Michelle Obama shares advice to no one in particular: 'Don't tweet every thought'

Michelle Obama.
(Image credit: Jim Young/AFP/Getty Images)

Her advice was directed at young people attending a summit hosted by the Obama Foundation, but it wouldn't be a bad idea for everyone to follow the words of wisdom Michelle Obama shared on Wednesday.

So many people are quick to "tweet every thought," the former first lady said, but that's a bad idea, because "first initial thoughts are not worthy of the light of day." When the audience began to laugh, likely thinking of a certain someone in the White House, Obama said she wasn't "talking about anybody in particular," adding that it's important to make sure tweets don't have typos and use correct grammar. "Every word you utter has consequences," Obama continued. "You can't slash and burn up folks because you think you are right. You have to treat people like they are precious — even those you don't agree with."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.