--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When there wasn’t a speaker, he often…" description: "\"“When there wasn’t a speaker, he often organized round robins. One such evening, a woman from Lead and Asbestos Information Center, Inc., had started o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/572/matthew-desmond-1529_lead_when-there-wasn-t-a-speaker-he-often-org_2374280.jpg" --- # When there wasn’t a speaker, he often organized round… ![“When there wasn’t a speaker, he often organized round robins. One such evening, a woman from Lead and Asbestos Information Center, Inc., had started off by announcing, “There is money to be made on lead,” to a room of landlords who more often lost money trying to abate it. One landlord asked…” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/572/matthew-desmond-1529_lead_when-there-wasn-t-a-speaker-he-often-org_2374280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/572/matthew-desmond-1529_lead_when-there-wasn-t-a-speaker-he-often-org_2374280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/572/matthew-desmond-1529_lead_when-there-wasn-t-a-speaker-he-often-org_2374280.jpg) > ““When there wasn’t a speaker, he often organized round robins. One such evening, a woman from Lead and Asbestos Information Center, Inc., had started off by announcing, “There is money to be made on lead,” to a room of landlords who more often lost money trying to abate it. One landlord asked whether he would have to report the presence of asbestos to the city or the tenants if he tested for it. “No, you don’t,” the woman had said.”” [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. A speaker organized informal discussions where a woman claimed profit in lead, while landlords worried about costs and reporting asbestos, but she dismissed reporting obligations. **In simple terms:** Informal talks highlighted profit claims and dismissed reporting requirements. Key Takeaway Question reporting obligations and seek accurate information. Themes housing public health regulation communication risk management Mood cautious critical inquisitive Type advisory informational When to use this quote - landlord meetings - environmental health seminars - policy workshops - community forums Key Concepts environmental health policy information asymmetry Questions to Reflect On - Are reporting obligations truly optional? - How does profit motive affect health decisions? A Different Perspective The claim may oversimplify legal responsibilities and health risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead/) [Lead Asbestos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-asbestos-5858228/) [Lead Room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead-room-1214307/) [Money Lead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-lead-5436799/) [Presence Asbestos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-asbestos-5858229/) ## Related quotes > [You dont need a lot of money to lead a rich life. Good friends and a loving family are worth their weight in gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/you-dont-need-a-lot-of-money-to-lead-a-rich-life-good-friends-and-a/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [I know how to lead a room, but I also know how to take direction and be a contributor as an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-domingo/i-know-how-to-lead-a-room-but-i-also-know-how-to-take-direction-and/) [Colman Domingo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-domingo/) > [If I worried about things I have missed, it would lead to depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/if-i-worried-about-things-i-have-missed-it-would-lead-to-depression/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [One of the great things about unions is they're member driven and give us the great ability to both lead and follow at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rosenberg/one-of-the-great-things-about-unions-is-they-re-member-driven-and/) [Alan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rosenberg/) > [Trans actors, just like cisgender actors, need to build experience before getting lead roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-root/trans-actors-just-like-cisgender-actors-need-to-build-experience/) [Rebecca Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-root/) > [Somehow, I don't see myself doing a lead role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/somehow-i-don-t-see-myself-doing-a-lead-role/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [When you have a big lead, you relax and don't concentrate as much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hendry/when-you-have-a-big-lead-you-relax-and-don-t-concentrate-as-much/) [Stephen Hendry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hendry/) > [If I'm going to get you to do stuff, I need to lead you. I can't just order you to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/if-i-m-going-to-get-you-to-do-stuff-i-need-to-lead-you-i-can-t-just/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [I have NEVER worked with a better lead generating company! Thank You Zillow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-rascoff/i-have-never-worked-with-a-better-lead-generating-company-thank-you/) [Spencer Rascoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-rascoff/) > [Excluding certain problems from the political debate by making it a crime to discuss them won't lead to the disappearance of these concerns, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/excluding-certain-problems-from-the-political-debate-by-making-it-a/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [I have a soul of lead So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-have-a-soul-of-lead-so-stakes-me-to-the-ground-i-cannot-move/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I love making movies, and being in any that I can be in. I'd like to be in those giant movies, as the fifth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-love-making-movies-and-being-in-any-that-i-can-be-in-i-d-like-to-be/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [When you have an opportunity to take the lead and you don't, most of the time something bad happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-baker/when-you-have-an-opportunity-to-take-the-lead-and-you-don-t-most-of/) [Dusty Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-baker/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) ## 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. 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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.' 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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 Lead quotes > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [When you have an opportunity to take the lead and you don't, most of the time something bad happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dusty-baker/when-you-have-an-opportunity-to-take-the-lead-and-you-don-t-most-of/) [Dusty Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dusty-baker/) > [I love making movies, and being in any that I can be in. I'd like to be in those giant movies, as the fifth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-love-making-movies-and-being-in-any-that-i-can-be-in-i-d-like-to-be/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [I have a soul of lead So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-have-a-soul-of-lead-so-stakes-me-to-the-ground-i-cannot-move/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Excluding certain problems from the political debate by making it a crime to discuss them won't lead to the disappearance of these concerns, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geert-wilders/excluding-certain-problems-from-the-political-debate-by-making-it-a/) [Geert Wilders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geert-wilders/) > [I have NEVER worked with a better lead generating company! Thank You Zillow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-rascoff/i-have-never-worked-with-a-better-lead-generating-company-thank-you/) [Spencer Rascoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-rascoff/) > [If I'm going to get you to do stuff, I need to lead you. I can't just order you to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/if-i-m-going-to-get-you-to-do-stuff-i-need-to-lead-you-i-can-t-just/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [When you have a big lead, you relax and don't concentrate as much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hendry/when-you-have-a-big-lead-you-relax-and-don-t-concentrate-as-much/) [Stephen Hendry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hendry/) > [Somehow, I don't see myself doing a lead role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/somehow-i-don-t-see-myself-doing-a-lead-role/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [Trans actors, just like cisgender actors, need to build experience before getting lead roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-root/trans-actors-just-like-cisgender-actors-need-to-build-experience/) [Rebecca Root](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-root/) > [One of the great things about unions is they're member driven and give us the great ability to both lead and follow at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-rosenberg/one-of-the-great-things-about-unions-is-they-re-member-driven-and/) [Alan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-rosenberg/) > [After years of research, I discovered 25 differences in the work-life choices of men and women. All 25 lead to men earning more money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/after-years-of-research-i-discovered-25-differences-in-the-work-life/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [If I worried about things I have missed, it would lead to depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/if-i-worried-about-things-i-have-missed-it-would-lead-to-depression/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [The lead singer for Deerhunter, Bradford Cox... I don't like saying people are geniuses or whatever, but I just think that dude is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-anderson/the-lead-singer-for-deerhunter-bradford-cox-i-don-t-like-saying/) [Blake Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-anderson/) > [It is time for a leader who will lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-mcconnell/it-is-time-for-a-leader-who-will-lead/) [Mitch McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-mcconnell/) [Browse all 1,359 Lead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lead/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When there wasn’t a speaker, he often organized round robins. One such evening, a woman from Lead and Asbestos Information Center, Inc., had started off by announcing, “There is money to be made on lead,” to a room of landlords who more often lost money trying to abate it. 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