--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Racism is not nearly as important as…" description: "\"Racism is not nearly as important as poverty. That's the same around the world. What look like ethnic problems are really economic issues. If you look ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/marjane-satrapi-1702_around-the-world_racism-is-not-nearly-as-important-as-pov_1818033.jpg" --- # Racism is not nearly as important as poverty. That's the… ![“Racism is not nearly as important as poverty. That's the same around the world. What look like ethnic problems are really economic issues. If you look closely at all these conflicts around the world, they come down to poverty and economics and resources. The more poverty, the worse the war.” quote by Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/marjane-satrapi-1702_around-the-world_racism-is-not-nearly-as-important-as-pov_1818033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/marjane-satrapi-1702_around-the-world_racism-is-not-nearly-as-important-as-pov_1818033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/marjane-satrapi-1702_around-the-world_racism-is-not-nearly-as-important-as-pov_1818033.jpg) > “Racism is not nearly as important as poverty. That's the same around the world. What look like ethnic problems are really economic issues. If you look closely at all these conflicts around the world, they come down to poverty and economics and resources. The more poverty, the worse the war.” [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that socioeconomic inequality, not ethnicity, is the primary driver of conflict worldwide. **In simple terms:** Poverty, not race, fuels wars. Key Takeaway Address economic roots of conflict. Themes inequality conflict economics socialjustice Mood concerned analytical Type political socialcommentary When to use this quote - policy making - humanitarian aid - education reform - community development Key Concepts resource competition structural violence global disparity Questions to Reflect On - How can we prioritize economic solutions in peacebuilding? - What policies best reduce poverty‑driven conflict? A Different Perspective Economic factors are complex and intersect with cultural identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Around the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/around-the-world/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Economic issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economic-issues/) [Economics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economics/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The role of the government is not to solve religious or sectarian or ethnic problems. These are age-old. I don't think any government of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haider-al-abadi/the-role-of-the-government-is-not-to-solve-religious-or-sectarian-or/) [Haider al-Abadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haider-al-abadi/) > [Equipping one side of an ethnic conflict and then prodding it to resolve its ethnic problems by force of arms is a very bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/equipping-one-side-of-an-ethnic-conflict-and-then-prodding-it-to/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [It wouldn't cost too much to change the rules of trade so that poor countries can work their way out of poverty. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/it-wouldn-t-cost-too-much-to-change-the-rules-of-trade-so-that-poor/) [Edward de Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [“If we want to stop poverty in the world, education is the key!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina52/if-we-want-to-stop-poverty-in-the-world-education-is-the-key/) Nina52 > [The day something good happens to me is the day poverty in the world ends, fuck the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-day-something-good-happens-to-me-is-the-day-poverty-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People ask, “Why is there poverty in the world?” It’s a silly question. Poverty is the default human condition. It is the factory preset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/people-ask-why-is-there-poverty-in-the-world-it-s-a-silly-question/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [As long as there is poverty in this world, no man can be totally rich even if he has a billion dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/as-long-as-there-is-poverty-in-this-world-no-man-can-be-totally-rich/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [There's no magic bullet to end poverty in the world. But if you could, the closest thing to it would be basic primary education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kielburger/there-s-no-magic-bullet-to-end-poverty-in-the-world-but-if-you-could/) [Craig Kielburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kielburger/) > [It's not racist to say we can't take in the poverty of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/it-s-not-racist-to-say-we-can-t-take-in-the-poverty-of-the-world/) [Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/) > [“In the process Paul laid out a comprehensive theory of poverty, of a world designed by the elites of all nations to serve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/in-the-process-paul-laid-out-a-comprehensive-theory-of-poverty-of-a/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) > [These days there is a lot of poverty in the world, and that's a scandal when we have so many riches and resources to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/these-days-there-is-a-lot-of-poverty-in-the-world-and-that-s-a/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Today is International Women's Day, and there's a fantastic set of pieces running by an organization called ONE called "Poverty Is Sexist." It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/today-is-international-women-s-day-and-there-s-a-fantastic-set-of/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [“There’s no difference between slavery and poverty in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-cunningham/there-s-no-difference-between-slavery-and-poverty-in-this-world/) [Kayla Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-cunningham/) > [The times talk to us of so much poverty in the world and this is a scandal. Poverty in the world is a scandal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-times-talk-to-us-of-so-much-poverty-in-the-world-and-this-is-a/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [And if you look at the reality in the United States, where you have more than 40 million people below the poverty line and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/and-if-you-look-at-the-reality-in-the-united-states-where-you-have/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) ## More by Marjane Satrapi > [I became the voice of a generation in a very surprising way, because many Iranians recognize themselves in it. But that is not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-became-the-voice-of-a-generation-in-a-very-surprising-way-because/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I don't think that I have ever been rebellious. The thing is that I don't believe in people - what people tell me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-think-that-i-have-ever-been-rebellious-the-thing-is-that-i/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Drawing is the first language of the human being before writing. 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But as an artist, I have one duty: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-m-not-a-politician-i-don-t-know-how-to-solve-the-problems-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [A cat can never be well-trained because they're too independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/a-cat-can-never-be-well-trained-because-they-re-too-independent/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [It's fear that makes us lose our conscience. It's also what transforms us into cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/it-s-fear-that-makes-us-lose-our-conscience-it-s-also-what-transforms/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I am absolutely not a feminist, I am against stupidity, and if it comes from males or females, it doesn't change anything. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-am-absolutely-not-a-feminist-i-am-against-stupidity-and-if-it-comes/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I was a child who had a life, who had hopes, and I wished that a bomb would not fall on my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-was-a-child-who-had-a-life-who-had-hopes-and-i-wished-that-a-bomb/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [There are things that I love in Iranian cinema and things that I don't. 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America was a source for division around the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/we-know-the-candidate-barack-obama-what-he-was-like-the-anti-war/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [Since 'coming out,' I've marched in gay pride parades all around the world, I've filled my home full of rainbow tat and I've become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/since-coming-out-i-ve-marched-in-gay-pride-parades-all-around-the/) [Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/) > [Once, as an experiment, I travelled around the world with a single suit. 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