-society. It just happens that here, the problems are far more out in the open, we don't live with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-mcmillan/jail-is-just-another-micro-society-it-just-happens-that-here-the/) [Cecily McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-mcmillan/) > [“Don't be ridiculous. Brussels sprouts are awful. Jail is just jail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mora-early/don-t-be-ridiculous-brussels-sprouts-are-awful-jail-is-just-jail/) [Mora Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mora-early/) > [“Good, because did you see his ass in those jeans tonight? Seriously, I would gladly go to jail just to hump his leg.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-martinez/good-because-did-you-see-his-ass-in-those-jeans-tonight-seriously-i/) [Aly Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-martinez/) > [People were threatened, folks was put in jail just because we wanted people to try to register to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unita-blackwell/people-were-threatened-folks-was-put-in-jail-just-because-we-wanted/) [Unita Blackwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unita-blackwell/) > [Jail is just the government's way of sending you to your room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syzzer/jail-is-just-the-government-s-way-of-sending-you-to-your-room/) [Syzzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syzzer/) > [In jail I was just like everybody else, I was sitting there praying, feeling caged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/in-jail-i-was-just-like-everybody-else-i-was-sitting-there-praying/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) ## More by Tommy Chong > [I've always known, all my life, that I was going to be something special. I never knew what it was, but I always had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-ve-always-known-all-my-life-that-i-was-going-to-be-something/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [People try to put ownership on things: 'That's mine, that's my joke.' No such thing. Like if you tripped or stumbled and people go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/people-try-to-put-ownership-on-things-that-s-mine-that-s-my-joke-no/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [We survived Nixon and Reagan and George Bush, and so we can survive anything that comes along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/we-survived-nixon-and-reagan-and-george-bush-and-so-we-can-survive/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [The Shades never recorded anything, Little Daddy and the Bachelors recorded a couple of records, ya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/the-shades-never-recorded-anything-little-daddy-and-the-bachelors/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I believe that all marijuana is medical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-believe-that-all-marijuana-is-medical/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I look on everything with a very optimistic eye. Because I'm a body builder by trade, you know, that was my intent all my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-look-on-everything-with-a-very-optimistic-eye-because-i-m-a-body/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I'm a hybrid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-m-a-hybrid/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I've always been into improvisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-ve-always-been-into-improvisation/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I used to joke for years that I was a black man. I adopted the black culture, the black race. I married a black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-used-to-joke-for-years-that-i-was-a-black-man-i-adopted-the-black/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I am off all the cancer meds. Energy is a bit low but other than that, I feel really good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-am-off-all-the-cancer-meds-energy-is-a-bit-low-but-other-than-that/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [Marijuana grows everywhere in the world. And it really is currency, if you think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/marijuana-grows-everywhere-in-the-world-and-it-really-is-currency-if/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [More than anything, the weed really helped with my mental state, because marijuana works on the brain. And if anything, it soothes the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/more-than-anything-the-weed-really-helped-with-my-mental-state/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I never did smoke that much pot; never was a big pothead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-never-did-smoke-that-much-pot-never-was-a-big-pothead/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I converted a family-owned strip club into an improvisational acting theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-converted-a-family-owned-strip-club-into-an-improvisational-acting/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) > [I know, because I tried all sorts of ways of being in character, and the best way is to be totally straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-chong/i-know-because-i-tried-all-sorts-of-ways-of-being-in-character-and/) [Tommy Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) [Explore all 117 Tommy Chong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-chong/) ## More Activist quotes > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Social media is not just another way to connect feminist and activist voices - it amplifies our messages as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/social-media-is-not-just-another-way-to-connect-feminist-and-activist/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [I have never been an activist for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-parsons/i-have-never-been-an-activist-for-anything/) [Jim Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-parsons/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [Because my graduate academic training at law school was not one that included most of the intellectual traditions I find useful for understanding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-spade/because-my-graduate-academic-training-at-law-school-was-not-one-that/) [Dean Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-spade/) > [I've been an activist in the LGBT community for a long time. I think nothing's changed, I'm just a little bit more focused on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bono/i-ve-been-an-activist-in-the-lgbt-community-for-a-long-time-i-think/) [Chaz Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-bono/) > [I've been an activist since I was a teenager. I was always curious about what we would now call social justice. I remember just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrisse-cullors/i-ve-been-an-activist-since-i-was-a-teenager-i-was-always-curious/) [Patrisse Cullors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrisse-cullors/) > [I think that compared to other politicians who have been put in jail in the past, compared to the human-rights activists in history who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-wong/i-think-that-compared-to-other-politicians-who-have-been-put-in-jail/) [Joshua Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-wong/) > [Some kinds of activists are more willing to try stuff out, see if works and think on their feet, but some of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-green/some-kinds-of-activists-are-more-willing-to-try-stuff-out-see-if/) [Duncan Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-green/) > [Black gay activists should try to build coalitions of people for the elimination of all injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/black-gay-activists-should-try-to-build-coalitions-of-people-for-the/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) > [You do what you know is good, because it's good, and then you have a certain peace of mind, saying, you've been an activist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-mcgovern/you-do-what-you-know-is-good-because-it-s-good-and-then-you-have-a/) [Ray McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-mcgovern/) > [Obviously the transgender movement has not progressed in the way that the gay and lesbian movement has. But Im an activist - thats just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-bono/obviously-the-transgender-movement-has-not-progressed-in-the-way-that/) [Chaz Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-bono/) > [“If you teach your children how to bully, or do nothing to stop them, teach them also how to die for their cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/if-you-teach-your-children-how-to-bully-or-do-nothing-to-stop-them/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) [Browse all 773 Activist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When they put me in jail, that's when they turned me into an activist. 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