--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s a silent war that hits the poor…" description: "\"“It’s a silent war that hits the poor hardest but also hammers the middle class. Its victims, for the most part, lack economic power, access to lawyers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/cathy-o-neil-11478_middle-class_it-s-a-silent-war-that-hits-the-poor-har_2162362.jpg" --- # It’s a silent war that hits the poor hardest but also… ![“It’s a silent war that hits the poor hardest but also hammers the middle class. Its victims, for the most part, lack economic power, access to lawyers, or well-funded political organizations to fight their battles. The result is widespread damage that all too often passes for inevitability.” quote by Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/cathy-o-neil-11478_middle-class_it-s-a-silent-war-that-hits-the-poor-har_2162362.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/cathy-o-neil-11478_middle-class_it-s-a-silent-war-that-hits-the-poor-har_2162362.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3a8/cathy-o-neil-11478_middle-class_it-s-a-silent-war-that-hits-the-poor-har_2162362.jpg) > ““It’s a silent war that hits the poor hardest but also hammers the middle class. Its victims, for the most part, lack economic power, access to lawyers, or well-funded political organizations to fight their battles. The result is widespread damage that all too often passes for inevitability.”” [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Systems that lack transparency and accountability disproportionately harm the poor and middle class, who lack resources to defend themselves. **In simple terms:** Unfair systems hurt those without power. Key Takeaway Advocate for transparent, accountable policies. Themes inequality justice policy technology power Mood concerned urgent critical Type analysis call to action When to use this quote - community organizing - policy reform - legal aid - public awareness Key Concepts algorithmic bias structural inequality legal access Questions to Reflect On - How can marginalized groups gain a voice in policy? - What safeguards can prevent systemic abuse? A Different Perspective Change is slow without collective action and political will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [The studious class are their own victims: they are thin and pale, their feet are cold, their heads are hot, the night is without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-studious-class-are-their-own-victims-they-are-thin-and-pale-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I have been running all about; I have knocked again at all the doors of my youth and desired to enter in there; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/i-have-been-running-all-about-i-have-knocked-again-at-all-the-doors/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [The law is silent during war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-law-is-silent-during-war/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [ The law is silent during war. \[Lat., Silent leges inter arma.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/the-law-is-silent-during-war-lat-silent-leges-inter-arma/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I hated the bangs in the war: I always felt a silent war would be more tolerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-hansford-johnson/i-hated-the-bangs-in-the-war-i-always-felt-a-silent-war-would-be-more/) [Pamela Hansford Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-hansford-johnson/) > [The media and politics have never allowed our people to speak through them. The absolute marginalization of the indigenous peoples is a fact, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/the-media-and-politics-have-never-allowed-our-people-to-speak-through/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [“I'm silent when there is a war inside me. There's a need to keep the people outside intact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/i-m-silent-when-there-is-a-war-inside-me-there-s-a-need-to-keep-the/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [There was a war going on in our house. A silent war that sounded no guns, and the bodies that fell were only wishes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-a-war-going-on-in-our-house-a-silent-war-that-sounded-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to have a strong border. We have to have it. Otherwise, we don't have a country. We have drugs pouring in. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-want-to-have-a-strong-border-we-have-to-have-it-otherwise-we-don-t/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The profound lack of economic opportunity for those left behind by globalization has created an ever-widening gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punit-renjen/the-profound-lack-of-economic-opportunity-for-those-left-behind-by/) [Punit Renjen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punit-renjen/) > [“The most important lesson is that extractive institutions cannot generate sustained technological change for two reasons: the lack of economic incentives and resistance by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/the-most-important-lesson-is-that-extractive-institutions-cannot/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [I lived in the reservations until I was 11, when we moved for lack of economic opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/i-lived-in-the-reservations-until-i-was-11-when-we-moved-for-lack-of/) [Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/) > [Unemployment is higher in Europe than in the United States and primarily concentrated in immigrant minority populations, so people are worried about what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-julius-wilson/unemployment-is-higher-in-europe-than-in-the-united-states-and/) [William Julius Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-julius-wilson/) > [It is obvious, our country has failed to provide two basic things which are the two main drivers of immigration, which are the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/it-is-obvious-our-country-has-failed-to-provide-two-basic-things/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) > [The lack of economic freedom could be a very major reason for loss of liberty, liberty of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/the-lack-of-economic-freedom-could-be-a-very-major-reason-for-loss-of/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) ## More by Cathy O'Neil > [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“They draw statistical correlations between a person’s zip code or language patterns and her potential to pay back a loan or handle a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/they-draw-statistical-correlations-between-a-person-s-zip-code-or/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-ever-notified-that-they-were-sentenced-to-an/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The national conversation around white entitlement, around institutionalized racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, I think, came about in large part because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-national-conversation-around-white-entitlement-around/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“model’s blind spots reflect the judgments and priorities of its creators. 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Those who pay their bills promptly, the thinking goes, are more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/employers-for-example-are-increasingly-using-credit-scores-to/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [Google is so big you have no idea what a given person does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/google-is-so-big-you-have-no-idea-what-a-given-person-does/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [It's a standard thing you hear from startup people - that their product is somehow improving the world. And if you follow the reasoning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/it-s-a-standard-thing-you-hear-from-startup-people-that-their-product/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The NSA buys data from private companies, so the private companies are the source of all this stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-nsa-buys-data-from-private-companies-so-the-private-companies-are/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“The algorithms would make sure that those deemed losers would remain that way. A lucky minority would gain ever more control over the data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-algorithms-would-make-sure-that-those-deemed-losers-would-remain/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“As we’ve seen, they (the companies) routinely reject applicants on the basis of credit scores and personality tests. Health scores represent a natural—and frightening—next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/as-we-ve-seen-they-the-companies-routinely-reject-applicants-on-the/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [We don't let a car company just throw out a car and start driving it around without checking that the wheels are fastened on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/we-don-t-let-a-car-company-just-throw-out-a-car-and-start-driving-it/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The public trusts big data way too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-public-trusts-big-data-way-too-much/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) [Explore all 59 Cathy O'Neil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## More Middle class quotes > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/) [Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/) > [The Democrats have been there for working people in our country. That's who we are, trickle-down vs. middle-class economics. That's the major difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/the-democrats-have-been-there-for-working-people-in-our-country-that/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [If you read the 'Daily Mail,' you would imagine that the British middle classes lead lives of unremitting misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/if-you-read-the-daily-mail-you-would-imagine-that-the-british-middle/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) > [“They had tried to reproduce their own attitude to life upon the stage, and to dress up as the middle-class English people they actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/they-had-tried-to-reproduce-their-own-attitude-to-life-upon-the-stage/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [I wasn't the smartest in school - I was always sort of middle of the class - but when it came to football, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-wilson/i-wasn-t-the-smartest-in-school-i-was-always-sort-of-middle-of-the/) [Harry Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-wilson/) > [The family of my mother had a lot of money; the family of my father, nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charo/the-family-of-my-mother-had-a-lot-of-money-the-family-of-my-father/) [Charo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charo/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Poor and most middle-class people believe "If I have a lot of money, I could do what I want and I'd be a success."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/poor-and-most-middle-class-people-believe-if-i-have-a-lot-of-money-i/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [My father was in real estate, banking, and land management. As family life, it was very conventional, happy, and comfortable. 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The decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-benefit-of-living-in-a-free-society-is-that-we-all-have-the/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) [Browse all 2,050 Middle class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s a silent war that hits the poor hardest but also hammers the middle class. Its victims, for the most part, lack economic power, access to lawyers, or well-funded political organizations to fight their battles. 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