--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a community to grow to a size that…" description: "\"“For a community to grow to a size that sustains those who don’t contribute to the growth of said community (whom I call leeches but society has chosen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/greg-gutfeld-1129_animals_for-a-community-to-grow-to-a-size-that-s_1539056.png" --- # For a community to grow to a size that sustains those who… ![“For a community to grow to a size that sustains those who don’t contribute to the growth of said community (whom I call leeches but society has chosen to call grad students), you need an immensely powerful creature to build a structure that allows those loafers to exist. But even a whale can only…” quote by Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/greg-gutfeld-1129_animals_for-a-community-to-grow-to-a-size-that-s_1539056.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/greg-gutfeld-1129_animals_for-a-community-to-grow-to-a-size-that-s_1539056.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea1/greg-gutfeld-1129_animals_for-a-community-to-grow-to-a-size-that-s_1539056.png) > ““For a community to grow to a size that sustains those who don’t contribute to the growth of said community (whom I call leeches but society has chosen to call grad students), you need an immensely powerful creature to build a structure that allows those loafers to exist. But even a whale can only support so many parasites.”” [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A community that supports non‑contributors needs a dominant, resource‑rich entity, but even the largest can only sustain limited parasitic members. **In simple terms:** Big groups need strong foundations, yet they have limits. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage the balance between contributors and dependents. Themes community dependence resource allocation balance parasitism Mood critical analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - university departments - research labs - large corporations - non‑profit organizations Key Concepts social dynamics economics hierarchy capacity limits Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between necessary support roles and parasitic behavior? - What mechanisms can prevent over‑reliance on a single dominant entity? A Different Perspective Assumes all non‑contributors are parasitic, ignoring mutual benefits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ## Related quotes > [Everything we do, every decision we make, is to ensure the best possible Airbnb experience for our community and grow the love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-gebbia/everything-we-do-every-decision-we-make-is-to-ensure-the-best/) [Joe Gebbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-gebbia/) > [All of us, regardless of how we identify, need a community in which to grow our faith. We require the tangle of other souls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lecesne/all-of-us-regardless-of-how-we-identify-need-a-community-in-which-to/) [James Lecesne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lecesne/) > [If I sat back and decided to sell the product of my father and my grandfather's work, like a leech, you know I wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-packer/if-i-sat-back-and-decided-to-sell-the-product-of-my-father-and-my/) [James Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-packer/) > [“...man is as much a parasite on the cow as the tapeworm is on man: We have sucked their udders like leeches. "Man the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unbearable-lightness-of-being/man-is-as-much-a-parasite-on-the-cow-as-the-tapeworm-is-on-man-we/) Unbearable Lightness of Being > [Politicians are leeches, mostly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-r-machan/politicians-are-leeches-mostly/) [Tibor R. Machan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-r-machan/) > [“Some people do just enough to keep you around because they are AFRAID to know what life would be like without you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-s-hickman/some-people-do-just-enough-to-keep-you-around-because-they-are-afraid/) O. S. Hickman > [To cure the British disease with socialism was like trying to cure leukaemia with leeches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/to-cure-the-british-disease-with-socialism-was-like-trying-to-cure/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Sorry. I dont have any leeches on my speed dial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-black/sorry-i-dont-have-any-leeches-on-my-speed-dial/) [Jacob Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-black/) > [Leeches should be kept a day before applying them. They should be squeezed to make them eject the contents of their stomachs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicenna/leeches-should-be-kept-a-day-before-applying-them-they-should-be/) [Avicenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicenna/) > [The poor have often been subversive just because they don't always believe their own depiction as brutes and loafers and leeches, and new economy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-poor-have-often-been-subversive-just-because-they-don-t-always/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [I think the more rational explanation is that the excision of a five-to-six-foot leech from the surface of a human body means that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sim/i-think-the-more-rational-explanation-is-that-the-excision-of-a-five/) [Dave Sim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sim/) > [Upon this gifted age, in its dark hour falls from the sky a meteoric shower of facts; They lie unquestioned, uncombined. Wisdom enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/upon-this-gifted-age-in-its-dark-hour-falls-from-the-sky-a-meteoric/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [When you're a writer, the question people always ask you is, "Where do you get your ideas?" Writers hate this question. It's like asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-willis/when-you-re-a-writer-the-question-people-always-ask-you-is-where-do/) [Connie Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-willis/) > [The leech's kiss, the squid's embrace, The prurient ape's defiling touch: And do you like the human race? No, not much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-leech-s-kiss-the-squid-s-embrace-the-prurient-ape-s-defiling/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“Dave had warned us that not only do leeches crawl up your boots and find their way into your warm body parts they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-johnston/dave-had-warned-us-that-not-only-do-leeches-crawl-up-your-boots-and/) Tracy Johnston ## More by Greg Gutfeld > [I admire President Obama's ability to trust strangers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-admire-president-obama-s-ability-to-trust-strangers/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [America is like the greatest hit of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/america-is-like-the-greatest-hit-of-the-world/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. Because you have to force a utopia on a free people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/what-begins-as-a-utopian-vision-always-always-ends-in-bloodshed/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [“Politics is way cool, as long as it’s progressive. Conservatives by nature hate politics and politicians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/politics-is-way-cool-as-long-as-it-s-progressive-conservatives-by/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I haven't used that word since I was 7 years old. I don't understand Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-haven-t-used-that-word-since-i-was-7-years-old-i-don-t-understand/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [I don't understand why a 40 is a quarter of beer when a 40 is 40 ounces. 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He's so rebellious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-have-to-say-that-adam-levine-is-truly-a-daring-young-man-to-go-on/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [Actors seem brave and unpredictable, but they're spontaneous as a tax return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/actors-seem-brave-and-unpredictable-but-they-re-spontaneous-as-a-tax/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [Al Gore completely lied about climate change in an effort to make a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/al-gore-completely-lied-about-climate-change-in-an-effort-to-make-a/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) [Explore all 286 Greg Gutfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) ## More Animals quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For a community to grow to a size that sustains those who don’t contribute to the growth of said community (whom I call leeches but society has chosen to call grad students), you need an immensely powerful creature to build a structure that allows those loafers to exist. 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