--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Poverty breeds despair. We know this…" description: "\"Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper, and smarter, to make friends out of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/bono-1908_cheaper_poverty-breeds-despair-we-know-this-desp_2713717.jpg" --- # Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds… ![“Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper, and smarter, to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later?” quote by Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/bono-1908_cheaper_poverty-breeds-despair-we-know-this-desp_2713717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/bono-1908_cheaper_poverty-breeds-despair-we-know-this-desp_2713717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/bono-1908_cheaper_poverty-breeds-despair-we-know-this-desp_2713717.jpg) > “Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. In turbulent times, isn't it cheaper, and smarter, to make friends out of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later?” [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despair leads to violence, but building friendships with rivals can reduce conflict and cost. **In simple terms:** Friendship with enemies can prevent violence. Key Takeaway Cultivate alliances with potential adversaries. Themes peace conflict social dynamics strategy cost Mood hopeful pragmatic Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - community building - conflict resolution - political negotiations - neighborhood safety Key Concepts Human behavior social capital preventive diplomacy Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to turn a rival into an ally? - When is confrontation unavoidable? A Different Perspective Friendship may not always be feasible or sincere. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheaper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/) [Defend Later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend-later-2828025/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Know Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-despair-391171/) [Potential Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potential-enemies-784079/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smarter/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Turbulent times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turbulent-times/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-know-867327/) ## Related quotes > [“Your friends will believe in your potential, your enemies will make you live up to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/your-friends-will-believe-in-your-potential-your-enemies-will-make/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) > [The Lord gives us friends to push us to our potential — and enemies to push us beyond it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/the-lord-gives-us-friends-to-push-us-to-our-potential-and-enemies-to/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Well, he keeps saying that, and as defense secretary, of course he has to think of a lot of potential enemies. I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-kissinger/well-he-keeps-saying-that-and-as-defense-secretary-of-course-he-has/) [Henry A. Kissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-a-kissinger/) > [“Do not despair. I know you will not despair. You have a manly and a proud heart. A proud heart can survive a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-despair-i-know-you-will-not-despair-you-have-a-manly-and-a/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [You know what despair is; then winter should have meaning for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/you-know-what-despair-is-then-winter-should-have-meaning-for-you/) [Louise Glück](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [“Whether you are man or woman, rich or poor, dependent or free, happy or unhappy; whether you bore in your elevation the splendour of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/whether-you-are-man-or-woman-rich-or-poor-dependent-or-free-happy-or/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [Every woman who thinks she is the only victim of violence has to know that there are many more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/every-woman-who-thinks-she-is-the-only-victim-of-violence-has-to-know/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [Everyone else can do violence. You know, Clint Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, they can all do shoot-'em-ups. Arnold Schwarzenegger can kill 10 people in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-grier/everyone-else-can-do-violence-you-know-clint-eastwood-sylvester/) [Pam Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-grier/) > [They mustn't know my despair, I can't let them see the wounds which they have caused, I couldn't bear their sympathy and their kind-hearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/they-mustn-t-know-my-despair-i-can-t-let-them-see-the-wounds-which-2/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [They mustn't know my despair, I can't let them see the wounds which they have caused, I couldn't bear their sympathy and their kind-hearted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/they-mustn-t-know-my-despair-i-can-t-let-them-see-the-wounds-which/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [We are torn between a craving to know and the despair of having known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-torn-between-a-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having-known/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am never proud to participate in violence, yet I know that each of us must care enough for ourselves that we can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-am-never-proud-to-participate-in-violence-yet-i-know-that-each-of/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I grew up poor, hated, the victim of physical, emotional, and sexual violence, and I know that suffering does not ennoble. It destroys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-grew-up-poor-hated-the-victim-of-physical-emotional-and-sexual/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [We cannot stop every act of senseless violence. We cannot know every evil that lurks in troubled minds. But if we can prevent even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-cannot-stop-every-act-of-senseless-violence-we-cannot-know-every/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We are torn between the craving to know and the despair of having known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/we-are-torn-between-the-craving-to-know-and-the-despair-of-having/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) ## More by Bono > [“Honesty, vulnerability and a good amount of courageous faith allows you to cry out in your bewilderment and not lose your belief in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/honesty-vulnerability-and-a-good-amount-of-courageous-faith-allows/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/god-is-in-the-slums-in-the-cardboard-boxes-where-the-poor-play-house/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [There was a moment when Prince did rock & roll with a sponge-y seductive sound. I think that's what was in our head for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/there-was-a-moment-when-prince-did-rock-roll-with-a-sponge-y/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [We thought that we had the answers, it was the questions we had wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/we-thought-that-we-had-the-answers-it-was-the-questions-we-had-wrong/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [It's still very difficult for me to rely. Your weakness, the blessing of your weakness is it forces you into friendships. The things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/it-s-still-very-difficult-for-me-to-rely-your-weakness-the-blessing/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Christians are hard to tolerate; I don’t know how Jesus does it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/christians-are-hard-to-tolerate-i-don-t-know-how-jesus-does-it/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Mandela's heroism is the heroism of a man who suffered so badly for what he thought of as freedom. And yet when he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/mandela-s-heroism-is-the-heroism-of-a-man-who-suffered-so-badly-for/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Where you live in the world should not determine whether you live in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/where-you-live-in-the-world-should-not-determine-whether-you-live-in/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [God's Spirit moves through us and the world at a pace that can never be constricted by any one religious paradigm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/god-s-spirit-moves-through-us-and-the-world-at-a-pace-that-can-never/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [As a musician and a songwriter, it is an act of the ego to believe that other people might be interested in your point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/as-a-musician-and-a-songwriter-it-is-an-act-of-the-ego-to-believe/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [You see, idealism detached from action is just a dream. But idealism allied with pragmatism, with rolling up your sleeves and making the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/you-see-idealism-detached-from-action-is-just-a-dream-but-idealism/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Contrary to reports, this boy is not a billionaire or going to be richer than any Beatle - and not just in the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/contrary-to-reports-this-boy-is-not-a-billionaire-or-going-to-be/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [It's so sweet, I feel like my teeth are rotting when I listen to the radio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/it-s-so-sweet-i-feel-like-my-teeth-are-rotting-when-i-listen-to-the/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [I don't like the name, U2, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/i-don-t-like-the-name-u2-actually/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [So you cannot, as a Christian, walk away from Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/so-you-cannot-as-a-christian-walk-away-from-africa/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) [Explore all 199 Bono quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) ## More Cheaper quotes > [The machines need to get faster. They need to get cheaper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/the-machines-need-to-get-faster-they-need-to-get-cheaper/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [If you're angry, you don't have to write a poem dealing with the cause of your anger. But it needs to be an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/if-you-re-angry-you-don-t-have-to-write-a-poem-dealing-with-the-cause/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [For many oppositional movements, the Internet, while providing the opportunity to distribute information more quickly and cheaper, may have actually made their struggle more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/for-many-oppositional-movements-the-internet-while-providing-the/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [ We have the ability to take him \[President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez\] out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-robertson/we-have-the-ability-to-take-him-president-of-venezuela-hugo-chavez/) [Pat Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-robertson/) > [The smaller & cheaper the pleasure, ¦the more richer you are!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biman-gandhi/the-smaller-cheaper-the-pleasure-the-more-richer-you-are/) [Biman Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biman-gandhi/) > [I don't really pay too much attention to designers, I know what I like and I just try to find it, and I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-cosentino/i-don-t-really-pay-too-much-attention-to-designers-i-know-what-i-like/) [Bethany Cosentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-cosentino/) > [There's a myth that free-to-play is cheaper than a $60 game. It's just elastic. For some users, it winds up being a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-lasky/there-s-a-myth-that-free-to-play-is-cheaper-than-a-60-game-it-s-just/) [Mitch Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-lasky/) > [I have a constant kind of soundtrack going on at all times. I almost always have a song in my head. I'm very musically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-davie/i-have-a-constant-kind-of-soundtrack-going-on-at-all-times-i-almost/) [Erin Davie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-davie/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I thought to spend my declining years writing poetry and teaching - but that won't pay the Bergdorf's bill. I think I'll move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-thought-to-spend-my-declining-years-writing-poetry-and-teaching-but/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [You don't make houses cheaper by making them more expensive to build.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-baillieu/you-don-t-make-houses-cheaper-by-making-them-more-expensive-to-build/) [Ted Baillieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-baillieu/) > [I buy my produce at the local farmer's market, which is actually cheaper than shopping at the grocery store.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-getty/i-buy-my-produce-at-the-local-farmer-s-market-which-is-actually/) [Anna Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-getty/) > [We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/we-ve-begun-to-long-for-the-pitter-patter-of-little-feet-so-we-bought/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) > [Used books are the sluts of the literary world. Passed around from person to person, spreading their pages for anyone, getting cheaper and cheaper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/used-books-are-the-sluts-of-the-literary-world-passed-around-from/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Try to find if something out there is similar. If it's already being done, now you need to find out if you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-johnson/try-to-find-if-something-out-there-is-similar-if-it-s-already-being/) [Cameron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-johnson/) [Browse all 411 Cheaper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheaper/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Poverty breeds despair. We know this. Despair breeds violence. We know this. 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