Mad Men Quotes
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Source: Mad Men
Speaker: Don Draper
If you don't like what's being said, change the conversation.
Context
This line is spoken by Don Draper, played by Jon Hamm, in the TV show Mad Men (2007-2015).
Yeah, yeah… Mad Men is one of those shows that everybody says is good. Know what? They're right. This drama about Madison Avenue advertising execs in the 60s might be the best thing since sliced bread (and sliced bread is pretty great). The show centers around the mysterious Don Draper, who knows just how to bend his particular brand of constant existential strife into ad campaigns that make people scoop products off shelves.
This famous quote comes from an episode of season three, and it's just the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that makes Don a great ad man. Basically, his advice is to change the way something is being done, instead of just complaining about the way other people are doing it. Pretty good advice, Don.
Where you've heard it
Even if you don't watch Mad Men, you might've caught Don's most famous tag line on this commercial for the final season. It's been used on a bunch of memes, too. Like this one with Don looking oh so debonair, and this one with him looking… not so debonair.
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
If you're trying to live up to Don's greatness, you may come off as a bit pretentious, but it is pretty great advice.