--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If tenants resisted excessive rent hikes…" description: "\"“If tenants resisted excessive rent hikes or unwarranted evictions, it was because they invested in their homes and neighborhoods. They felt they belon..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/matthew-desmond-1529_change-things_if-tenants-resisted-excessive-rent-hikes_1633206.jpg" --- # If tenants resisted excessive rent hikes or unwarranted… ![“If tenants resisted excessive rent hikes or unwarranted evictions, it was because they invested in their homes and neighborhoods. They felt they belonged there. In the trailer park, that sentiment was almost dead. For most residents, Scott among them, the goal was to leave, not to plant roots and…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/matthew-desmond-1529_change-things_if-tenants-resisted-excessive-rent-hikes_1633206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/matthew-desmond-1529_change-things_if-tenants-resisted-excessive-rent-hikes_1633206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/877/matthew-desmond-1529_change-things_if-tenants-resisted-excessive-rent-hikes_1633206.jpg) > ““If tenants resisted excessive rent hikes or unwarranted evictions, it was because they invested in their homes and neighborhoods. They felt they belonged there. In the trailer park, that sentiment was almost dead. For most residents, Scott among them, the goal was to leave, not to plant roots and change things.”” [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. Tenants stay in deteriorating conditions because they lack alternatives and feel rooted, yet many aim to leave rather than improve. **In simple terms:** People endure poor housing due to limited options. Key Takeaway Seek stability before investing in change. Themes housing community mobility Mood empathetic analytical Type sociological inspirational When to use this quote - rental markets - neighborhood revitalization - policy advocacy Key Concepts urban sociology economic pressure belonging Questions to Reflect On - What resources help residents build roots? - How can policy encourage community investment? A Different Perspective Changing conditions often requires external support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-things/) [Evictions Invested](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evictions-invested-503285/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [Rent Hikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rent-hikes-503287/) [Residents Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/residents-scott-503288/) [Tenants Resisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenants-resisted-503284/) [Trailer park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trailer-park/) [Unwarranted Evictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwarranted-evictions-503286/) ## Related quotes > [“For poor people, this required identifying with the oppressed, and counting yourself among them—which was something most trailer park residents were absolutely unwilling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/for-poor-people-this-required-identifying-with-the-oppressed-and/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Trailer park residents rarely raised a fuss about a neighbor’s eviction, whether that person was a known drug addict or not. Evictions were deserved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/trailer-park-residents-rarely-raised-a-fuss-about-a-neighbor-s/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Poor neighborhoods provided their residents with quite a lot. In the trailer park, residents met people who knew how to pirate cable, when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/poor-neighborhoods-provided-their-residents-with-quite-a-lot-in-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Yeah, I knew," he finally said, his voice soft. "I always knew I'd do whatever it took. Living in a trailer park, running in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/yeah-i-knew-he-finally-said-his-voice-soft-i-always-knew-i-d-do/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“One day the Galloways got a little more excitement than we were prepared for. We moved around a lot and at this point we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-galloway/one-day-the-galloways-got-a-little-more-excitement-than-we-were/) [Noah Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-galloway/) > [What people don't always understand is that I established a certain lifestyle for my family back in the days of 'Species' and 'Mulholland Falls'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-madsen/what-people-don-t-always-understand-is-that-i-established-a-certain/) [Michael Madsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-madsen/) > [“I had a dream about you. I was trying to dissect love like it was a frog, and you were trying to dissect a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-had-a-dream-about-you-i-was-trying-to-dissect-love-like-it-was-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“He knew he was not making enough of an effort. Margaret, with her news, her reports and small jokes, her flying starts at conversation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-berne/he-knew-he-was-not-making-enough-of-an-effort-margaret-with-her-news/) [Suzanne Berne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-berne/) > [I'm always the kid that lived in the trailer park in my mind. So I'm always constantly proving to myself that I'm better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-strong/i-m-always-the-kid-that-lived-in-the-trailer-park-in-my-mind-so-i-m/) [Roderick Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roderick-strong/) > [Having grown up a trailer park kid on welfare and food stamps, becoming jaded is impossible, although now I make a good living, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bones/having-grown-up-a-trailer-park-kid-on-welfare-and-food-stamps/) [Bobby Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bones/) > [“Fitz called after him, "We'll see how far you get without me. Enjoy it Aidan, your nosedive to the discount rack, playing second-rate concert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-spinella/fitz-called-after-him-we-ll-see-how-far-you-get-without-me-enjoy-it/) [Laura Spinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-spinella/) > [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [My mother was a barmaid and I was raised in a trailer park. I'm used to that language. I put it on the screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-spheeris/my-mother-was-a-barmaid-and-i-was-raised-in-a-trailer-park-i-m-used/) [Penelope Spheeris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-spheeris/) > [“She told her daughter to never marry for money, the price is too high. But, don't hang out at the trailer park while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-galland/she-told-her-daughter-to-never-marry-for-money-the-price-is-too-high/) [Dawn Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-galland/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## 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 Change things quotes > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [“I’m not saying Jesus won’t come back; I’ve just decided I can’t keep hoping to be rescued from my life. Maybe it’s up to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-hartzler/i-m-not-saying-jesus-won-t-come-back-i-ve-just-decided-i-can-t-keep/) [Aaron Hartzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-hartzler/) > [What really distinguishes this generation in all countries from earlier generations ... is its determination to act, its joy in action, the assurance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/what-really-distinguishes-this-generation-in-all-countries-from/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Gandhi is best remembered for his adherence to the principle of nonviolence; but no less important was his adherence to non-demonization. Even when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-truett-anderson/gandhi-is-best-remembered-for-his-adherence-to-the-principle-of/) [Walter Truett Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-truett-anderson/) > [Simply having rules does not change the things that people want to do. You have to change incentives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-wales/simply-having-rules-does-not-change-the-things-that-people-want-to-do/) [Jimmy Wales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-wales/) > [I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I believe that prayer changes us and we change things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-used-to-believe-that-prayer-changes-things-but-now-i-believe-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You cannot change the things, so you don't need to stress if you're going to change them. So why complain? It looks so simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/you-cannot-change-the-things-so-you-don-t-need-to-stress-if-you-re/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [I'm always trying to change things - change my character, change my look, change my hair, change my facial hair, change my costumes, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jericho/i-m-always-trying-to-change-things-change-my-character-change-my-look/) [Chris Jericho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jericho/) > [When something doesn't go your way, never lose hope in Allah. That faith could be just enough for Him to change things around for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-something-doesn-t-go-your-way-never-lose-hope-in-allah-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're a black superhero, you can't erase the notion that you're black. 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