“When they go low, you go high”
“When they go low, you go high” is a political philosophy that was said by U.S. President Barack Obama and popularized in speeches by First Lady Michelle Obama. The first lady went on redio’s The Steve Harvey Morning Show, and the following tweet was posted on December 11, 2012:
“When someone hits low…You Go high… You"ll never loose -Barack Obama @IAmSteveHarvey #MichelleObamaInterview.”
Michelle Obama said at the Jackson State University Commencement on April 23, 2016:
“Are you going to turn inward, and just give in to despair and frustration? Or are you going to take a deep breath, straighten your shoulders, lift up your head, and do what Barack Obama has always done—- as he says, ‘When they go low, I go high.’”
On July 25, 2016, speaking at the Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama said:
“No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”
At the second presidential debate on October 9, 2016, Hillary Clinton said:
“When I hear something like that, I am reminded of what my friend, Michelle Obama, advised us all: ‘When they go low, you go high.’”
Wikipedia: Michella Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer, writer, and First Lady of the United States. She is married to the 44th and current President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Obama is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and spent her early legal career working at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her husband. She subsequently worked as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago and the Vice President for Community and External Affairs of the University of Chicago Medical Center. Barack and Michelle married in 1992 and have two daughters.
Twitter
King_LAbitch
@CtC_itsLA
When someone hits low…You Go high… You"ll never loose
-Barack Obama
@IAmSteveHarvey #MichelleObamaInterview
7:38 AM - 11 Dec 2012
Twitter
Taikein M Cooper
@TaikeinCooper
The First Lady is on the radio giving me a pep talk. “When they go low, you go high”
6:38 AM - 11 Dec 2012
Twitter
Alvin
@alvin4ny
@andendall That’s why I love MY PRESIDENT, HE LOVES HIS WIFE. FIRST LADY SAYS: THEY GO LOW….YOU GO HIGH..THE HIGH ROAD OF INTEGRITY. AMEN!
6:10 PM - 14 Feb 2015
Twitter
DEB #VINTAGECHERCREW
@deb12857
@cher To quote President Obama ” WHEN THEY GO LOW, YOU GO HIGH!“THE HIGH ROAD IS ALWAYS BETTER! ☺
3:52 PM - 27 Dec 2015
23 April 2016, White House Press Releases, Fact Sheets and Briefings:
Remarks by the First Lady at the Jackson State University Commencement
Jackson State University,
Jackson, Mississippi
4:05 P.M. CDT
MRS. OBAMA: Hey, y’all. (Applause.) Hey! I’m excited now! (Applause.) Oh, my goodness! You all good? (Applause.) All right, enough about me. This is about you. (Applause.)
(...)
I wish I could say otherwise, graduates, but the question isn’t whether you’re going to come face-to-face with these issues; the question is how you’re going to respond when you do. Are you going to throw up your hands and say that progress will never come? Are you going to get angry or lash out? Are you going to turn inward, and just give in to despair and frustration? Or are you going to take a deep breath, straighten your shoulders, lift up your head, and do what Barack Obama has always done—- as he says, “When they go low, I go high.” (Applause.)
That’s the choice Barack and I have made. That’s what has kept us sane over the years. We simply do not allow space in our hearts, minds, or souls for darkness. Instead, we choose faith.
Twitter
Reach Higher
@ReachHigher
“When they go low, I go high” @flotus quoting @potus on how we handles the political climate #JSUGrad16
4:22 PM - 23 Apr 2016
Los Angeles (CA) Times
Michelle Obama’s stunning convention speech: ‘When they go low, we go high’
By Robin Abcarian
JULY 25, 2016, 10:10 PM
With a graciousness that impressed critics and brought supporters to tears, Michelle Obama on Monday night gave a perfectly pitched convention speech that was a ringing endorsement of Hillary Clinton, a backhanded slap at Donald Trump, and a powerful reminder of the historic nature of her husband’s presidency.
(...)
“That is what Barack and I think about every day,” Obama said, “as we try to guide and protect our girls through the challenges of this unusual life in the spotlight.
“How we urge them to ignore those who question their father’s citizenship or faith. How we insist that the hateful language that they hear from public figures on TV does not represent the true spirit of this country. How we explain that when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level.
“No, our motto is, when they go low, we go high.”
The Huffington Post
11 Things Hillary Clinton Must Do To Beat Donald Trump
Defeating the demagogic billionaire won’t be as easy. Here’s the Clinton strategic checklist for the campaign’s final months.
07/28/2016 11:33 pm ET | Updated Jul 30, 2016
Howard Fineman
Global Editorial Director, The Huffington Post
(...)
When They Go Low, You Go High.
Michelle Obama’s operating philosophy is one that Hillary Clinton needs to adopt. She will be sorely tempted to get way, way down in the gutter with Trump.
But that is where he thrives ― and can win. She had better not go there.
9 October 2016, Boston (MA) Globe, “Candidates spar in nasty, personal debate” by Matt Viser and Annie Linskey, pg. A1:
ST. LOUIS—An embattled Donald Trump, his campaign in crisis over his own explicit and sexually aggressive statements caught on tape, offered only a brief apology Sunday at the second presidential debate and instead launched a scorching attack on Hillary Clinton and her husband, the former president.
(...)
When Trump brought up the issue during the debate, Clinton largely avoided responding in detail.
“When I hear something like that, I am reminded of what my friend, Michelle Obama, advised us all,” she said. “When they go low, you go high.”
Twitter
Chris Cillizza
@TheFix
Mark the time: I am officially sick of the “when they go low, we go high” line
8:30 AM - 10 Oct 2016
Twitter
President Obama
@POTUS
Just like Michelle says, when they go low, we go high. @HillaryClinton went high and showed why she’ll be a POTUS for all Americans.
11:06 AM - 10 Oct 2016
Twitter
Sara
@tanaffor
@oreillyfactor Remember Crooked Hillary said! If they go low, we go high!?Hillary’s surrounding herself with people who go LOW all the time.
5:17 PM - 11 Oct 2016