--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Eviction reveals people's vulnerability…" description: "\"Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts.\" — Matthew Desmond" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg" --- # Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as… ![“Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg) > “Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts.” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Housing loss exposes both dire need and remarkable resilience in affected people. **In simple terms:** Eviction shows vulnerability and ingenuity. Key Takeaway Support policies that protect housing stability. Themes housing vulnerability resilience social policy Mood empathetic urgent Type social policy When to use this quote - policy advocacy - tenant counseling - legal aid - community organizing Key Concepts structural inequality human agency community networks Questions to Reflect On - How can communities foster resilience during evictions? - What policies best prevent housing loss? A Different Perspective Systemic factors often limit individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperation/) [Eviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eviction/) [Guts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guts/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Vulnerability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulnerability/) ## Related quotes > [“Eviction's fallout is severe. Losing a home sends families to shelters, abandoned houses, and the street. It invites depression and illness, compels families to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-s-fallout-is-severe-losing-a-home-sends-families-to-shelters/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“When we let people take our vulnerability or fill us with their hate, we turn over our entire life to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/when-we-let-people-take-our-vulnerability-or-fill-us-with-their-hate/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [All creative people have to have vulnerability because those nuances are what move people. So I'm deeply insecure - but I'm good at hiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paloma-faith/all-creative-people-have-to-have-vulnerability-because-those-nuances/) [Paloma Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paloma-faith/) > [“Relationships are based on collusion, wounds and co-dependency. Security and happiness are suggested to be found through material belongings, jobs and other people. Vulnerability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/relationships-are-based-on-collusion-wounds-and-co-dependency/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [There is a difference between vulnerability and telling people everything about yourself. Vulnerability is a feeling. Telling everyone about yourself is just facts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/there-is-a-difference-between-vulnerability-and-telling-people/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [There is a deep connection, when we're talking about certain market forces and a legal structure that inhibits low or moderate income families from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/there-is-a-deep-connection-when-we-re-talking-about-certain-market/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Eviction is much more an inevitability than a result of irresponsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-is-much-more-an-inevitability-than-a-result-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Eviction affects old folks and young folks, sick people and able-bodied people, white communities and African-American communities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-affects-old-folks-and-young-folks-sick-people-and-able/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Poverty is a relationship that involves a lot of folks, rich and poor alike. I was looking for something that brought a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/poverty-is-a-relationship-that-involves-a-lot-of-folks-rich-and-poor/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I met a landlord who will pay you to move at the end of the week and let you use his van. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-met-a-landlord-who-will-pay-you-to-move-at-the-end-of-the-week-and/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If eviction has these massive consequences that we all pay for, a very smart use of public funds would be to invest in legal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-eviction-has-these-massive-consequences-that-we-all-pay-for-a-very/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Evictions used to be rare in this country. They used to draw crowds. There are scenes in literature where you can come upon an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/evictions-used-to-be-rare-in-this-country-they-used-to-draw-crowds/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [It takes a good amount of time and money to establish a home. Eviction can erase all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-takes-a-good-amount-of-time-and-money-to-establish-a-home-eviction/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [An eviction is an incredibly time consuming and stressful event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/an-eviction-is-an-incredibly-time-consuming-and-stressful-event/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Desperation quotes > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [Lol, the thirst on SQ is serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maher/lol-the-thirst-on-sq-is-serious/) [Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maher/) > [“Who among us does not move through life with the hidden sense, maybe even quiet desperation, that we are destined for more?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bregman/who-among-us-does-not-move-through-life-with-the-hidden-sense-maybe/) [Peter Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bregman/) > [In exams, we look up for inspiration, down for desperation, left and right for information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/in-exams-we-look-up-for-inspiration-down-for-desperation-left-and/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“In the moments of your deepest need, despair and desperation, what you need more than any other thing, is calm and faith.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/in-the-moments-of-your-deepest-need-despair-and-desperation-what-you/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The desperation was coming off you in waves. You were all but begging to dance with me. I am doing you a favor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/the-desperation-was-coming-off-you-in-waves-you-were-all-but-begging/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [Desperation is sometimes as powerful an inspirer as genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/desperation-is-sometimes-as-powerful-an-inspirer-as-genius/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“Soon, I found myself locked in my own cage of fear and desperation, where my experience of life was getting smaller and smaller.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-moorjani/soon-i-found-myself-locked-in-my-own-cage-of-fear-and-desperation/) [Anita Moorjani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-moorjani/) > [“Desperation breeds people who are willing to do anything to get what they need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/desperation-breeds-people-who-are-willing-to-do-anything-to-get-what/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“If you were mine, I'd never leave you, Prudence. I couldn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-gracie/if-you-were-mine-i-d-never-leave-you-prudence-i-couldn-t/) [Anne Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-gracie/) > [I took Second City out of desperation, and that's what ended up working out. It shows that you should be doing a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/i-took-second-city-out-of-desperation-and-that-s-what-ended-up/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [“silent desperation of everything they never said - gaps and absences in every conversation, the past circumscribing the present, the future hemming in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/silent-desperation-of-everything-they-never-said-gaps-and-absences-in/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“The car was on the FDR drive now and, turning her head, she glanced out at the bleak brown buildings of the projects that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/the-car-was-on-the-fdr-drive-now-and-turning-her-head-she-glanced-out/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) [Browse all 697 Desperation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Desmond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability-and-desperation-as-well-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desperation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability-and-desperation-as-well-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c2/matthew-desmond-1529_desperation_eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability_1546553.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation as well as their ingenuity and guts.” — Matthew Desmond", "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": "Matthew Desmond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Eviction reveals people's vulnerability and desperation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability-and-desperation-as-well-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/eviction-reveals-people-s-vulnerability-and-desperation-as-well-as/#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 } } ] } ```