Michelle Obama Talks ‘Going High’: My Purpose Is NOT To Take Care Of My Own Little Ego

Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama Talks ‘Going High’: My Purpose Is NOT To Take Care Of My Own Little Ego

Michelle Obama’s “when they go low, we go high” phrase is still relevant nearly four years after she made the statement during the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

While lots has changed since she made the speech that quickly went viral, one thing that hasn’t changed is what she believes is the best way to handle opposition. During a chat with Oprah Winfrey for the media mogul’s 2020 Vision Tour, our former FLOTUS spoke on how to maintain taking the high road, without appearing to passive.

“Going low is easy, which is why people go to it. It’s easy to go low. It’s easy to lead by fear. It’s easy to be divisive. It’s easy to make people feel afraid. That’s the easy thing. It’s also the short-term thing.”

She added the strategy she uses when she’s faced with opposition.

“For me, what I learned from my husband, what I learned from eight years in the White House is that this life, this world, our responsibiity in it is so much bigger than us. What I have to keep in mind is usually when I wanna go low, it’s all about my own ego. It’s not about solving anything, it’s not about fixing anything, it’s about seeking revenge on the thing that happened to you.”

Michelle and Barack Obama

She added,

My purpose is on this planet is not just to take care of my own little ego. There’s a bigger purpose for me out of there. So when I respond to something, I have to think about that light that I’m trying to shine. What role model am I trying to be? What are the words that I’m gonna say, and how will it affect younger people that are looking at me? That’s the bigger picture that puts you in a position to think high. If you’re thinking about the long-term, you don’t take the short-term measure of getting even with somebody right here and now because it makes you feel good in the moment. If it’s not gonna fix a problem, if it’s not gonna move the needle, then you’re not going high, you’re just being selfish.”

The audience clearly backed what she had to say.

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