--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oppressors always expect the oppressed to…" description: "\"“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.”\" — Audre Lorde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg" --- # Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them… ![“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.” quote by Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg) > ““Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.”” [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. Oppressors demand empathy from those they oppress, despite lacking it themselves. **In simple terms:** Oppressors expect understanding they don’t have. Key Takeaway Challenge unfair expectations of empathy. Themes power dynamics empathy justice Mood defiant thoughtful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - activism - The Key Concepts social theory activism Practical Applications - Often ignored Questions to Reflect On - How can oppressed individuals set boundaries? - What does true empathy require? A Different Perspective ; may be ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Oppressors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressors/) ## Related quotes > [Who are the oppressors? 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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. 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It's not a burden to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seungri/everything-i-do-is-more-memorable-and-i-understand-music-more-than/) [Seungri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seungri/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. 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Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/) [Browse all 22,300 Learning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Audre Lorde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-to-extend-to-them-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Learning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-to-extend-to-them-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a06/audre-lorde-758_learning_oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-t_933257.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.” — 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": "“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-to-extend-to-them-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/oppressors-always-expect-the-oppressed-to-extend-to-them-the/#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 } } ] } ```