--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cities controlled by big companies are…" description: "\"“Cities controlled by big companies are old hat in science fiction. My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. The company-cit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/octavia-e-butler-2861_business_cities-controlled-by-big-companies-are-o_1081225.jpg" --- # Cities controlled by big companies are old hat in science… ![“Cities controlled by big companies are old hat in science fiction. My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. The company-city subgenre always seemed to star a hero who outsmarted, overthrew, or escaped "the company." I've never seen one where the hero fought like hell to…” quote by Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/octavia-e-butler-2861_business_cities-controlled-by-big-companies-are-o_1081225.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/octavia-e-butler-2861_business_cities-controlled-by-big-companies-are-o_1081225.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f7d/octavia-e-butler-2861_business_cities-controlled-by-big-companies-are-o_1081225.jpg) > ““Cities controlled by big companies are old hat in science fiction. My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. The company-city subgenre always seemed to star a hero who outsmarted, overthrew, or escaped "the company." I've never seen one where the hero fought like hell to get taken in and underpaid by the company. In real life, that's the way it will be. That's the way it always is.”” [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Corporate dominance is often glorified, but real workers rarely resist exploitation; the quote highlights the gap between fiction and reality. **In simple terms:** Big companies are rarely challenged in stories, but workers are exploited in real life. Key Takeaway Recognize and resist corporate exploitation. Themes power exploitation fiction vs reality resistance social critique Mood critical reflective Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - workplace - labor movements - policy advocacy - creative writing - media analysis Key Concepts capitalism authoritarianism class struggle Questions to Reflect On - How can narratives better reflect workers’ struggles? - What steps can individuals take against corporate exploitation? A Different Perspective Stories rarely show workers fighting back; real change needs collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-companies/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Companies Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies-old-2745760/) [Company City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company-city-2745758/) [Corporate greed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporate-greed/) [Dystopia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dystopia/) [Escaped Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaped-company-2745761/) [Exploitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exploitation/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Novels Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novels-company-2745759/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [“Corporate social responsibility is only a PR stunt. 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Bufogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-r-bufogle/) > [With global rules for global supply chains, we can end corporate greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharan-burrow/with-global-rules-for-global-supply-chains-we-can-end-corporate-greed/) [Sharan Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharan-burrow/) > [“We may feel bitterly how little our poems can do in the face of seemingly out of control technological power and seemingly limitless corporate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/we-may-feel-bitterly-how-little-our-poems-can-do-in-the-face-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Koch's youthful idealism about libertarianism had largely devolved into a rationale for corporate self-interest.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-chasteen/koch-s-youthful-idealism-about-libertarianism-had-largely-devolved/) [John Charles Chasteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-chasteen/) > [“A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied 10 minutes later" Gen. George Patton,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-danley/a-good-solution-applied-with-vigor-now-is-better-than-a-perfect/) [Walter Danley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-danley/) > [Community after community is rising up, ranchers, developers, environmentalists, and local commissioners, all saying this is not the best use of our public lands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/community-after-community-is-rising-up-ranchers-developers/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) ## More by Octavia E. Butler > [The lovely thing about writing is, well, two things. One, writing fiction allows us to bring an order to our lives that doesn't exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/the-lovely-thing-about-writing-is-well-two-things-one-writing-fiction/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It’s too easy to follow bad but attractive leaders, embrace pleasurable but destructive habits, ignore looming disaster because maybe it won’t happen after all—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-s-too-easy-to-follow-bad-but-attractive-leaders-embrace/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“He rubbed his head again. 'Five years is longer than it sounds. So much longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/he-rubbed-his-head-again-five-years-is-longer-than-it-sounds-so-much/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Se sono tuoi, stabilisci tu le regole. A chi importa che cosa ne pensano i giocattoli? Spazza via l'intera famiglia di un giocattolo, poi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/se-sono-tuoi-stabilisci-tu-le-regole-a-chi-importa-che-cosa-ne/) [Octavia E. 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Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“In the book of Job, God says he made everything and he knows everything so no one has any right to question what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/in-the-book-of-job-god-says-he-made-everything-and-he-knows/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“But there’s no power in having strength and brains, and yet waiting for God to fix things for you or take revenge for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/but-there-s-no-power-in-having-strength-and-brains-and-yet-waiting/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“After a few years of watching the human species make things unnecessarily difficult for itself I have little hope that it will do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/after-a-few-years-of-watching-the-human-species-make-things/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Self is. Self is body and bodily perception. Self is thought, memory, belief. Self creates. Self destroys. Self learns, discovers, becomes. Self shapes. Self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/self-is-self-is-body-and-bodily-perception-self-is-thought-memory/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [At school I was always taller than the rest of my class, and because I was an only child, I was comfortable with adults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/at-school-i-was-always-taller-than-the-rest-of-my-class-and-because-i/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“It was milk that had sickened her. Animal milk! These people cooked many things with animal milk!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/it-was-milk-that-had-sickened-her-animal-milk-these-people-cooked/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [Religion is everywhere. There are no human societies without it, whether they acknowledge it as a religion or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/religion-is-everywhere-there-are-no-human-societies-without-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“There is nothing new under the sun, but there are new suns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/there-is-nothing-new-under-the-sun-but-there-are-new-suns/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) [Explore all 131 Octavia E. Butler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) ## More Big companies quotes > [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [In the commercial world, big companies mostly die within a few decades because they cannot maintain an internal system to keep them aligned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-the-commercial-world-big-companies-mostly-die-within-a-few-decades/) [Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/) > [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. 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Pure and simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-konrath/if-you-re-struggling-to-get-into-big-companies-you-probably-have-a/) [Jill Konrath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-konrath/) > [Before I started my company in 1998, I worked for big companies traveling a lot and saw firsthand how much waste there was. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-cornejo/before-i-started-my-company-in-1998-i-worked-for-big-companies/) [Maria Cornejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-cornejo/) [Browse all 124 Big companies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-companies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cities controlled by big companies are old hat in science fiction. My grandmother left a whole bookcase of old science fiction novels. 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