---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't…"
description: "\"Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words in your vocabulary, you can't even seek your way out of a situation.\" — KRS-One"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png"
---

#  Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words…

![“Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words in your vocabulary, you can't even seek your way out of a situation.” quote by KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png)

> “Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words in your vocabulary, you can't even seek your way out of a situation.”

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Links limited vocabulary to violent behavior, emphasizing the power of language.

**In simple terms:** Few words can lead to violence.

Key Takeaway

Expand your vocabulary.

Themes

education communication violence prevention

Mood

motivational thoughtful

Type

social educational

When to use this quote

- school curricula
- community workshops
- personal development

Key Concepts

linguistics social psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language shape thought?
- What other tools reduce violence?

A Different Perspective

Language alone doesn't prevent violence; other factors matter.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Illiteracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiteracy/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [There's more danger in the violence you don't face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/there-s-more-danger-in-the-violence-you-don-t-face/)

[Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/)

> [“Dr. Gilligan states: “I am suggesting that the only way to explain the causes of violence, so that we can learn how to prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzm-team/dr-gilligan-states-i-am-suggesting-that-the-only-way-to-explain-the/)

Tzm Team

> [If we want to build communities that are safe, we have to address the root causes of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cori-bush/if-we-want-to-build-communities-that-are-safe-we-have-to-address-the/)

[Cori Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cori-bush/)

> [We have been embarked on what I would call a proactive strategy that looks at our gun violence as a public health crisis, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/we-have-been-embarked-on-what-i-would-call-a-proactive-strategy-that/)

[Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/)

> [I would not apply the strategy of Calderon. I would look at the causes. Violence in Mexico has its origins in the lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador/i-would-not-apply-the-strategy-of-calderon-i-would-look-at-the-causes/)

[Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andres-manuel-lopez-obrador/)

> [“Hobbes's analysis of the causes of violence, borne out by modern data on crime and war, shows that violence is not a primitive, irrational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/hobbes-s-analysis-of-the-causes-of-violence-borne-out-by-modern-data/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Does our culture have a need for violence? I don't know. I guess it's a personal thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-headey/does-our-culture-have-a-need-for-violence-i-don-t-know-i-guess-it-s-a/)

[Lena Headey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-headey/)

> [I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence,' because I don't believe that I am non-violent. ... Right now, I would love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-williams/i-have-a-very-hard-time-with-this-word-non-violence-because-i-don-t/)

[Betty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-williams/)

> [Some of my films are known for the depiction of violence. I don't have anything to prove with that any more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-scorsese/some-of-my-films-are-known-for-the-depiction-of-violence-i-don-t-have/)

[Martin Scorsese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-scorsese/)

> [We no longer have the public spheres available to be able to contest that violence. We don't see it in the mainstream media, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/we-no-longer-have-the-public-spheres-available-to-be-able-to-contest/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I'm still the same person I've always been. I can't say exactly what I'll do; I'm an excessive person. Talk about violence-----I don't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-o-williams/i-m-still-the-same-person-i-ve-always-been-i-can-t-say-exactly-what-i/)

[Wendy O. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-o-williams/)

> [We are spectators to violence, and therefore are, how well we don't know and make sure we don't know the difference of real violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malachy-mccourt/we-are-spectators-to-violence-and-therefore-are-how-well-we-don-t/)

[Malachy McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malachy-mccourt/)

> [Mental violence is as bad as physical violence. You don't see that very often in movies, so it was a good subject to tackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/mental-violence-is-as-bad-as-physical-violence-you-don-t-see-that/)

[Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/)

> [Hatred, intolerance, poor hygienic conditions and violence all have roots in illiteracy, so we're trying to do something to help the poor and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-qadeer-khan/hatred-intolerance-poor-hygienic-conditions-and-violence-all-have/)

[Abdul Qadeer Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-qadeer-khan/)

> [Our real illiteracy is our inability to create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedensreich-hundertwasser/our-real-illiteracy-is-our-inability-to-create/)

[Friedensreich Hundertwasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedensreich-hundertwasser/)

## More by KRS-One

> [If you don't know hip-hop, at least a little bit of it, you can't even call yourself an American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/if-you-don-t-know-hip-hop-at-least-a-little-bit-of-it-you-can-t-even/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [It's not about a salary, it's all about reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/it-s-not-about-a-salary-it-s-all-about-reality/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [It's not that you don't make any money doing conscious rap music. You make a lot of money doing this, but if you're greedy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/it-s-not-that-you-don-t-make-any-money-doing-conscious-rap-music-you/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [Hip-hop is not about crime. Hip-hop is not about being a gangster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/hip-hop-is-not-about-crime-hip-hop-is-not-about-being-a-gangster/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [I break an emcee off proper Yo don't check me, Ask your Moms and Pops, Yo they respect me, But here you stand, tryin'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-break-an-emcee-off-proper-yo-don-t-check-me-ask-your-moms-and-pops/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [I mistakably paid respect and condolences to the wrong Beastie Boy member King Ad-Rock when it should have been MCA. In light of this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-mistakably-paid-respect-and-condolences-to-the-wrong-beastie-boy/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [Maybe I'm the prophet of hip hop for real. Maybe I do come with some kind of divine principle behind me, because I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/maybe-i-m-the-prophet-of-hip-hop-for-real-maybe-i-do-come-with-some/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [“The God of your understanding, has chosen you and you've agreed To be here in this space and time to do something, that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/the-god-of-your-understanding-has-chosen-you-and-you-ve-agreed-to-be/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [There is no forgiveness, justice, or healing on any level when hate is involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/there-is-no-forgiveness-justice-or-healing-on-any-level-when-hate-is/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [I've enjoyed much success. The IRS is always at my door, constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-ve-enjoyed-much-success-the-irs-is-always-at-my-door-constantly/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [When rap music needed to have a teacher, I became it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/when-rap-music-needed-to-have-a-teacher-i-became-it/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [You know something, it's best no to have what you need because then, you start looking for what you need and make it what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/you-know-something-it-s-best-no-to-have-what-you-need-because-then/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [I used to let the olde english 8- suds bubble in the last car of the Franklin Avenue shuttle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-used-to-let-the-olde-english-8-suds-bubble-in-the-last-car-of-the/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [I honestly now know that I'm the physical embodiment of hip-hop on earth. That's my only purpose here on earth is to keep the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/i-honestly-now-know-that-i-m-the-physical-embodiment-of-hip-hop-on/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

> [If I were to critique myself - step out of KRS objectively and look at him - I would say that KRS has introduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/if-i-were-to-critique-myself-step-out-of-krs-objectively-and-look-at/)

[KRS-One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

[Explore all 168 KRS-One quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/)

## More Enough quotes

> [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/)

[Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

Adam Ant

> [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/)

[Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

Rena Kornreich Gelissen

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/)

[James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/)

[Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/)

Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words in your vocabulary, you can't even seek your way out of a situation.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "KRS-One"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t-have-enough-words-in-your/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enough"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t-have-enough-words-in-your/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da7/krs-one-2404_enough_illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t_2154689.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't have enough words in your vocabulary, you can't even seek your way…” — KRS-One",
                "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": "KRS-One",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krs-one/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Illiteracy causes violence. If you don't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t-have-enough-words-in-your/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krs-one/illiteracy-causes-violence-if-you-don-t-have-enough-words-in-your/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
