--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that's the direction we [the…" description: "\"I think that's the direction we [the americans] are going to have to go, the idea of people understanding that if you see something, say something, as ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg" --- # I think that's the direction we \[the americans\] are going… ![“I think that's the direction we [the americans] are going to have to go, the idea of people understanding that if you see something, say something, as simple as it sounds.” quote by William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg) > “I think that's the direction we \[the americans\] are going to have to go, the idea of people understanding that if you see something, say something, as simple as it sounds.” [William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages proactive vigilance: if you notice wrongdoing, speak up, because collective awareness prevents harm. **In simple terms:** Speak up when you see something wrong. Key Takeaway Report concerns promptly. Themes civic duty responsibility community safety awareness proactive action Mood concerned empowered determined Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - neighborhood watch - workplace harassment - online abuse - public health emergencies - school bullying Key Concepts social responsibility bystander effect public safety ethical behavior Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from speaking up? - How can you safely report concerns? A Different Perspective People may fear retaliation or feel powerless to act. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans/) [Americans Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/americans-going-664502/) [Direction Americans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction-americans-4870620/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-understanding-437920/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Think Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-direction-3404511/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [To look at the issue of life and abortion, actually we're moving in that direction where most Americans oppose most abortions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/to-look-at-the-issue-of-life-and-abortion-actually-we-re-moving-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I don’t think success is a place or a definition, I think it’s a direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-wang/i-don-t-think-success-is-a-place-or-a-definition-i-think-it-s-a/) [Charles Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-wang/) > [Average Americans are going to win this, not me. And not just your organization, not just the providers of health care, but the American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-norwood/average-americans-are-going-to-win-this-not-me-and-not-just-your/) [Charlie Norwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-norwood/) > [“I think that the direction in which a writer should look is around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-think-that-the-direction-in-which-a-writer-should-look-is-around/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I think we are moving to that place where we are being celebrated for our character, our inside, our wit. I think that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catriona-gray/i-think-we-are-moving-to-that-place-where-we-are-being-celebrated-for/) [Catriona Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catriona-gray/) > [...is this not in fact the purpose of young Americans going abroad? To make them think of things they never thought of?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-johnson/is-this-not-in-fact-the-purpose-of-young-americans-going-abroad-to/) [Diane Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-johnson/) > [People get caught up in asking whether Americans should be going here or there. What it boils down to is the call of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/people-get-caught-up-in-asking-whether-americans-should-be-going-here/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [I said these trade deals are going to be terrible: we're going to lose manufacturing jobs, factories abroad; the real wages of Americans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-said-these-trade-deals-are-going-to-be-terrible-we-re-going-to-lose/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Americans who may be going to the largest embassy we've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lugar/americans-who-may-be-going-to-the-largest-embassy-we-ve-ever-had/) [Richard Lugar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lugar/) > [I think direction per se is your voice, your style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sudha-kongara/i-think-direction-per-se-is-your-voice-your-style/) [Sudha Kongara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sudha-kongara/) > [Sometimes, I do think about direction but I haven't much about it. I don't know if I want to put my foot in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/supriya-pathak/sometimes-i-do-think-about-direction-but-i-haven-t-much-about-it-i/) [Supriya Pathak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/supriya-pathak/) > [I think One Direction should write a song called, We are nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-one-direction-should-write-a-song-called-we-are-nonsense/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate this idea that we, as Americans, are going to say we're going to have a sense at the border, someplace else, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-hate-this-idea-that-we-as-americans-are-going-to-say-we-re-going-to/) [Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/) > [“People of understanding, pursue peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/people-of-understanding-pursue-peace/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [How can there be peace without people understanding each other; and how can this be if they don't know each other?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-b-pearson/how-can-there-be-peace-without-people-understanding-each-other-and/) [Lester B. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-b-pearson/) ## More by William Bratton > [We are increasingly blind for terrorism purposes and for general law enforcement purposes with the new devices and the continuing effort to make them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/we-are-increasingly-blind-for-terrorism-purposes-and-for-general-law/) [William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) > [Nothing will ever replace good old fashioned police work, but Facebook and Twitter have been like a tool on our belt, In some ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/nothing-will-ever-replace-good-old-fashioned-police-work-but-facebook/) [William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) > [They really do feel under attack, rank-and-file officers and much of American police leadership, that they feel they're under attack from the federal government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/they-really-do-feel-under-attack-rank-and-file-officers-and-much-of/) [William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) > [I'm sorry, but any police department in America that tries to function without some form of 'stop and frisk,' or whatever terminology they use,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/i-m-sorry-but-any-police-department-in-america-that-tries-to-function/) [William Bratton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) [Explore all 5 William Bratton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/) ## More America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [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/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) [Browse all 20,382 America quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that's the direction we [the americans] are going to have to go, the idea of people understanding that if you see something, say something, as simple as it sounds.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Bratton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-americans-are-going-to-have-to-go/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "America" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-americans-are-going-to-have-to-go/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2c/william-bratton-59100_america_i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-amer_2319504.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that's the direction we [the americans] are going to have to go, the idea of people understanding…” — William Bratton", "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": "William Bratton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bratton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that's the direction we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-americans-are-going-to-have-to-go/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bratton/i-think-that-s-the-direction-we-the-americans-are-going-to-have-to-go/#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 } } ] } ```