--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think people in power have the…" description: "\"I don't think people in power have the potential to do anything like that to me. I feel as though as long as our music is available, folks are going to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/gil-scott-heron-9568_available_i-don-t-think-people-in-power-have-the-p_1103251.jpg" --- # I don't think people in power have the potential to do… ![“I don't think people in power have the potential to do anything like that to me. I feel as though as long as our music is available, folks are going to hear it.” quote by Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/gil-scott-heron-9568_available_i-don-t-think-people-in-power-have-the-p_1103251.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/gil-scott-heron-9568_available_i-don-t-think-people-in-power-have-the-p_1103251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd6/gil-scott-heron-9568_available_i-don-t-think-people-in-power-have-the-p_1103251.jpg) > “I don't think people in power have the potential to do anything like that to me. I feel as though as long as our music is available, folks are going to hear it.” [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power cannot silence music; as it persists, it reaches people despite oppression. **In simple terms:** Music survives oppression. Key Takeaway Keep creating and sharing. Themes resistance art freedom Mood defiant hopeful Type political inspirational When to use this quote - protests - community gatherings - radio broadcasts - online platforms Key Concepts censorship cultural expression social movements Questions to Reflect On - How does music inspire change? - What risks do artists face when speaking truth? A Different Perspective Oppressive regimes may still block distribution. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-power/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think if there was an ISP tax of some sort, we can say to the consumer, 'All music is now available and able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/i-think-if-there-was-an-isp-tax-of-some-sort-we-can-say-to-the/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [I didn't entertain the idea that my music would ever become available in any of the ways that I had previously known music to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-muhly/i-didn-t-entertain-the-idea-that-my-music-would-ever-become-available/) [Nico Muhly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-muhly/) > [My idea is that artists should make their music available for free, and fans should only pay for it if they really like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-dotcom/my-idea-is-that-artists-should-make-their-music-available-for-free/) [Kim Dotcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-dotcom/) > [Black music has become a commercial commodity. Live performances are not so accessible as they were previously. It use to be possible to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-shepp/black-music-has-become-a-commercial-commodity-live-performances-are/) [Archie Shepp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-shepp/) > [Music is more available than ever. It's up to people to figure out. Ultimately, it's up to the business to figure out what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d/music-is-more-available-than-ever-it-s-up-to-people-to-figure-out/) [Mike D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d/) > [I've been really fortunate to have Bridge Records interested in publishing my music for the past 25 years. Most of my music is available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lansky/i-ve-been-really-fortunate-to-have-bridge-records-interested-in/) [Paul Lansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lansky/) > [As long as my music is real, it's no limit to how many ears I can grab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/as-long-as-my-music-is-real-it-s-no-limit-to-how-many-ears-i-can-grab/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [As long as I have Music, I will never be lonely. She is my wife. No prenup!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonny-long/as-long-as-i-have-music-i-will-never-be-lonely-she-is-my-wife-no/) [Sonny Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonny-long/) > [“As long as there's music, you're never alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomo-milicevic/as-long-as-there-s-music-you-re-never-alone/) Tomo Milicevic > [As Long as there is Music and Movies Life will always be AmeziN'...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-d-r-l-testament/as-long-as-there-is-music-and-movies-life-will-always-be-amezin/) Junior Dè Rèál Testament > [There's a certain fast-food approach to the whole music thing that's changed the role it plays for us all. You are doing it while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-a-certain-fast-food-approach-to-the-whole-music-thing-that-s/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [It took me so long to get to the music, where that was what I wanted to do all my life. It took me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-doillon/it-took-me-so-long-to-get-to-the-music-where-that-was-what-i-wanted/) [Lou Doillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-doillon/) > [“For so long music has been my heart, but now it's you...you're my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-giovanni/for-so-long-music-has-been-my-heart-but-now-it-s-you-you-re-my-heart/) [Cassandra Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-giovanni/) > [As long as the music stayed hot and important and good, that there would always be a reason for 'Soul Train,'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-cornelius/as-long-as-the-music-stayed-hot-and-important-and-good-that-there/) [Don Cornelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-cornelius/) > [I love spin classes. I'm also very big on music, so I make a mix on my iPod that's 45 minutes to an hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-accola/i-love-spin-classes-i-m-also-very-big-on-music-so-i-make-a-mix-on-my/) [Candice Accola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-accola/) ## More by Gil Scott-Heron > [Oftentimes, the way it seems to be is that our artists in particular point themselves out as spokesmen for a certain constituency in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/oftentimes-the-way-it-seems-to-be-is-that-our-artists-in-particular/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I was one of the first three black students to go to an all-white school in Tennessee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-was-one-of-the-first-three-black-students-to-go-to-an-all-white/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [A good poet feels what his community feels. Like if you stub your toe, the rest of your body hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/a-good-poet-feels-what-his-community-feels-like-if-you-stub-your-toe/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I find it not just strange but almost ridiculous that people could take a song like the one I was doing and interpret it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-find-it-not-just-strange-but-almost-ridiculous-that-people-could/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [Womenfolk raised me and I was full-grown before I knew I came from a broken home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/womenfolk-raised-me-and-i-was-full-grown-before-i-knew-i-came-from-a/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [If you aren't having no fun, die, because you're running a worthless program, far as I'm concerned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/if-you-aren-t-having-no-fun-die-because-you-re-running-a-worthless/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I have a novel that I can write. It's about three soldiers from Somalia. Some babies have been disappearing up on 144th Street, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-have-a-novel-that-i-can-write-it-s-about-three-soldiers-from/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [ I work hard at it \[delivery of lyrics\], just like I worked hard at getting my masters degree. It's not just something I sit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-work-hard-at-it-delivery-of-lyrics-just-like-i-worked-hard-at/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [Your life has to consist of more than 'Black people should unite.' You hope they do, but not twenty-four hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/your-life-has-to-consist-of-more-than-black-people-should-unite-you/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [You should be able to do anything you can afford as an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/you-should-be-able-to-do-anything-you-can-afford-as-an-adult/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [You know what has made me the happiest I've ever been? Seeing my son and daughter graduate from college. More than wanting them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/you-know-what-has-made-me-the-happiest-i-ve-ever-been-seeing-my-son/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I've always had questions about what it meant to be a protester, to be in the minority. Are the people who are trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-ve-always-had-questions-about-what-it-meant-to-be-a-protester-to-be/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I was a piano player before I was a poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-was-a-piano-player-before-i-was-a-poet/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I cannot afford to watch Fox News.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-cannot-afford-to-watch-fox-news/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) > [I think a whole lot of stuff gets by people - I could name half a dozen groups that do songs that are openly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-scott-heron/i-think-a-whole-lot-of-stuff-gets-by-people-i-could-name-half-a-dozen/) [Gil Scott-Heron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) [Explore all 71 Gil Scott-Heron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gil-scott-heron/) ## More Available quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/) [Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I used practically all the money I had available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-ebbers/i-used-practically-all-the-money-i-had-available/) [Bernard Ebbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-ebbers/) > [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I m Single , Eligible But Not Available .. Limited Edition :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faisal-khan-neal/i-m-single-eligible-but-not-available-limited-edition-d/) Faisal Khan Neal > [I do worry because it takes all types to make our culture, to make our art. We need it to be available to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-do-worry-because-it-takes-all-types-to-make-our-culture-to-make-our/) [Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/) > [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [It is truly amazing that, with much less neuroscientific knowledge available, Hayek's model comes closer, in some respects, to being neurophysiologically verifiable than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/it-is-truly-amazing-that-with-much-less-neuroscientific-knowledge/) Joaquin Fuster > [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/) [Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/) > [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think people in power have the potential to do anything like that to me. 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