--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Butterflies have always had wings; people…" description: "\"“Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had legs. While history is marked by the hybridity of human societies & the desire for movement,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg" --- # Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had… ![“Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had legs. While history is marked by the hybridity of human societies & the desire for movement, the reality of most of migration today reveals the unequal relations between rich & poor, between North and South, between whiteness and its others.” quote by Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg) > ““Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had legs. While history is marked by the hybridity of human societies & the desire for movement, the reality of most of migration today reveals the unequal relations between rich & poor, between North and South, between whiteness and its others.”” [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how migration patterns reflect deep global inequalities between rich and poor, North and South, and racial groups, despite humanity’s shared capacity for movement. **In simple terms:** Migration shows unequal power relations worldwide. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic inequities in migration. Themes migration inequality globalization race humanity Mood reflective critical empathetic Type analytical political social When to use this quote - policy advocacy - academic research - community support - human rights work - activism Key Concepts colonialism social stratification mobility Questions to Reflect On - How do power structures shape migration choices? - What responsibilities do privileged societies have? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex personal motivations behind migration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Butterflies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterflies/) [Butterflies Wings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterflies-wings-1969697/) [Capital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capital/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Imperialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperialism/) [Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration/) [Migration Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/migration-today-4895510/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [North and south](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-and-south/) [Reality Migration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality-migration-917192/) [Rich poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-poor/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [We need to wake up to the reality of what migration is about. They come here to work. The idea that they take British…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/we-need-to-wake-up-to-the-reality-of-what-migration-is-about-they/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) > [Butterflies cant see their wings. They cant see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that aswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/butterflies-cant-see-their-wings-they-cant-see-how-truly-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Butterflies can't see their wings. So they'll never know how beautiful they are. But everyone else can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie/butterflies-can-t-see-their-wings-so-they-ll-never-know-how-beautiful/) [Maggie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie/) > [Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are but everyone else can. People are like that as well. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/butterflies-can-t-see-their-wings-they-can-t-see-how-truly-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stothard learned the art of combining colors by closely studying butterflies wings; he would often say that no one knew what he owed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/stothard-learned-the-art-of-combining-colors-by-closely-studying/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [I take it that 'gentleman' is a term that only describes a person in his relation to others; but when we speak of him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/i-take-it-that-gentleman-is-a-term-that-only-describes-a-person-in/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [In the decade before the Civil War various north and south lines of railway were projected and some of these were assisted by grants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moody/in-the-decade-before-the-civil-war-various-north-and-south-lines-of/) [John Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moody/) > [“All of our territory lying beyond the Alleghanies, north and south, was first won for us by the Southwesterners, fighting for their own hand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/all-of-our-territory-lying-beyond-the-alleghanies-north-and-south-was/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [It's north and south pole. When you win you feel great, but when you lose it, it's like you've lost 10 games in a row.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-ruff/it-s-north-and-south-pole-when-you-win-you-feel-great-but-when-you/) [Lindy Ruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-ruff/) > [Italy is divided between us and them, rich and poor, north and south, young and old, employed and unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romano-prodi/italy-is-divided-between-us-and-them-rich-and-poor-north-and-south/) [Romano Prodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romano-prodi/) > [Whatever happens with Brexit, what I am absolutely convinced will not happen is that free movement of individuals, free movement of people, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-varadkar/whatever-happens-with-brexit-what-i-am-absolutely-convinced-will-not/) [Leo Varadkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-varadkar/) > [“consciousness. Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton (1848) and North and South (1855), Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley (1849), George Eliot’s Silas Marner (1861) and many other such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-hegarty/consciousness-elizabeth-gaskell-s-mary-barton-1848-and-north-and/) [Neil Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-hegarty/) > [Plague has hung over human history. The biggest human extinction was after 1492 in North and South America when the mortality rate was 95…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/plague-has-hung-over-human-history-the-biggest-human-extinction-was/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I can't believe I let you talk me into this," muttered Serena, as the number 16 bus rumbled over the bridge connecting the north…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-peacock/i-can-t-believe-i-let-you-talk-me-into-this-muttered-serena-as-the/) [Kathleen Peacock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-peacock/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) ## More by Harsha Walia > [“I think the notion of dreaming in a time where we are told that it is foolish, futile or not useful is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/i-think-the-notion-of-dreaming-in-a-time-where-we-are-told-that-it-is/) [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) > [“Decolonization is the process whereby we intend the conditions we want to live and social relations we wish to have. We have to supplant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/decolonization-is-the-process-whereby-we-intend-the-conditions-we/) [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) > [“It is a positive sign that a growing number of social movements are recognizing that indigenous self-determination must become the foundation for all our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/it-is-a-positive-sign-that-a-growing-number-of-social-movements-are/) [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) > [“Cultivating an ethic of responsibility begins with nonnatives understanding ourselves as beneficiaries of the illegal settlement of indigenous people's land, and unjust appropriation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/cultivating-an-ethic-of-responsibility-begins-with-nonnatives/) [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) > [“Respecting indigenous leadership is not the same as waiting around to be told what to do while you do nothing. "I am waiting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/respecting-indigenous-leadership-is-not-the-same-as-waiting-around-to/) [Harsha Walia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) [Explore all 6 Harsha Walia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/) ## More Borders quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) > [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/) [Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/) > [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/) [Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/) [Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/) > [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/) [Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/) > [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/) [Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/) > [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/) [Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/) > [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/) [John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/) > [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/) [John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/) [Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had legs. While history is marked by the hybridity of human societies & the desire for movement, the reality of most of migration today reveals the unequal relations between rich & poor, between North and South, between whiteness and its others.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harsha Walia" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people-have-always-had-legs-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Borders" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people-have-always-had-legs-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/716/harsha-walia-57138_borders_butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people_3021896.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Butterflies have always had wings; people have always had legs. While history is marked by the hybridity of…” — Harsha Walia", "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": "Harsha Walia", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-walia/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Butterflies have always had wings; people...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people-have-always-had-legs-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-walia/butterflies-have-always-had-wings-people-have-always-had-legs-while/#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 } } ] } ```