--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did…" description: "\"“Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a multibillion-dollar industry we talking ’bout, baby. That ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg" --- # Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even… ![“Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a multibillion-dollar industry we talking ’bout, baby. That shit is flown into our communities, but I don’t know anybody with a private jet. Do you?” “No.” “Exactly. Drugs come from somewhere, and they’re…” quote by Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg) > ““Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a multibillion-dollar industry we talking ’bout, baby. That shit is flown into our communities, but I don’t know anybody with a private jet. Do you?” “No.” “Exactly. Drugs come from somewhere, and they’re destroying our community,” he says. “You got folks like Brenda, who think they need them to survive, and then you got the Khalils, who think they need to sell them to survive. The Brendas can’t get jobs unless they’re clean, and they can’t pay for rehab unless they got jobs. When the Khalils get arrested for selling drugs, they either spend most of their life in prison, another billion-dollar industry, or they have a hard time getting a real job and probably start selling drugs again. That’s the hate they’re giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That’s Thug Life.”” [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The drug trade creates a vicious cycle that traps communities in poverty and incarceration. **In simple terms:** Drugs trap communities in a harmful loop. Key Takeaway Address root causes of addiction. Themes poverty systemic oppression drug trade community health Mood somber urgent Type narrative activist When to use this quote - urban neighborhoods - rehabilitation programs - job training - legal reform Key Concepts Economic inequality social justice policy failure Questions to Reflect On - What policies could break the cycle? - How can communities support recovery? A Different Perspective Solutions require more than policing; community investment is essential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Selling drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling-drugs/) [Thug life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thug-life/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“Right. Lack of opportunities," Daddy says. "Corporate America don't bring jobs to our communities, and they damn sure ain't quick to hire us. Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/right-lack-of-opportunities-daddy-says-corporate-america-don-t-bring/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [I love drugs, but I hate hangovers, and the hatred of the hangover wins by a landslide every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-love-drugs-but-i-hate-hangovers-and-the-hatred-of-the-hangover-wins/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/this-business-of-burning-human-beings-with-napalm-of-filling-our/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [So you keep raising these taxes, and all of a sudden the business community says, 'Why are we here? We can go someplace else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-daley/so-you-keep-raising-these-taxes-and-all-of-a-sudden-the-business/) [Richard M. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-daley/) > [“That's the hate they're giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That's Thug Life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/that-s-the-hate-they-re-giving-us-baby-a-system-designed-against-us/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Pac said Thug Life stood for ‘The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody.’” I raise my eyebrows. “What?” “Listen! The Hate U—the letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/pac-said-thug-life-stood-for-the-hate-u-give-little-infants-fucks/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [If football wasn't a part of my life, there were three things that could have happened, and they were all bad. I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-ochocinco/if-football-wasn-t-a-part-of-my-life-there-were-three-things-that/) [Chad Ochocinco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-ochocinco/) > [“I don’t see one white person in this block selling drugs. They got the nerve to be mad at the blue-eyed devil. You don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/i-don-t-see-one-white-person-in-this-block-selling-drugs-they-got-the/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [Ima a gangster ima stright up g the gangster life is the life for me killing people by day selling drugs by night the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ima-a-gangster-ima-stright-up-g-the-gangster-life-is-the-life-for-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now as far as the organization selling drugs, no. Individuals selling drugs is something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-zito/now-as-far-as-the-organization-selling-drugs-no-individuals-selling/) [Chuck Zito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-zito/) > [Many kids turn to selling drugs. It's not a good career choice, but they see it as a way to get money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris/many-kids-turn-to-selling-drugs-it-s-not-a-good-career-choice-but/) [Richard Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris/) > [I mean, I knew I wasn't a nice person, but what did I do in my past life to deserve this? I must have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/i-mean-i-knew-i-wasn-t-a-nice-person-but-what-did-i-do-in-my-past/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [“Stealing drugs, selling drugs, buying clothes, renting luxury cars, taking clothes back, ordering blender drinks, this isn't what I'd call Real Life, not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/stealing-drugs-selling-drugs-buying-clothes-renting-luxury-cars/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [When in some communities selling drugs is so lucrative that that's a pretty big enticement that we have to break down. Part of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-gonzalez/when-in-some-communities-selling-drugs-is-so-lucrative-that-that-s-a/) [Matt Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-gonzalez/) > [I am the epitome of the underdog. By societies standards I should have been dead a long time ago, and I was nobody's gangster,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/i-am-the-epitome-of-the-underdog-by-societies-standards-i-should-have/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) ## More by Angie Thomas > [“The black officer checks Daddy while his partner glances around at all of the onlookers. There's quite a few of us now. Ms. Yvette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-black-officer-checks-daddy-while-his-partner-glances-around-at/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“For real?” I say what I’m supposed to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/for-real-i-say-what-i-m-supposed-to/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [I think that the more of us who take the time to understand how someone else is feeling, the more likely we are to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/i-think-that-the-more-of-us-who-take-the-time-to-understand-how/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [The transition from unknown to known-in-publishing has been empowering but also challenging. It's an honor to know that people actually want to know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/the-transition-from-unknown-to-known-in-publishing-has-been/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [I really do hope 'The Hate U Give' provides mirrors for readers who don't often get them in books. I've had so many young…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/i-really-do-hope-the-hate-u-give-provides-mirrors-for-readers-who-don/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Slave masters thought they were making a difference in black people’s lives too. Saving them from their “wild African ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/slave-masters-thought-they-were-making-a-difference-in-black-people-s/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [As a black woman, I feel like I have a unique experience that we don't often see in media portrayals of the South.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/as-a-black-woman-i-feel-like-i-have-a-unique-experience-that-we-don-t/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Who the fuck complains about going to Harry Potter World? Or Butter Beer? Or wands?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/who-the-fuck-complains-about-going-to-harry-potter-world-or-butter/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“With King Lords, we had a whole bunch of folks who had our backs, no matter what. They bought us clothes and shit our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/with-king-lords-we-had-a-whole-bunch-of-folks-who-had-our-backs-no/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [I wanted to write a book like a rapper would write it - I didn't want to hold back. Rappers catch a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/i-wanted-to-write-a-book-like-a-rapper-would-write-it-i-didn-t-want/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [Bent Literary Agency had a Q&A on Twitter, and I took a chance and asked if the Black Lives Matter movement was an appropriate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/bent-literary-agency-had-a-q-a-on-twitter-and-i-took-a-chance-and/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Has this situation made you fearful of cops?" she eventually asks. "I don't know," I say truthfully. "My uncle's a cop. I know not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/has-this-situation-made-you-fearful-of-cops-she-eventually-asks-i-don/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [My maternal grandmother was a star on her high school basketball team in small-town Mississippi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/my-maternal-grandmother-was-a-star-on-her-high-school-basketball-team/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [“Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/now-i-am-that-person-and-i-m-too-afraid-to-speak/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) > [Representation makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/representation-makes-a-difference/) [Angie Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) [Explore all 153 Angie Thomas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/) ## More Hard time quotes > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/hard-times-may-test-me-they-cannot-destroy-me/) [T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) > [I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-mero/i-have-no-regrets-in-my-life-i-think-that-everything-happens-to-you/) [Rita Mero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-mero/) > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [I do talk about hard times, but I also try to bring out the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/i-do-talk-about-hard-times-but-i-also-try-to-bring-out-the-light/) [Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/) > ['Heirs' became an emotional experience for me. I had a hard time bringing out my emotions in the series. I used all my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-min-ho/heirs-became-an-emotional-experience-for-me-i-had-a-hard-time/) [Lee Min-ho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-min-ho/) > [In love, the hard times will surely call, and no lover is without their flaw. But you must have rain to see the rainbows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-love-the-hard-times-will-surely-call-and-no-lover-is-without-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was having such a hard time when I made Sylvia. I gave everything I had for that role. It's one or two or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-was-having-such-a-hard-time-when-i-made-sylvia-i-gave-everything-i/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [Tom Stafford was an odd character, you know - a brilliant guy. He looked weird and I think he took a really defensive attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-fritts/tom-stafford-was-an-odd-character-you-know-a-brilliant-guy-he-looked/) [Donnie Fritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-fritts/) > [ It wasn't \[Barack\] Obama per se; it was the feeling on the ground; it was seeing an old black woman in a wheelchair being… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/it-wasn-t-barack-obama-per-se-it-was-the-feeling-on-the-ground-it-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Man, I just feel so fortunate to be a jazz musician at all. I have a hard time thinking of it any other way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-elling/man-i-just-feel-so-fortunate-to-be-a-jazz-musician-at-all-i-have-a/) [Kurt Elling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-elling/) > [“I have a hard time keeping my hands off you without that added bonus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-have-a-hard-time-keeping-my-hands-off-you-without-that-added-bonus/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [I was a little-known political consultant until Bill Clinton made me. When he came upon hard times, I felt it my duty - whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-carville/i-was-a-little-known-political-consultant-until-bill-clinton-made-me/) [James Carville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-carville/) [Browse all 1,864 Hard time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a multibillion-dollar industry we talking ’bout, baby. That shit is flown into our communities, but I don’t know anybody with a private jet. Do you?” “No.” “Exactly. Drugs come from somewhere, and they’re destroying our community,” he says. “You got folks like Brenda, who think they need them to survive, and then you got the Khalils, who think they need to sell them to survive. The Brendas can’t get jobs unless they’re clean, and they can’t pay for rehab unless they got jobs. When the Khalils get arrested for selling drugs, they either spend most of their life in prison, another billion-dollar industry, or they have a hard time getting a real job and probably start selling drugs again. That’s the hate they’re giving us, baby, a system designed against us. That’s Thug Life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Angie Thomas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the-drugs-even-get-in-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the-drugs-even-get-in-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/angie-thomas-2699_hard-time_now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the_1394758.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Now, think ’bout this,” he says. “How did the drugs even get in our neighborhood? This is a…” — Angie Thomas", "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": "Angie Thomas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angie-thomas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Now, think ’bout this,” he says....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the-drugs-even-get-in-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angie-thomas/now-think-bout-this-he-says-how-did-the-drugs-even-get-in-our/#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 } } ] } ```