Cost Quote by Paulo Freire
“The oppressed want at any cost to resemble the oppressors." "They call themselves ignorant and say the 'professor' is the one who has knowledge and to whom they should listen." "Almost never do they realize that they, too, 'know things' they have learned in their relations with the world.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 1970
Oppressed mimic oppressors to gain power, claiming authority while ignoring their own learned knowledge, perpetuating cycles of domination.
In simple terms: Oppressed copy oppressors, claiming knowledge.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and break the cycle.
Themes
power
knowledge
oppression
identity
social dynamics
Mood
critical
hopeful
Type
educational
political
When to use this quote
- Activist movements
- educational reform
- community organizing
Key Concepts
Critical consciousness
internalized oppression
authority dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions hinder true empowerment?
- How can we value lived experience over imposed authority?
A Different Perspective
The oppressed may also possess valuable insights.
![“[Humans'] capacity to intervene, to compare, to judge, to decide, to choose, to desist makes them capable of acts of greatness, of dignity, and, at the same time, of the unthinkable in terms of indignity.” quote by Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4e6/paulo-freire-1551_capable_humans-capacity-to-intervene-to-compare_103884.jpg)
![“[Photography is ] likewise even French impressionists. So the Sculls bought pop. It was politics, and they moved with it. And I think that could be happening, to some degree, with photography, too. It doesn't cost as much to do it, either.” quote by Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2eb/garry-winogrand-2342_cost_photography-is-likewise-even-french-impr_2802.jpg)
