--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If our kids were hungry, we'd step into…" description: "\"If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery.\" — Kevin Bales" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg" --- # If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery. ![“If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery.” quote by Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg) > “If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery.” [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When basic needs are unmet, people may accept extreme oppression to survive. **In simple terms:** Desperation can lead to oppression. Key Takeaway Address basic needs first. Themes poverty human rights exploitation Mood urgent empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - humanitarian aid - policy reform - education programs Key Concepts social justice economic inequality Questions to Reflect On - What systemic changes prevent such desperation? - How can communities empower vulnerable groups? A Different Perspective Solutions must be sustainable, not temporary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) [Hungry Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry-step-4441324/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids Hungry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-hungry-936449/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Step Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step-slavery-4441323/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) ## Related quotes > [“Thus each step in sorcery is also a step in slavery; and that any man should put such power in the hands of another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/thus-each-step-in-sorcery-is-also-a-step-in-slavery-and-that-any-man/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [If your kids see what you eat, they will probably eat it, too. I'm not going to use the old-school policy of what my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/if-your-kids-see-what-you-eat-they-will-probably-eat-it-too-i-m-not/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > [The same ten dollars you spend on lunch is all it costs for City Harvest to feed 37 kids who are hungry. That's pretty astounding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/the-same-ten-dollars-you-spend-on-lunch-is-all-it-costs-for-city/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [We live in a very powerful country that has worldwide impact. It really is a democracy, so it puts a call to the faithful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckmann/we-live-in-a-very-powerful-country-that-has-worldwide-impact-it/) [David Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckmann/) > [If you look at slavery across all human history, and you sort of strip away the packaging, whether it's racialized or religious-based, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-you-look-at-slavery-across-all-human-history-and-you-sort-of-strip/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Slavery is an obscenity. It is not just stealing someone's labor; it is the theft of an entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-an-obscenity-it-is-not-just-stealing-someone-s-labor-it-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [“12% of employees eat because they are hungry. 88% of employees eat because it is 1 o’clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/12-of-employees-eat-because-they-are-hungry-88-of-employees-eat/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Just as feudalism was an advance over slavery, and capitalism was the next step after feudalism, socialism is the next step after capitalism…...Socialism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-hall/just-as-feudalism-was-an-advance-over-slavery-and-capitalism-was-the/) [Gus Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-hall/) > [You find as you look around the world that every single bit of progress in humane feeling, every improvement in the criminal law, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/you-find-as-you-look-around-the-world-that-every-single-bit-of/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/) [sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [Aye girl, you hungry? How bout some Dick-fil-A?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley/aye-girl-you-hungry-how-bout-some-dick-fil-a/) [Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley/) > [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/) [Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/) ## More by Kevin Bales > [Slavery is an obscenity. It is not just stealing someone's labor; it is the theft of an entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-an-obscenity-it-is-not-just-stealing-someone-s-labor-it-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [If you look at slavery across all human history, and you sort of strip away the packaging, whether it's racialized or religious-based, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-you-look-at-slavery-across-all-human-history-and-you-sort-of-strip/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [There are more slaves alive today than all the people stolen from Africa in the time of the transatlantic slave trade. Put another way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/there-are-more-slaves-alive-today-than-all-the-people-stolen-from/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [“Slavery is not a horror safely confined to the past; it continues to exist throughout the world, even in developed countries like France and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-not-a-horror-safely-confined-to-the-past-it-continues-to/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [The flow of people into the United States into slavery, it follows the other types of immigration into the United States, so people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/the-flow-of-people-into-the-united-states-into-slavery-it-follows-the/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [It's as if all identity has been stolen from them, except their identity as slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-s-as-if-all-identity-has-been-stolen-from-them-except-their/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [For some slaves, the first step out of bondage is to learn to see their lives with new eyes. Their reality is a social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/for-some-slaves-the-first-step-out-of-bondage-is-to-learn-to-see/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Most of the people who come into slavery today, the people who enter into slavery for the first time in the present moment, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/most-of-the-people-who-come-into-slavery-today-the-people-who-enter/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [The factor that makes people extremely vulnerable to enslavement is the lack of the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/the-factor-that-makes-people-extremely-vulnerable-to-enslavement-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [We have to make it clear to the multi-nationals that slavery is too high a price to pay for cheap goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/we-have-to-make-it-clear-to-the-multi-nationals-that-slavery-is-too/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Slavery is theft - theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-theft-theft-of-a-life-theft-of-work-theft-of-any-property/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate is 27 million. And that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actually-a-very-large-number-of/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Slavery is what slavery's always been: About one person controlling another person using violence and then exploiting them economically, paying them nothing. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-what-slavery-s-always-been-about-one-person-controlling/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [“…consumers do look for bargains, and they don’t usually stop to ask why a product is so cheap. We have to face facts: by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/consumers-do-look-for-bargains-and-they-don-t-usually-stop-to-ask-why/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [We're up at almost seven billion people on the planet and most of that growth has been in the developing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/we-re-up-at-almost-seven-billion-people-on-the-planet-and-most-of/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) [Explore all 20 Kevin Bales quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) ## More Hungry quotes > [Get out from that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans. Well, roll my breakfast cause I'm a hungry man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-joe-turner/get-out-from-that-kitchen-and-rattle-those-pots-and-pans-well-roll-my/) [Big Joe Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-joe-turner/) > [Aye girl, you hungry? How bout some Dick-fil-A?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley/aye-girl-you-hungry-how-bout-some-dick-fil-a/) [Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley/) > [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/) [sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunshine/) > [“When a wolf is hungry it befriends sheep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/when-a-wolf-is-hungry-it-befriends-sheep/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [I should have liked to get married, but over many decades I have lived essentially alone. I go to sleep when I'm tired, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/i-should-have-liked-to-get-married-but-over-many-decades-i-have-lived/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [What we need as Christians is to be able to feed ourselves. How many there are who sit helpless and listless, with open mouths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-need-as-christians-is-to-be-able-to-feed-ourselves-how-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like acting too much and it's too, I'm just too busy doing that and I'm too hungry for it, to get behind the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-weisz/i-like-acting-too-much-and-it-s-too-i-m-just-too-busy-doing-that-and/) [Rachel Weisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-weisz/) > [You get those hunger pains. 'I am so hungry. We don't have any food. What are we going to eat?' Your stomach hurts. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-mclemore/you-get-those-hunger-pains-i-am-so-hungry-we-don-t-have-any-food-what/) [Ben McLemore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-mclemore/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [This guy Clubber Lang, I've been him all my life. He's mean and hungry just like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/this-guy-clubber-lang-i-ve-been-him-all-my-life-he-s-mean-and-hungry/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) [Browse all 2,537 Hungry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hungry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Bales" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-slavery/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hungry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-slavery/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7f/kevin-bales-27476_hungry_if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-s_2950089.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If our kids were hungry, we'd step into slavery.” — Kevin Bales", "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": "Kevin Bales", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If our kids were hungry, we'd...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-slavery/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-our-kids-were-hungry-we-d-step-into-slavery/#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 } } ] } ```