--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The people in the chaos cannot learn…" description: "\"“The people in the chaos cannot learn. They cannot understand what they are doing to the sea and the sky and the plants and the animals. They cannot un..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/margaret-atwood-40_killing_the-people-in-the-chaos-cannot-learn-the_2757941.jpg" --- # The people in the chaos cannot learn. They cannot… ![“The people in the chaos cannot learn. They cannot understand what they are doing to the sea and the sky and the plants and the animals. They cannot understand that they are killing them, and that they will end by killing themselves. And there are so many of them, and each one of them is doing part…” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/margaret-atwood-40_killing_the-people-in-the-chaos-cannot-learn-the_2757941.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/margaret-atwood-40_killing_the-people-in-the-chaos-cannot-learn-the_2757941.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f5/margaret-atwood-40_killing_the-people-in-the-chaos-cannot-learn-the_2757941.jpg) > ““The people in the chaos cannot learn. They cannot understand what they are doing to the sea and the sky and the plants and the animals. They cannot understand that they are killing them, and that they will end by killing themselves. And there are so many of them, and each one of them is doing part of the killing, whether they know it or not. And when”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human actions collectively destroy ecosystems, leading to self‑destruction. **In simple terms:** Our harm to nature harms us. Key Takeaway Protect the environment. Themes environment responsibility interconnectedness Mood urgent somber Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - education - community activism Key Concepts ecology ethics systems thinking Questions to Reflect On - What small actions can reduce your ecological footprint? - How can societies shift from exploitation to stewardship? A Different Perspective Change requires individual and collective will. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-killing-748678/) [End Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-killing-1284538/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [People Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-chaos-792829/) [Understand Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-killing-1652295/) ## Related quotes > [We should care for each other more than we care for ideas, or else we will end up killing each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-de-bernieres/we-should-care-for-each-other-more-than-we-care-for-ideas-or-else-we/) [Louis de Bernieres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-de-bernieres/) > [We know, deep down inside, it's wrong! There's nothing you can say to ever make it right! Killing is killing, no matter how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-richter/we-know-deep-down-inside-it-s-wrong-there-s-nothing-you-can-say-to/) [Ronald Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-richter/) > [Doesn't anybody understand that killing in the name of God only makes Him a murderer?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/doesn-t-anybody-understand-that-killing-in-the-name-of-god-only-makes/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“God doesn’t understand you killing innocent men. God doesn’t understand. I don’t understand and I don’t want to understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/god-doesn-t-understand-you-killing-innocent-men-god-doesn-t/) [S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/) > [The last chapter in any successful genocide is the one in which the oppressor can remove their hands and say, 'My God, what are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-huey/the-last-chapter-in-any-successful-genocide-is-the-one-in-which-the/) [Aaron Huey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-huey/) > [I’m interested in what people do with the chaos in their lives and how they respond to it, and simultaneously what they do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/i-m-interested-in-what-people-do-with-the-chaos-in-their-lives-and/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [People can be chaos but it's hard to fit it into some creative piece that you made. It's hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-smith/people-can-be-chaos-but-it-s-hard-to-fit-it-into-some-creative-piece/) [Elliott Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-smith/) > [Chaos theory simply suggests that what appears to most people as chaos is not really chaotic, but a series of different types of orders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/chaos-theory-simply-suggests-that-what-appears-to-most-people-as/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I'd like to end the book a lot of ways. Except I don't have any answers. Use your common sense. Be nice. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-d-like-to-end-the-book-a-lot-of-ways-except-i-don-t-have-any/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [But if all they did was kill time, time would end up killing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/but-if-all-they-did-was-kill-time-time-would-end-up-killing-them/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [At the end, killing is killing. Massacring is massacring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/at-the-end-killing-is-killing-massacring-is-massacring/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [I may end up killing someone today. Constantly being let down!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-may-end-up-killing-someone-today-constantly-being-let-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We call for an end to the killing of one another, and we denounce the violence and fanaticism that threatens life. The victory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-i-of-constantinople/we-call-for-an-end-to-the-killing-of-one-another-and-we-denounce-the/) [Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ecumenical-patriarch-bartholomew-i-of-constantinople/) > [Life is like watching Fast and the Furious 6. Its not easy, most of the time its just dumb and pointless, everything is fake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lajoie/life-is-like-watching-fast-and-the-furious-6-its-not-easy-most-of-the/) [Jon Lajoie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lajoie/) > [“It couldn’t last. Everyone was just killing time. But if all they did was kill time, time would end up killing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/it-couldn-t-last-everyone-was-just-killing-time-but-if-all-they-did/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Killing quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-religion-has-mandated-killing-others-as-a-requirement-for-its/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [Killing shit the ever so talented Mr. Ripley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/killing-shit-the-ever-so-talented-mr-ripley/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [Humans had always been better at killing than any other living thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-had-always-been-better-at-killing-than-any-other-living-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. Turning the Nile to blood and parting the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/those-old-hypocrites-they-talk-about-killing-witches-but-the-good/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Muses had a way of killing those whom they inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-neville/muses-had-a-way-of-killing-those-whom-they-inspired/) [Katherine Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-neville/) > [“I would ask what it is you think you're doing, but... you are a teenager. I should have known better than to leave you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-would-ask-what-it-is-you-think-you-re-doing-but-you-are-a-teenager/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [You don't bargain with terrorists. You don't appease terrorists. And anybody who believes that this is about something we've done has to ask themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chertoff/you-don-t-bargain-with-terrorists-you-don-t-appease-terrorists-and/) [Michael Chertoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chertoff/) > [Yelena.” I halted in the doorway, looking back over my shoulder. “You once said I wasn’t ready to believe your reason for killing Reyad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/yelena-i-halted-in-the-doorway-looking-back-over-my-shoulder-you-once/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [Killing became the same thing as having sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-lee-lucas/killing-became-the-same-thing-as-having-sex/) [Henry Lee Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-lee-lucas/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [If both parties have a stake in the other, the chances of them killing each other are going to be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/if-both-parties-have-a-stake-in-the-other-the-chances-of-them-killing/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Dancing with death meant being committed to killing, committed with your heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/dancing-with-death-meant-being-committed-to-killing-committed-with/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) [Browse all 2,564 Killing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The people in the chaos cannot learn. 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