--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for…" description: "\"One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness.\" — Audre Lorde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg" --- # One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness. ![“One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness.” quote by Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg) > “One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness.” [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awareness comes at a high personal cost, demanding emotional and intellectual investment. **In simple terms:** Awareness is costly but valuable. Key Takeaway Invest in conscious growth despite expense. Themes awareness cost growth justice Mood reflective empowering Type political philosophical When to use this quote - social justice work - self‑education - community organizing Key Concepts critical theory activism Questions to Reflect On - What price have you paid for insight? - How can you turn awareness into change? A Different Perspective Not all awareness leads to action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Lot Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lot-awareness-2700647/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pays/) [Pays Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pays-lot-1546581/) ## Related quotes > [Television pays a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aditya-narayan/television-pays-a-lot/) [Aditya Narayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aditya-narayan/) > [For a lot of us, awareness is merely realizing the extent to which we've been lied to all our lives. You start educating yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-linklater/for-a-lot-of-us-awareness-is-merely-realizing-the-extent-to-which-we/) [Richard Linklater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-linklater/) > [Show business pays you a lot of money because eventually you’re gonna get screwed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/show-business-pays-you-a-lot-of-money-because-eventually-you-re-gonna/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I always tell new people in show business. I say, "Look, show business pays you a lot of money, because eventually you're gonna get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/i-always-tell-new-people-in-show-business-i-say-look-show-business/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Yes. I think the anti-Wal-Mart is Costco, which pays much better and has much better health benefits and which is profitable and offers low…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/yes-i-think-the-anti-wal-mart-is-costco-which-pays-much-better-and/) [Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/) > [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/) [Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/) > [I still believe in rock and roll, it pays my bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/i-still-believe-in-rock-and-roll-it-pays-my-bills/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [It pays to be content with your lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop/it-pays-to-be-content-with-your-lot/) [Aesop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop/) > [Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-kabat-zinn/mindfulness-means-moment-to-moment-non-judgmental-awareness-it-is/) [Jon Kabat-Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-kabat-zinn/) > [When I speak about attention, I mean literally, "How much attention can we pay to ourselves?" As children, sometimes we cannot hold our attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-medicine-eagle/when-i-speak-about-attention-i-mean-literally-how-much-attention-can/) [Brooke Medicine Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-medicine-eagle/) > [“I doubt you will enjoy it. But that is the price of change. Someone always pays.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-doubt-you-will-enjoy-it-but-that-is-the-price-of-change-someone/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [I had done plays, and Hindi theatre pays peanuts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-tripathi/i-had-done-plays-and-hindi-theatre-pays-peanuts/) [Pankaj Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-tripathi/) > [I'm so lucky that 'The Vampire Diaries' happened. I'm so lucky that Warner Bros. pays me money. You have no idea. I should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-williamson/i-m-so-lucky-that-the-vampire-diaries-happened-i-m-so-lucky-that/) [Kevin Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-williamson/) > [“And when Franz Ferdinand pays, everybody pays!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/and-when-franz-ferdinand-pays-everybody-pays/) [Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/) > [Unfortunately, the world pays attention when the media shines a light on those in need, which is why it's so important that we maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ertharin-cousin/unfortunately-the-world-pays-attention-when-the-media-shines-a-light/) [Ertharin Cousin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ertharin-cousin/) ## More by Audre Lorde > [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [There are many kinds of open. . . Love is a word, another kind of open. . . Take my word for jewel in your open light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-are-many-kinds-of-open-love-is-a-word-another-kind-of-open-take/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Your silence will not protect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/your-silence-will-not-protect-you/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I can't really define it in sexual terms alone although our sexuality is so energizing why not enjoy it too?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-can-t-really-define-it-in-sexual-terms-alone-although-our-sexuality/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“For once we begin to feel deeply all the aspects of our lives, we begin to demand from ourselves and from our life-pursuits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-once-we-begin-to-feel-deeply-all-the-aspects-of-our-lives-we/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [the fear of death is that you are dying too soon. Nobody wants to, but at the point that you die you can pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-fear-of-death-is-that-you-are-dying-too-soon-nobody-wants-to-but/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“There is an important difference between openness and naïveté. Not everyone has good intentions nor means me well. I remind myself I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-is-an-important-difference-between-openness-and-na-vet-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/what-are-the-words-you-do-not-yet-have-what-do-you-need-to-say-what/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I learned to read from Mrs. Augusta Baker, the children's librarian. ... If that was the only good deed that lady ever did in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-learned-to-read-from-mrs-augusta-baker-the-children-s-librarian-if/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/poetry-is-not-only-dream-and-vision-it-is-the-skeleton-architecture/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I think that in America there are certain kinds of problems and in Russia there are certain kinds of problems, but basically, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-think-that-in-america-there-are-certain-kinds-of-problems-and-in/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Institutionalized rejection of differences is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people. As members of such an economy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/institutionalized-rejection-of-differences-is-an-absolute-necessity/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-sharing-of-joy-whether-physical-emotional-psychic-or-intellectual/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I forgot what we were celebrating. Because we were always celebrating something, a new job, a new poem, a new love, a new dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-forgot-what-we-were-celebrating-because-we-were-always-celebrating/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [How a diamond comes into a knot of flame How a sound comes into a word, coloured By who pays what for speaking. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/how-a-diamond-comes-into-a-knot-of-flame-how-a-sound-comes-into-a/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) [Explore all 377 Audre Lorde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## More Awareness quotes > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. 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It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) [Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Audre Lorde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awareness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awareness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awareness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5bd/audre-lorde-758_awareness_one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awar_2696760.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One pays a lot, we all pay a lot, for awareness.” — Audre Lorde", "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": "Audre Lorde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One pays a lot, we all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awareness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/one-pays-a-lot-we-all-pay-a-lot-for-awareness/#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 } } ] } ```