--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People are setting fires to get rid of…" description: "\"“People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they dislike from personal enemies to anyone who looks or sounds foreign or racially different. People..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg" --- # People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they… ![“People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they dislike from personal enemies to anyone who looks or sounds foreign or racially different. People are setting fires because they’re frustrated, angry, hopeless. They have no power to improve their lives, but they have the power to make others…” quote by Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg) > ““People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they dislike from personal enemies to anyone who looks or sounds foreign or racially different. People are setting fires because they’re frustrated, angry, hopeless. They have no power to improve their lives, but they have the power to make others even more miserable. And the only way to prove to yourself that you have power is to use it.”” [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. When people feel powerless, they may lash out by harming others, especially those seen as different, to feel a sense of control. **In simple terms:** Powerlessness can lead to violence against outsiders. Key Takeaway Address root causes of frustration and marginalization. Themes power violence social injustice identity control Mood angry hopeful reflective Type sociopolitical motivational analytical When to use this quote - community outreach - mental health support - education on diversity - policy reform - conflict mediation Key Concepts psychology of aggression social marginalization political power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What systemic changes could reduce feelings of powerlessness? - How can societies channel frustration into constructive action? A Different Perspective Violence may also stem from deeper systemic oppression, not just personal frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Fires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fires/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Prove To Yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove-to-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [Im now a lone flame searching for a purpose Setting fires everywhere I go, cant avoid the burns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micheal-larsen/im-now-a-lone-flame-searching-for-a-purpose-setting-fires-everywhere/) [Micheal Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micheal-larsen/) > [I don't have any warm personal enemies. All the SOBs have died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/i-don-t-have-any-warm-personal-enemies-all-the-sobs-have-died/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Those who criticize Putin are not human: they are my personal enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramzan-kadyrov/those-who-criticize-putin-are-not-human-they-are-my-personal-enemies/) [Ramzan Kadyrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramzan-kadyrov/) > [“One guy I knew really was shot in Dresden for taking a teapot that wasn't his. Another guy I knew really did threaten to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/one-guy-i-knew-really-was-shot-in-dresden-for-taking-a-teapot-that/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Many of my personal enemies picture me as a cold type - a person who acts according to a certain line, a calculating type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schellenberg/many-of-my-personal-enemies-picture-me-as-a-cold-type-a-person-who/) Walter Schellenberg > [“You cannot prove to yourself that you love God by examining your feelings toward Him. They are indefinite and they fluctuate. But just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-payson-prentiss/you-cannot-prove-to-yourself-that-you-love-god-by-examining-your/) Elizabeth Payson Prentiss > [“By spending time being abundant in the present, using the tactics and strategies I give you, such as playing the Money Game, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mangena/by-spending-time-being-abundant-in-the-present-using-the-tactics-and/) [Daniel Mangena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mangena/) > [“…sense of futility that comes from doing anything merely to prove to yourself that you can do it: having a child, climbing a mountain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/sense-of-futility-that-comes-from-doing-anything-merely-to-prove-to/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [When you feel defeated, just push forward and keep going, prove to yourself that you'll never stay down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-feel-defeated-just-push-forward-and-keep-going-prove-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't have any trouble believing that you would avoid something seemingly perfect because you're in something you really want to prove to yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-pill/i-don-t-have-any-trouble-believing-that-you-would-avoid-something/) [Alison Pill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-pill/) > [Whatever it takes, prove to yourself right now, that you deserve the wildest of dreams that you could ever imagine. BUT…... Only if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-brown/whatever-it-takes-prove-to-yourself-right-now-that-you-deserve-the/) [Joel Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-brown/) > [You dont have to force yourself to love someone else to prove to yourself that you have totally forgotten him and moved on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-dont-have-to-force-yourself-to-love-someone-else-to-prove-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To escape the power of the unknown, to prove to yourself that you don't believe in it, you accept its spells. Like an avowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/to-escape-the-power-of-the-unknown-to-prove-to-yourself-that-you-don/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“She’d heard of people, adults usually, intentionally turning a good thing into a bad thing. When things were going good, adults liked to ruin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-malerman/she-d-heard-of-people-adults-usually-intentionally-turning-a-good/) [Josh Malerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-malerman/) > [“Play it, Eddie, don't be foolish;' she urges. 'Now's the time, break the spell once and for all, prove to yourself that it can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/play-it-eddie-don-t-be-foolish-she-urges-now-s-the-time-break-the/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) ## 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. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I don't know how much of a market there is for space opera. Just because it's in the movies doesn't mean magazines are buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-don-t-know-how-much-of-a-market-there-is-for-space-opera-just/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Freedom is dangerous but it's precious, too. You can't just throw it away or let it slip away. You can't sell it for bread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/freedom-is-dangerous-but-it-s-precious-too-you-can-t-just-throw-it/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [“Sometimes I wrote things because I couldn't say them, couldn't sort out my feelings about them, couldn't keep them bottled inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/sometimes-i-wrote-things-because-i-couldn-t-say-them-couldn-t-sort/) [Octavia E. 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 Different people quotes > [You know, it brings in a lot of different people; you take people off the street, and kids, and people from all different walks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-lamy/you-know-it-brings-in-a-lot-of-different-people-you-take-people-off/) [Michele Lamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-lamy/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [I don't know what successful journaling really looks like... I think it really does look so different for everyone who does it, I'm always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracie-abrams/i-don-t-know-what-successful-journaling-really-looks-like-i-think-it/) [Gracie Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracie-abrams/) > [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/) [Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [“Liturgy gathers the holy community as it reads the Holy Scriptures into the sweeping tidal rhythms of the church year in which the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/liturgy-gathers-the-holy-community-as-it-reads-the-holy-scriptures/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [I think I like attention, but because of the way we are - because we don't have a lead singer and all the videos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-chatto/i-think-i-like-attention-but-because-of-the-way-we-are-because-we-don/) [Grace Chatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-chatto/) > [I am three different people. The person you want me to be, the person I wish I could be, and who I really am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-lynne/i-am-three-different-people-the-person-you-want-me-to-be-the-person-i/) [Victoria Lynne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-lynne/) > [“The emphasis was on “soft.” No matter what else happened, the wranglers were to stay soft while riding the horses. Soft hands, soft seat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rashid/the-emphasis-was-on-soft-no-matter-what-else-happened-the-wranglers/) [Mark Rashid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rashid/) > [I've always enjoyed traveling and having experience with different cultures and different people. But it's also a wonderful thing to be able to benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/i-ve-always-enjoyed-traveling-and-having-experience-with-different/) [Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/) > [I feel stronger and I feel like I've gained so much knowledge and new perspectives because I've met so many different people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-chalotra/i-feel-stronger-and-i-feel-like-i-ve-gained-so-much-knowledge-and-new/) [Anya Chalotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-chalotra/) > [With acting, it's like you form chemistry with different people in different ways, so it's really added even more fun to work, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-blackburn/with-acting-it-s-like-you-form-chemistry-with-different-people-in/) [Tyler Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-blackburn/) > [I was a theater kid in high school, but I also went to parties. Usually in movies, there's the jock and the theater person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-gordon/i-was-a-theater-kid-in-high-school-but-i-also-went-to-parties-usually/) [Molly Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-gordon/) > [We tour, we do the distance from friends and family, not really knowing how to connect with people on the same level. I've understood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gourley/we-tour-we-do-the-distance-from-friends-and-family-not-really-knowing/) [John Gourley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gourley/) > [Various different people have inspired me throughout my career. From Francis Bacon to Vassareli, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Cecil Beaton, musicians, architects... the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-van-noten/various-different-people-have-inspired-me-throughout-my-career-from/) [Dries van Noten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-van-noten/) Browse all 1,310 Different people quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they dislike from personal enemies to anyone who looks or sounds foreign or racially different. People are setting fires because they’re frustrated, angry, hopeless. They have no power to improve their lives, but they have the power to make others even more miserable. And the only way to prove to yourself that you have power is to use it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Octavia E. Butler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-whomever-they-dislike-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-whomever-they-dislike-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bc/octavia-e-butler-2861_different-people_people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-w_1554446.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People are setting fires to get rid of whomever they dislike from personal enemies to anyone who looks or…” — Octavia E. Butler", "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": "Octavia E. Butler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“People are setting fires to get...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-whomever-they-dislike-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/people-are-setting-fires-to-get-rid-of-whomever-they-dislike-from/#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 } } ] } ```