--- title: Michelle Obama Explains What 'Going High' Really Means description: The former First Lady unpacks what exactly she meant with her famous phrase, "When they go low, we go high." canonical: https://time.com/5459984/michelle-obama-go-high/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-20T15:43:50.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:06:44.157Z og:title: Michelle Obama Explains What "Going High" Really Means og:description: Obama unpacks what she meant by her famous catchphrase og:url: https://time.com/5459984/michelle-obama-go-high/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7753719ff6c68298/69893f8c656a3ff742bd6076/michelle-obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3989 og:image:height: 2244 og:image:alt: Michelle Obama Book Tour og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Michelle Obama Explains What "Going High" Really Means twitter:description: Obama unpacks what she meant by her famous catchphrase twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7753719ff6c68298/69893f8c656a3ff742bd6076/michelle-obama1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Michelle Obama Explains What 'Going High' Really Means > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=49460738-dd66-4911-b2e7-016e7a57243e&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Michelle Obama: "When They Go Low, We Go High" [Watch (HLS stream): Michelle Obama: "When They Go Low, We Go High"](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QxqFkjr2.m3u8) (0:54)  _Published 2018-11-20. Michelle Obama: "When They Go Low, We Go High"_  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 20, 2018 3:43 PM UTC Michelle Obama: "When They Go Low, We Go High"  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Nov 20, 2018 3:43 PM UTC By now, [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/5457854/michelle-obama-becoming-review/)‘s famous phrase — “When they go low, we go high” — has become something of a slogan for exercising restraint in the face of frustration. First uttered by the [former First Lady](http://time.com/5456886/michelle-obama-jimmy-kimmel/) in 2016, it quickly caught on. In an interview with The [New York _Times_](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/20/books/michelle-obama-tracee-ellis-ross-interview.html) while promoting her popular new memoir [_Becoming_](http://time.com/5454309/michelle-obama-marriage/), Obama took the time to unpack the meaning behind her words, expanding on what “going high” really means when you’re faced with a challenge. “‘Going high’ doesn’t mean you don’t feel the hurt, or you’re not entitled to an emotion,” she explained. “It means that your response has to reflect the solution. It shouldn’t come from a place of anger or vengefulness. Barack and I had to figure that out. Anger may feel good in the moment, but it’s not going to move the ball forward.” She continued: “For me, when you are a public figure in power, everything you do models what you want the country to do … Responding to a dog whistle with a dog whistle is the exact opposite of what you’d teach your child to do.” When faced with a specific scenario, Obama tactfully maintained her diplomacy. “I wouldn’t even respond,” she said. --- > “” --- During her press tour and arena appearances to promote _Becoming_, Obama has shed light on everything from her feelings [about Donald Trump](http://time.com/5451887/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration/) to her [marriage with Barack](http://time.com/5450376/michelle-obama-marriage-counseling/) — still “going high” in her candid moments. ## Transcript [00:00] I will never forget that when our morning as I watched [00:03] Our Girls Just 7 and 10 years old pile into [00:07] those black SUVs with all those big men with guns and [00:13] I saw their little faces pressed up against the window [00:17] and the only thing I could think was, What have we [00:21] done? [ LAUGH ] [00:24] See, because at that moment I realized that our time in [00:27] the White House would form the foundation for who [00:29] they would become. How we urge them to ignore those [00:35] who question their father's citizenship or faith? [00:37] [ APPLAUSE ] How we explain. That when someone [00:42] is cruel or acts like a bully you dont stoop to their level, [00:46] no, our motto is when they go low we go high. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5459984/michelle-obama-go-high/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5459984/michelle-obama-go-high/"},"headline":"Michelle Obama Explains What 'Going High' Really Means","datePublished":"2018-11-20T15:43:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T08:06:44.157Z","description":"\"I’m not trying to win the argument. 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