--- title: The Everyday Patriot with Tom Morris description: Jill Konrath interviews Tom Morris about his book The Everyday Patriot. Take your first steps to becoming a better member of your community. image: https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris-1280x720px.jpg --- ![background image](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/backgrounds/shape-07@2x.png) - [ All Articles ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog) - [ Insights ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/insights) - [ Inspiration ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/inspiration) - [ Pivotal Moments ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/pivotal-moments) - [ Videos ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/videos) Topics - [Insights](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/insights) - [Inspiration](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/inspiration) - [Pivotal Moments](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/pivotal-moments) - [Videos](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/topic/videos) [ Subscribe ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#blog-subscribe) ### Subscribe Here! 10 min read # The Everyday Patriot with Tom Morris ![](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/blog/jill-konrath-2025-02-04-96x96px.png) Jill Konrath - - - - https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris ![The Everyday Patriot with Tom Morris](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris-1280x720px.jpg) If you’re wondering how to create positive change in a polarized country, listen to my conversation with Tom Morris, author of ***The Everyday Patriot: How to Be a Great American Now***. [Tom is a public philosopher](https://www.tomvmorris.com/), international speaker and bestselling author of *Plato’s Lemonade Stand, Socrates in Silicon Valley, If Aristotle Ran General Motors.* In this interview, we explored what it really means to be a patriot in today’s world as well as uncomplicated, practical ideas to contribute now. Best of all, we look at what’s really possible—even in a challenging environment. Tom got rave reviews from those who listened in: “Inspiring, great storyteller, thought-provoking, a wealth of knowledge, hopeful.” I’m sure you’ll feel the same way. You’re guaranteed to get ideas, insights and inspiration to make the difference you’re here to make. #### Here are just a few quotes and takeaways from our conversation: 1. *He defines patriotism as a “special love for our country, homes, neighbors, cities, counties, and state” combined with “caring in action.” I like that last part.* 2. *Tom says that our cities, country, and communities are “gardens of shared possibilities.” Then he continues, “Don’t be a weed. Don’t even be a prized petunia.” Instead, he invites us to be the best gardener we can be.* 3. *“Politics is the noble endeavor about how to live well together.” I think we have a lot of work to do in this area!* My personal favorite quote was this: > *I used to say that the worse things get, the more of an optimist I become. People can tolerate unbelievably bad circumstances once they're used to them.* > > *But when things get literally intolerable, it’s a wake-up call to everybody ….and everybody says 'Ok, we‘ve got to do something about this.* **You can also** [**download the formatted transcript**](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/documents/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris.pdf) **or scroll below to see one section at a time.** #### Table of Contents [Part 1. The Unusual Genesis of The Everyday Patriot](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-1) [Part 2. What Patriotism Really Means](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-2) [Part 3. The Secret Sauce for Partnerships](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-3) [Part 4. Finding Commonality and Hope](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#part-4) [Part 5. The Key to Being an Everyday Patriot](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-5) [Part 6. How to Live Well Together](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-6) [Part 7. Moving Beyond Cynicism](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-7) [Part 8. Issues with Time and Motive](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-8) [Part 9. What Really Matters](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Part-9) ### Part 1. The Unusual Genesis of The Everyday Patriot [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 2. What Patriotism Really Means [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 3. The Secret Sauce for Partnerships [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 4. Finding Communality and Hope [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 5. The Key to Being an Everyday Patriot [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 6. How to Live Well Together [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### **Part 7. Moving Beyond Cynicism** [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 8. Issues with Time and Motive [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top) --- ### Part 9. What really Matters [Back to top](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris#Top)   ### Topics - [Videos](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/tag/videos) ## Related Posts {} ![Prince, Paisley Park & Me](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hs-fs/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/blog/prince-paisley-park-and-me-1280x720px.jpg?width=450&height=250&name=prince-paisley-park-and-me-1280x720px.jpg) [ Insights ](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/tag/insights) [Prince, Paisley Park & Me](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/prince-paisley-park-and-me) I was in shock last week when I walked out of Paisley Park—Prince’s recording studio, home and now, museum. 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How will you know you’re successful?” Coming from the business … Read article ![background image](https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/backgrounds/shape-02@2x.png) ### Create a better future with ideas, insights, inspiration and resources delivered straight to your inbox. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Jill Konrath", "url" : "https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/author/jill-konrath" }, "dateModified" : "2025-12-23T22:35:55.979Z", "datePublished" : "2024-11-03T16:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "The Everyday Patriot with Tom Morris", "image" : [ "https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris-1280x720px.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/blog/the-everyday-patriot-with-tom-morris", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.whatsreallypossible.com/hubfs/assets-wrp/images/logos/logo-full-color@2x.png" }, "name" : "Jill Konrath" } } ```