"I won't mention the word tired. This is the 20th century and I can go around a little faster"
About this Quote
The punchline is the era-flex: "This is the 20th century". It lands with a wink because it treats modernity like an energy drink. The subtext is pure late-90s/early-2000s pop culture: speed equals relevance, and relevance is a job requirement. Girl power, in its commercial form, often meant projecting inexhaustibility - not just confidence, but constant output. Touring, press, choreography, interviews, reinvention. You don't get to be "off"; you get to be "on", just at different camera angles.
"I can go around a little faster" is deliberately childish phrasing, almost playground talk, which makes the bravado feel both endearing and slightly unhinged. That's the trick: it performs cheerfulness while hinting at the machinery underneath. There's humor, yes, but also a small panic. Modern life, she implies, demands acceleration, and the only acceptable response is to sprint and smile. The quote works because it captures pop's central contradiction: empowerment framed as freedom, experienced as a tempo.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Halliwell, Geri. (2026, January 15). I won't mention the word tired. This is the 20th century and I can go around a little faster. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wont-mention-the-word-tired-this-is-the-20th-148456/
Chicago Style
Halliwell, Geri. "I won't mention the word tired. This is the 20th century and I can go around a little faster." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wont-mention-the-word-tired-this-is-the-20th-148456/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I won't mention the word tired. This is the 20th century and I can go around a little faster." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-wont-mention-the-word-tired-this-is-the-20th-148456/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.







