--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner…" description: "\"If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty, it'll be viewed as a disaster.\" — Alex Turner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg" --- # If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty… ![“If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty, it'll be viewed as a disaster.” quote by Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg) > “If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty, it'll be viewed as a disaster.” [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A project that fails to address major societal problems is seen as a disaster. **In simple terms:** Failure on big issues feels disastrous. Key Takeaway Focus on impact, not just novelty. Themes innovation societal impact expectations Mood critical realistic Type cautionary analytical When to use this quote - product launch - policy making - tech development - philanthropy Key Concepts ethical responsibility public perception Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance ambition with practicality? - What metrics define success beyond hype? A Different Perspective Not every initiative can solve all problems; realistic goals matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) ## Related quotes > [Rest & medicine doesn't always cure. Sometimes, seeing someone does the miracle. That's the love doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rest-medicine-doesn-t-always-cure-sometimes-seeing-someone-does-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When scientists are asked what they are working on, their response is seldom 'Finding the origin of the universe' or 'Seeking to cure cancer.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/when-scientists-are-asked-what-they-are-working-on-their-response-is/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [That smile could end wars and cure cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-smile-could-end-wars-and-cure-cancer/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think it's scandalous that we haven't done more to cure cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlen-specter/i-think-it-s-scandalous-that-we-haven-t-done-more-to-cure-cancer/) [Arlen Specter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlen-specter/) > [Just like some day, say, 1000 years from now, when we can go to another star and see a planet, that's what we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/just-like-some-day-say-1000-years-from-now-when-we-can-go-to-another/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [If we put half the effort in coming up with a cure for cancer as we do with good tweets we would have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-we-put-half-the-effort-in-coming-up-with-a-cure-for-cancer-as-we/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I may have found the cure for cancer, and I think it might be Thom Yorke Serum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/i-may-have-found-the-cure-for-cancer-and-i-think-it-might-be-thom/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Movies are fun, but they're not a cure for cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-beatty/movies-are-fun-but-they-re-not-a-cure-for-cancer/) [Warren Beatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-beatty/) > [What if the cure for cancer is trapped inside the mind of someone who cant afford and education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-if-the-cure-for-cancer-is-trapped-inside-the-mind-of-someone-who-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Repeat after me: pharma being shit does not mean magic beans cure cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-goldacre/repeat-after-me-pharma-being-shit-does-not-mean-magic-beans-cure/) [Ben Goldacre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-goldacre/) > [I wish that the cure for cancer was as simple as a hug, because then we could all be doctors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-barnes/i-wish-that-the-cure-for-cancer-was-as-simple-as-a-hug-because-then/) Jacob Barnes > [What if the cure for cancer is trapped inside the mind of someone who can't afford education?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paperjam/what-if-the-cure-for-cancer-is-trapped-inside-the-mind-of-someone-who/) [Paperjam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paperjam/) > [“If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-davidson/if-you-found-a-cure-for-cancer-wouldn-t-it-be-inconceivable-to-hide/) Dave Davidson > [The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and just ain't spitting it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-halpern/the-baby-will-talk-when-he-talks-relax-it-ain-t-like-he-knows-the/) [Justin Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-halpern/) > [Poetry can't cure cancer, but it can save your life until you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-saatchi/poetry-can-t-cure-cancer-but-it-can-save-your-life-until-you-die/) [Maurice Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-saatchi/) ## More by Alex Turner > [I saw that something changed in terms of the way I approach writing. I don't know. Before, everything was just sort of pieced together;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/i-saw-that-something-changed-in-terms-of-the-way-i-approach-writing-i/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [Rock'n'roll will never go away completely because it's so fundamentally attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/rock-n-roll-will-never-go-away-completely-because-it-s-so/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [That rock and roll, eh? That rock and roll, it just won't go away. It might hibernate from time to time, sink back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/that-rock-and-roll-eh-that-rock-and-roll-it-just-won-t-go-away-it/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [Sometimes, writing songs is like waiting in for deliveries. They give you a window, and your washing machine is going to show up, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/sometimes-writing-songs-is-like-waiting-in-for-deliveries-they-give/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [It was 2002, we all got guitars for Christmas and started playing in my garage that summer, rehearsed there and in a warehouse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/it-was-2002-we-all-got-guitars-for-christmas-and-started-playing-in/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [I took the batteries out my mysticism / And put them in my thinking cap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/i-took-the-batteries-out-my-mysticism-and-put-them-in-my-thinking-cap/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [I can't draw. I'm good on the yo-yo, but I don't draw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/i-can-t-draw-i-m-good-on-the-yo-yo-but-i-don-t-draw/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [We were very nervous but it were right exciting. We weren't hooligans but we knew people that were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/we-were-very-nervous-but-it-were-right-exciting-we-weren-t-hooligans/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [I feel like I should just flip out and do something crazy. It's boring when people tell me I'm really well grounded. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/i-feel-like-i-should-just-flip-out-and-do-something-crazy-it-s-boring/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [There's that 15 quid we put on One Direction to win down the drain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/there-s-that-15-quid-we-put-on-one-direction-to-win-down-the-drain/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [I usually sit around with the guitar in reach and grab it when I get an idea. Sometimes it lasts five minutes, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/i-usually-sit-around-with-the-guitar-in-reach-and-grab-it-when-i-get/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [We should not be afraid of change, we should return to the old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/we-should-not-be-afraid-of-change-we-should-return-to-the-old-ideas/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [The idea that talent is directly proportional to your trophy cabinet is one I oppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/the-idea-that-talent-is-directly-proportional-to-your-trophy-cabinet/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [Hopefully the tabloid thing has peaked. It doesn't seem to be as big (to us) as what people might think it is. Maybe we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/hopefully-the-tabloid-thing-has-peaked-it-doesn-t-seem-to-be-as-big/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) > [The first time I went to New York, it was really exciting, and I thought, given half the chance, it would be nice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/the-first-time-i-went-to-new-york-it-was-really-exciting-and-i/) [Alex Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) [Explore all 72 Alex Turner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/) ## More Cancer quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Historically, more people have died of religion than cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/historically-more-people-have-died-of-religion-than-cancer/) [Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/) > [“Our kind of love can go into remission, but it's always waiting to return. Like the world sweetest cancer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/our-kind-of-love-can-go-into-remission-but-it-s-always-waiting-to/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Bollywood is a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-banerjee/bollywood-is-a-cancer/) [Victor Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-banerjee/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [When people go get chemo, they're not injecting themselves with will - I have lost various loved ones to cancer, and I certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall/when-people-go-get-chemo-they-re-not-injecting-themselves-with-will-i/) [Michael C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall/) > [“the doctor hesitated before breaking the news to her. "those aren't stars. it's cancer." - forty years a smoker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lovelace/the-doctor-hesitated-before-breaking-the-news-to-her-those-aren-t/) [Amanda Lovelace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lovelace/) > [I loved you to the moon and back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-loved-you-to-the-moon-and-back/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [I would do away with super PACs. I think it's a cancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kent-conrad/i-would-do-away-with-super-pacs-i-think-it-s-a-cancer/) [Kent Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kent-conrad/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [If you are a white male, you don't deserve to live. You are a cancer, you're a disease, white males have never contributed anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-ignatiev/if-you-are-a-white-male-you-don-t-deserve-to-live-you-are-a-cancer/) [Noel Ignatiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-ignatiev/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) [Browse all 3,177 Cancer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty, it'll be viewed as a disaster.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alex Turner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner-city-poverty-it-ll-be-viewed/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cancer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner-city-poverty-it-ll-be-viewed/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a26/alex-turner-9501_cancer_if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner_2165843.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If it doesn't cure cancer or solve inner city poverty, it'll be viewed as a disaster.” — Alex Turner", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alex Turner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-turner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If it doesn't cure cancer or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner-city-poverty-it-ll-be-viewed/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-turner/if-it-doesn-t-cure-cancer-or-solve-inner-city-poverty-it-ll-be-viewed/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```