--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every strategy for real social change…" description: "\"Every strategy for real social change - land reform, education, public health, the equitable distribution of natural resources ... - has been cleverly,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png" --- # Every strategy for real social change - land reform… ![“Every strategy for real social change - land reform, education, public health, the equitable distribution of natural resources ... - has been cleverly, cunningly, and consistently scuttled and rendered ineffectual by those castes and that class of people which has a stranglehold on the political…” quote by Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png) > “Every strategy for real social change - land reform, education, public health, the equitable distribution of natural resources ... - has been cleverly, cunningly, and consistently scuttled and rendered ineffectual by those castes and that class of people which has a stranglehold on the political process.” [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Systemic power structures consistently undermine reforms aimed at social equity, using tactics that neutralize progress. **In simple terms:** Powerful groups sabotage reforms that threaten their control. Key Takeaway Recognize and resist tactics that derail social change. Themes social justice power reform Mood determined critical Type political analytical When to use this quote - policy advocacy - grassroots organizing - public health initiatives Key Concepts political economy class struggle Questions to Reflect On - What strategies can protect reforms from sabotage? - How can marginalized voices amplify their influence? A Different Perspective Reforms can be co-opted, losing original intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Castes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castes/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistently/) [Consistently Scuttled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistently-scuttled-2676279/) [Cunningly Consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cunningly-consistently-2676280/) [Distribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distribution/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Equitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equitable/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Ineffectual Castes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ineffectual-castes-2676278/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-resources/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Public health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-health/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reform/) [Resources](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resources/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-change/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [I actually did a quick survey of how caste plays out in contemporary India. The idea that democracy and development have in some ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-actually-did-a-quick-survey-of-how-caste-plays-out-in-contemporary/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Caste is about dividing people up in ways that preclude every form of solidarity, because even in the lowest castes, there are divisions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/caste-is-about-dividing-people-up-in-ways-that-preclude-every-form-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Anyway, what is a country? When people say, "Tell me about India," I say, "Which India?… The land of poetry and mad rebellion? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/anyway-what-is-a-country-when-people-say-tell-me-about-india-i-say/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Because of the caste system, because of the fact that there is no social link between those who make the decisions and those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/because-of-the-caste-system-because-of-the-fact-that-there-is-no/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [As Indian citizens, we subsist on a regular diet of caste massacres and nuclear tests, mosque breakings and fashion shows, church burnings and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-indian-citizens-we-subsist-on-a-regular-diet-of-caste-massacres/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [If God, as some now say, is dead, He no doubt died of trying to find an equitable solution to the Arab-Jewish problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-f-stone/if-god-as-some-now-say-is-dead-he-no-doubt-died-of-trying-to-find-an/) [I. F. Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-f-stone/) > [The Captains of Industry have always counseled the rest of us "to be realistic." Let us, therefore, be realistic. Is it realistic to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-captains-of-industry-have-always-counseled-the-rest-of-us-to-be/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [To build a more healthy, peaceful and equitable world the classrooms of the world have to be full of girls as well as boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/to-build-a-more-healthy-peaceful-and-equitable-world-the-classrooms/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [There was no private property in the past. Everything was communal property. In the Indian community where I was born, everything belonged to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/there-was-no-private-property-in-the-past-everything-was-communal/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [We applaud Congress for extending equitable abortion coverage to female Peace Corps volunteers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecile-richards/we-applaud-congress-for-extending-equitable-abortion-coverage-to/) [Cecile Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecile-richards/) > [Ferguson and St. Louis County are not the first places that we have become engaged to ensure fair and equitable policing, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/ferguson-and-st-louis-county-are-not-the-first-places-that-we-have/) [Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/) > [One of the fundamental questions of today's world is undoubtedly the question of equitable globalisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janez-drnovsek/one-of-the-fundamental-questions-of-today-s-world-is-undoubtedly-the/) [Janez Drnovsek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janez-drnovsek/) > [Since January 2003, at the height of the debate on the possible unilateral strike against Iraq, I have advocated for a reinstatement of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/since-january-2003-at-the-height-of-the-debate-on-the-possible/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [It is of the highest importance to provide equal access to the labour market. Governments should act to establish equitable employment standards and penalise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/it-is-of-the-highest-importance-to-provide-equal-access-to-the-labour/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [We must work together to ensure the equitable distribution of wealth, opportunity and power in our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/we-must-work-together-to-ensure-the-equitable-distribution-of-wealth/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) ## More by Arundhati Roy > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [In 2001, we were told that the war in Afghanistan was a feminist mission. The marines were liberating Afghan women from the Taliban. Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/in-2001-we-were-told-that-the-war-in-afghanistan-was-a-feminist/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Poverty is a crime and the poor are terrorists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/poverty-is-a-crime-and-the-poor-are-terrorists/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Fiction and non-fiction are only different techniques of story telling. For reasons I do not fully understand, fiction dances out of me. Non-fiction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/fiction-and-non-fiction-are-only-different-techniques-of-story/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [NGOs have a complicated space in neoliberal politics. They are supposed to mop up the anger. Even when they are doing good work, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/ngos-have-a-complicated-space-in-neoliberal-politics-they-are/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I've never been that person who thought that because I've written one novel, I should write another and another. It's only when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-ve-never-been-that-person-who-thought-that-because-i-ve-written-one/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [It is such a supreme folly to believe that nuclear weapons are deadly only if they're used.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/it-is-such-a-supreme-folly-to-believe-that-nuclear-weapons-are-deadly/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I think one of the saddest things that's happening to literature is that it's getting over-simplified by this diet of simple political ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/i-think-one-of-the-saddest-things-that-s-happening-to-literature-is/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [The only dream worth having, I told her, is to dream that you will live while you're alive and die only when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-only-dream-worth-having-i-told-her-is-to-dream-that-you-will-live/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [But what was there to say? Only that there were tears. Only that Quietness and Emptiness fitted together like stacked spoons. Only that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/but-what-was-there-to-say-only-that-there-were-tears-only-that/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Truly, there's no alternative to stupidity. Cretinism is the mother of fascism. I have no defence against it, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/truly-there-s-no-alternative-to-stupidity-cretinism-is-the-mother-of/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones you have heard and want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-secret-of-the-great-stories-is-that-they-have-no-secrets-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“stilts, the ground floors given over to parking. It’s a good idea in this car-maddened city,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/stilts-the-ground-floors-given-over-to-parking-it-s-a-good-idea-in/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Perhaps it’s true that things can change in a day. That a few dozen hours can affect the outcome of whole lifetimes. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/perhaps-it-s-true-that-things-can-change-in-a-day-that-a-few-dozen/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) [Explore all 628 Arundhati Roy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More Castes quotes > [Call a truce, then, to our labors - let us feast with friends and neighbors, and be merry as the custom of our caste;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/call-a-truce-then-to-our-labors-let-us-feast-with-friends-and/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [The soul has neither sex, nor caste nor imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-soul-has-neither-sex-nor-caste-nor-imperfection/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [One thing that was very clear to me is that the young people in a place like Annawadi aren't tripping on caste the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/one-thing-that-was-very-clear-to-me-is-that-the-young-people-in-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [The mass incarceration of poor people of color, particularly black men, has emerged as a new caste system, one specifically designed to address the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/the-mass-incarceration-of-poor-people-of-color-particularly-black-men/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [New Orleans invented the brown paper bag party - usually at a gathering in a home - where anyone darker than the bag attached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eric-dyson/new-orleans-invented-the-brown-paper-bag-party-usually-at-a-gathering/) [Michael Eric Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eric-dyson/) > [Political and social justice requires, not the disintegration of a country and destruction or humiliation of a class which shows initiative, intelligence and drive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syama-prasad-mukherjee/political-and-social-justice-requires-not-the-disintegration-of-a/) [Syama Prasad Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syama-prasad-mukherjee/) > [I want the Brahmins to realize that the Dravidian people today are very much hating those who cunningly cheated them with absurdities. They are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/i-want-the-brahmins-to-realize-that-the-dravidian-people-today-are/) [Periyar E. V. Ramasamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/periyar-e-v-ramasamy/) > [Many immigrants do not talk about what they endured back home. They were fleeing that world, and when they left they didn't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-wilkerson/many-immigrants-do-not-talk-about-what-they-endured-back-home-they/) [Isabel Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-wilkerson/) > [Now that practical skills have developed enough to provide adequately for material needs, one of these sciences which are not devoted to utilitarian ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/now-that-practical-skills-have-developed-enough-to-provide-adequately/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > ["Learn good knowledge with all devotion from the lowest caste. Learn the way to freedom, even if it comes from a Pariah, by serving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/learn-good-knowledge-with-all-devotion-from-the-lowest-caste-learn/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Not in vain has Lincoln lived, for he has helped to make this republic an example of justice, with no caste but the caste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bancroft/not-in-vain-has-lincoln-lived-for-he-has-helped-to-make-this-republic/) [George Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bancroft/) > [“Even when her rights are recognized abstractly, long-standing habit keeps them from being concretely manifested in customs. Economically, men and women almost form two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/even-when-her-rights-are-recognized-abstractly-long-standing-habit/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [If we claim heritage in Bacon, Shakespeare and Milton, we also acknowledge that it was for liberties guaranteed Englishmen by sacred charters our fathers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-depew/if-we-claim-heritage-in-bacon-shakespeare-and-milton-we-also/) [Chauncey Depew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-depew/) > [As a feminist, I consider the female pronoun to be an honorific, a term that conveys respect. Respect is due to women as members…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/as-a-feminist-i-consider-the-female-pronoun-to-be-an-honorific-a-term/) [Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/) > [For African American children, in particular, the odds are extremely high that they will have a parent or loved one, a relative, who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/for-african-american-children-in-particular-the-odds-are-extremely/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) [Browse all 165 Castes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/castes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every strategy for real social change - land reform, education, public health, the equitable distribution of natural resources ... - has been cleverly, cunningly, and consistently scuttled and rendered ineffectual by those castes and that class of people which has a stranglehold on the political process.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arundhati Roy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/every-strategy-for-real-social-change-land-reform-education-public/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Castes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/every-strategy-for-real-social-change-land-reform-education-public/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/arundhati-roy-346_castes_every-strategy-for-real-social-change-la_2693478.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every strategy for real social change - land reform, education, public health, the equitable distribution of…” — Arundhati Roy", "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": "Arundhati Roy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every strategy for real social change...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/every-strategy-for-real-social-change-land-reform-education-public/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/every-strategy-for-real-social-change-land-reform-education-public/#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 } } ] } ```