A small wooden block staircase with a marble at the top and a glossy blue chute sloping down.

Original artwork, not a still

Michelle Obama

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.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

Faced with cruelty or bullying, the speaker says the right response is not to match it. Their motto is to answer meanness with dignity and restraint, staying above it rather than sinking to the same behaviour. It presents moral composure as a form of strength.

Context reviewed

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