I get satisfaction out of seeing stuff that makes real change in the real world. We need a lot more of that and a lot less abstract stuff.

The remark expresses Grandin’s pragmatic, engineering-minded ethos: she values work that produces measurable improvements—especially in applied domains like animal handling, welfare, and facility design—over purely theoretical or “abstract” discussion. It also reflects her broader advocacy for concrete problem-solving and for respecting hands-on, visual-spatial ways of thinking. Implicitly, the quote critiques institutional incentives (in academia, policy, or professional life) that can reward conceptual sophistication without corresponding real-world outcomes. The “real change in the real world” phrasing frames satisfaction as tied to impact, not status, and urges a cultural shift toward implementation, testing, and practical results.