--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I want people to suffer less, and I think…" description: "\"I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible.\" — Katy Butler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg" --- # I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible. ![“I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible.” quote by Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg) > “I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible.” [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker believes it is possible to reduce human suffering and is motivated to achieve it. **In simple terms:** We can lessen suffering. Key Takeaway Work to reduce suffering. Themes compassion humanitarianism optimism Mood inspirational determined Type humanitarian philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community service - healthcare reform - education initiatives Key Concepts empathy social justice well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What actions can you take locally? - How to measure reduced suffering? A Different Perspective Complex problems may resist simple solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [You don't want people to suffer or get fat when they're pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-bowen/you-don-t-want-people-to-suffer-or-get-fat-when-they-re-pregnant/) [Julie Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-bowen/) > [When people suffer, their relationships usually suffer as well. Period. And we all suffer because, as the Buddha says, that's the nature of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/when-people-suffer-their-relationships-usually-suffer-as-well-period/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [We're not the only people that have had to suffer, there have always been people that've had to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/we-re-not-the-only-people-that-have-had-to-suffer-there-have-always/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [We live in this era that has benefited from the Industrial Revolution, and we live with a kind of luxury and plenty that even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-liss/we-live-in-this-era-that-has-benefited-from-the-industrial-revolution/) [David Liss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-liss/) > [I hate to watch people suffer. That's why I just shot the guy in the head after I ran him over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-hate-to-watch-people-suffer-that-s-why-i-just-shot-the-guy-in-the/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Many people suffer at the hands of others. The world can be unfair, at times mercilessly so. Millions of people in the world are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/many-people-suffer-at-the-hands-of-others-the-world-can-be-unfair-at/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [Why do all the good warm hearted people suffer the most...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-all-the-good-warm-hearted-people-suffer-the-most/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People will suffer almost anything, as long as it means they don't have to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/people-will-suffer-almost-anything-as-long-as-it-means-they-don-t/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Most people would rather suffer through a bad situation than take steps needed to free themselves...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/most-people-would-rather-suffer-through-a-bad-situation-than-take/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Unfortunately, in a recession, the people who suffer the most aren't the rich, but the wanna-be rich and the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/unfortunately-in-a-recession-the-people-who-suffer-the-most-aren-t/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [Racism was never acceptable to the people who suffer from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/racism-was-never-acceptable-to-the-people-who-suffer-from-it/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Successful people suffer because they work beyond their energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/successful-people-suffer-because-they-work-beyond-their-energy/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [We don't really learn anything properly until there is a problem, until we are in pain, until something fails to go as we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-don-t-really-learn-anything-properly-until-there-is-a-problem/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [How important can it be that I suffer and think? My presence in this world will disturb a few tranquil lives and will unsettle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-important-can-it-be-that-i-suffer-and-think-my-presence-in-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You have no idea," he says to me, "what it means to truly suffer. Sometimes I think you live in some fantasy land where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/you-have-no-idea-he-says-to-me-what-it-means-to-truly-suffer/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## More by Katy Butler > [I don't think people ever were free of fear of death, but clinging to life and being so unprepared for it is a modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-don-t-think-people-ever-were-free-of-fear-of-death-but-clinging-to/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Three-quarters of people say they want to die at home, but only a quarter of people actually do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/three-quarters-of-people-say-they-want-to-die-at-home-but-only-a/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Almost anyone you talk to will say, 'I don't want to die plugged into machines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/almost-anyone-you-talk-to-will-say-i-don-t-want-to-die-plugged-into/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Attempting to grapple with improving end-of-life care is a political third rail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/attempting-to-grapple-with-improving-end-of-life-care-is-a-political/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [“Facebook group Slow Medicine, who”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/facebook-group-slow-medicine-who/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Very few of us are succeeding in giving our parents the ideal death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/very-few-of-us-are-succeeding-in-giving-our-parents-the-ideal-death/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [We offer such false hopes to people that every medical problem can be fixed even when you're starting to deal with an 80- or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/we-offer-such-false-hopes-to-people-that-every-medical-problem-can-be/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [I've heard doctors say that before the crisis hits, people don't want prolonged measures, but then in the middle of the crisis they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-ve-heard-doctors-say-that-before-the-crisis-hits-people-don-t-want/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [I want to break the taboo against questioning this drive for maximum longevity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-want-to-break-the-taboo-against-questioning-this-drive-for-maximum/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [“Nothing much will change until we pay doctors and hospitals when they appropriately do less as well as we do when they inappropriately do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/nothing-much-will-change-until-we-pay-doctors-and-hospitals-when-they/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [ I think it's very interesting that \[doctors\] privilege the self that is saying, "I don't want to die," but want to discount the self… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-think-it-s-very-interesting-that-doctors-privilege-the-self-that-is/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [To do more, is not necessarily to do better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/to-do-more-is-not-necessarily-to-do-better/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [Let's spend less on trying to fix the unfixable in the last five years of life and spend more supporting people so that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/let-s-spend-less-on-trying-to-fix-the-unfixable-in-the-last-five/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) > [“optimistic, science-worshipping culture wants to medicalize aging and make it nothing more than a collection of specific diseases that medicine can prevent or fix,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/optimistic-science-worshipping-culture-wants-to-medicalize-aging-and/) [Katy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) [Explore all 15 Katy Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/) ## More People quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/) [John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/) [David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) [Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Katy Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think-it-s-possible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "People" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think-it-s-possible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b27/katy-butler-32755_people_i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think_371039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I want people to suffer less, and I think it's possible.” — Katy Butler", "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": "Katy Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I want people to suffer less,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think-it-s-possible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-butler/i-want-people-to-suffer-less-and-i-think-it-s-possible/#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 } } ] } ```