--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fires and floods, we're hardwired to…" description: "\"Fires and floods, we're hardwired to accept them or at least file them under Bad Things Happening. But there's something so abstract and so modern abou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/john-lanchester-2601_abstract_fires-and-floods-we-re-hardwired-to-acce_684584.png" --- # Fires and floods, we're hardwired to accept them or at… ![“Fires and floods, we're hardwired to accept them or at least file them under Bad Things Happening. But there's something so abstract and so modern about a bank making a technical mistake about how it funded its obligations to depositors, and suddenly you're out of work.” quote by John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/john-lanchester-2601_abstract_fires-and-floods-we-re-hardwired-to-acce_684584.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/john-lanchester-2601_abstract_fires-and-floods-we-re-hardwired-to-acce_684584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a59/john-lanchester-2601_abstract_fires-and-floods-we-re-hardwired-to-acce_684584.png) > “Fires and floods, we're hardwired to accept them or at least file them under Bad Things Happening. But there's something so abstract and so modern about a bank making a technical mistake about how it funded its obligations to depositors, and suddenly you're out of work.” [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Financial crises feel inevitable, yet modern technical errors can devastate individuals unexpectedly. **In simple terms:** Bank errors can cause sudden personal loss. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant about financial institutions. Themes finance uncertainty technology Mood cautious analytical Type critical informative When to use this quote - personal budgeting - career planning - risk assessment - consumer advocacy Key Concepts systemic risk human impact Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can individuals take? - How do systemic failures affect trust? A Different Perspective Technical mistakes may be rare and not always preventable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Floods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floods/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“Mungu hutumia watu 'wajinga' na 'wapumbavu' kufanya mambo makubwa katika maisha yao na ya watu wengine. Katika Biblia, Musa aliitwa mjinga alipokiuka amri ya…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/mungu-hutumia-watu-wajinga-na-wapumbavu-kufanya-mambo-makubwa-katika/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [A boil on a man's neck is more important to him than 40 floods in India](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/a-boil-on-a-man-s-neck-is-more-important-to-him-than-40-floods-in/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The increasing frequency of extreme weather events, droughts and floods is in line with what climate scientists have been predicting for decades - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/the-increasing-frequency-of-extreme-weather-events-droughts-and/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-waters-cannot-quench-love-neither-can-the-floods-drown-it-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymus/many-waters-cannot-quench-love-nor-can-the-floods-drown-it/) anonymus > [Floods will become more serious and frequent in the Indo-Gangetic plains. Drought induced food and water scarcity will become more acute. South Asia, Sub-Saharan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-s-swaminathan/floods-will-become-more-serious-and-frequent-in-the-indo-gangetic/) [M. S. Swaminathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-s-swaminathan/) > [I was 15 when Hugo Chavez came to power in 1998. At the time, I lived in Vargas State, which borders the Caribbean. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-guaido/i-was-15-when-hugo-chavez-came-to-power-in-1998-at-the-time-i-lived/) [Juan Guaido](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-guaido/) > [Ladakh has changed a lot. Flash floods are common, followed by drought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/ladakh-has-changed-a-lot-flash-floods-are-common-followed-by-drought/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [The love of youth, river floods are similar to the boom. The leaves are a sign of destruction behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-love-of-youth-river-floods-are-similar-to-the-boom-the-leaves-are/) Mak\_786 > [And really, it wasn’t much good having anything exciting like floods, if you couldn’t share them with somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-really-it-wasn-t-much-good-having-anything-exciting-like-floods/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People are seeing the impact of climate change around them in extraordinary patterns of floods and droughts, wildfires, heatwaves and powerful storms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holdren/people-are-seeing-the-impact-of-climate-change-around-them-in/) [John Holdren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holdren/) > [So also there are tides and floods in the affairs of men, which in some are slight and may be kept within bounds, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/so-also-there-are-tides-and-floods-in-the-affairs-of-men-which-in/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“It was not as beatific as one might imagine to live under continuous precipitation in a desert. The ground, instead of enjoying the sudden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-not-as-beatific-as-one-might-imagine-to-live-under-continuous/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [When pride thaws, look for floods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/when-pride-thaws-look-for-floods/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [“The desire of water is scribed across the desert like graffiti, until all that is left of the desert is water… In the scream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-childs/the-desire-of-water-is-scribed-across-the-desert-like-graffiti-until/) [Craig Childs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-childs/) ## More by John Lanchester > [In a democracy, people tend to get the kind of government they deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/in-a-democracy-people-tend-to-get-the-kind-of-government-they-deserve/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [My standard Nando's order is a chicken breast burger served 'medium,' which is still fairly spicy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/my-standard-nando-s-order-is-a-chicken-breast-burger-served-medium/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“Bastiat (1801–1850) was a strikingly clear-minded early advocate of what came to be known as liberal economics, whose central idea is that the state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/bastiat-1801-1850-was-a-strikingly-clear-minded-early-advocate-of/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“What was going on here was something Smitty had seen before: a young person’s first real farewell to the world of school and college,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/what-was-going-on-here-was-something-smitty-had-seen-before-a-young/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [“It seemed too as if many of the people were on display, behaving as if they expected to be looked at, as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/it-seemed-too-as-if-many-of-the-people-were-on-display-behaving-as-if/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [But knowing that you had gone wrong, and knowing how you had gone wrong, were not the same thing as knowing how to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/but-knowing-that-you-had-gone-wrong-and-knowing-how-you-had-gone/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [Video games are the first new artistic medium since television, but they are more different from television than television was from cinema; they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/video-games-are-the-first-new-artistic-medium-since-television-but/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > ['Dead peasants insurance' is a term that sounds as if it comes straight out of Monty Python. If only that were true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/dead-peasants-insurance-is-a-term-that-sounds-as-if-it-comes-straight/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [As an outsider to and observer of the restaurant business, one of the things I most admire about it is the risks people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/as-an-outsider-to-and-observer-of-the-restaurant-business-one-of-the/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [The first ATM in Hong Kong was actually at the foot of the bank. I remember my father using it. And I find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/the-first-atm-in-hong-kong-was-actually-at-the-foot-of-the-bank-i/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [Some things get clearer as you look back on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/some-things-get-clearer-as-you-look-back-on-them/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [Money is like poetry because both involve learning to communicate in a compressed language that packs a lot of meaning and consequence into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/money-is-like-poetry-because-both-involve-learning-to-communicate-in/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > ['Fine dining.' I'd love to know who coined the term and whether they meant it to be as offputting as it is. The words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/fine-dining-i-d-love-to-know-who-coined-the-term-and-whether-they/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [In sport, the money goes to the talent; it goes directly to the worker - unlike a bank, which sits in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/in-sport-the-money-goes-to-the-talent-it-goes-directly-to-the-worker/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) > [I love London in the rare parts of the year when it's quiet, and no time is more reliably quiet than the week between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lanchester/i-love-london-in-the-rare-parts-of-the-year-when-it-s-quiet-and-no/) [John Lanchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) [Explore all 158 John Lanchester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lanchester/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) Anthony W. Ivins > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fires and floods, we're hardwired to accept them or at least file them under Bad Things Happening. 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