--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We aren't really the victims. After all…" description: "\"We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the system ourselves and as long as we keep consuming, it will continue to exist. Ultimately, capit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/renata-salecl-28047_capitalism_we-aren-t-really-the-victims-after-all-w_2980741.jpg" --- # We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the… ![“We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the system ourselves and as long as we keep consuming, it will continue to exist. Ultimately, capitalism only mirrors human nature.” quote by Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/renata-salecl-28047_capitalism_we-aren-t-really-the-victims-after-all-w_2980741.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/renata-salecl-28047_capitalism_we-aren-t-really-the-victims-after-all-w_2980741.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a9/renata-salecl-28047_capitalism_we-aren-t-really-the-victims-after-all-w_2980741.jpg) > “We aren't really the victims. After all, we created the system ourselves and as long as we keep consuming, it will continue to exist. Ultimately, capitalism only mirrors human nature.” [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We shape the economic system by our consumption, so it reflects our own nature and choices. **In simple terms:** Our actions create the system we live in. Key Takeaway Change consumption habits to reshape the system. Themes capitalism human nature consumerism responsibility Mood critical reflective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - personal finance - political activism - media consumption - policy advocacy Key Concepts social theory psychology economics Questions to Reflect On - How does your daily consumption reinforce capitalism? - What collective actions could alter the system? A Different Perspective Systemic change also requires structural reforms, not just individual choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Capitalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/) [Victims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victims/) ## Related quotes > [We are really the victims of our own problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-greaves/we-are-really-the-victims-of-our-own-problems/) [Jimmy Greaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-greaves/) > [Irritating people are really victims themselves; they tempt you in order to retrieve something they have lost to those who aggravated the life out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/irritating-people-are-really-victims-themselves-they-tempt-you-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's not like you can say, 'This is the right side and this is the wrong side,' because obviously, a happy person is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dove-cameron/it-s-not-like-you-can-say-this-is-the-right-side-and-this-is-the/) [Dove Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dove-cameron/) > [Neither the passions not justice nor politics nor the great social forces ever consider the victims they strike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/neither-the-passions-not-justice-nor-politics-nor-the-great-social/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [“Most people who are global achievers were once victims of greater circumstances than yours, but they had one word to sum it up; "They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/most-people-who-are-global-achievers-were-once-victims-of-greater/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [We are all victims of war, and we all count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-ruzicka/we-are-all-victims-of-war-and-we-all-count/) Marla Ruzicka > [It is states that are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of people and immeasurable destruction in the 20th century alone. Compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-hermann-hoppe/it-is-states-that-are-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-hundreds-of/) [Hans-Hermann Hoppe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-hermann-hoppe/) > [Rory: "People are being serious." Jazza: "There's a serial killer out there. Of course people are being serious." Rory: "Yeah, but what are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/rory-people-are-being-serious-jazza-there-s-a-serial-killer-out-there/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [People have a bad habit of blaming the victims. Damn Jews! If hadn't been for them the Nazis wouldn't have exterminated 'em all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/people-have-a-bad-habit-of-blaming-the-victims-damn-jews-if-hadn-t/) [Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/) > [The FBI has a very clear policy. They don't expose victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lankford/the-fbi-has-a-very-clear-policy-they-don-t-expose-victims/) [James Lankford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lankford/) > [I learned that victims come in all image - some raped, some witnessing an act of violence, some losing loved ones. I learned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zainab-salbi/i-learned-that-victims-come-in-all-image-some-raped-some-witnessing/) [Zainab Salbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zainab-salbi/) > [Like the panic stricken populace of 'The War of the Worlds' and countless other 1950s invasion movies, the victims are there to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-tudor/like-the-panic-stricken-populace-of-the-war-of-the-worlds-and/) [Andrew Tudor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-tudor/) > [Self-righteous victims invite extra nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/self-righteous-victims-invite-extra-nails/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I think women are sick and tired of being portrayed as victims, a lot of the time anyway, the bulk of their time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-duffy/i-think-women-are-sick-and-tired-of-being-portrayed-as-victims-a-lot/) [Troy Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-duffy/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) ## More by Renata Salecl > [“The ego (one’s self-perception) is a very shaky structure, easily undermined by unconscious drives and desires. It is possible to repress those drives for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/the-ego-one-s-self-perception-is-a-very-shaky-structure-easily/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [Freud also said we choose our own neuroses. Capitalism is the neurosis of humanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/freud-also-said-we-choose-our-own-neuroses-capitalism-is-the-neurosis/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [“No matter how much we may try to manipulate our feelings of anger with the techniques these books suggest, in the end we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/no-matter-how-much-we-may-try-to-manipulate-our-feelings-of-anger/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [We still can't control the consequences our choices will bring. Not only do we want freedom of choice, but we also want a guarantee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/we-still-can-t-control-the-consequences-our-choices-will-bring-not/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [When I speak about the "tyranny of choice," I mean an ideology that originates in the era of post-industrial capitalism. It began with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/when-i-speak-about-the-tyranny-of-choice-i-mean-an-ideology-that/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [“The film nicely shows how a person may make a rational decision to achieve a goal while at the same time unconsciously doing everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/the-film-nicely-shows-how-a-person-may-make-a-rational-decision-to/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [“Love is linked to the fact that in the end we know nothing about the object that attracts us in the Other, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/love-is-linked-to-the-fact-that-in-the-end-we-know-nothing-about-the/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [“By working so hard at self-improvement we lose the energy and ability to participate in any form of social change”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/by-working-so-hard-at-self-improvement-we-lose-the-energy-and-ability/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [I do have the power. I can decide for myself what I want, even if the thought stresses me out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/i-do-have-the-power-i-can-decide-for-myself-what-i-want-even-if-the/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [One of the greatest gains of capitalism is that even the proletarian slave feels like a master. He believes he has the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/one-of-the-greatest-gains-of-capitalism-is-that-even-the-proletarian/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [Love emerges at the point of a lacking word, and one offers one's being to fill the lack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/love-emerges-at-the-point-of-a-lacking-word-and-one-offers-one-s/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [A friend, who's a psychologist, told me about a patient once: a woman who was well educated, had a good job, a house and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/a-friend-who-s-a-psychologist-told-me-about-a-patient-once-a-woman/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [I don't criticize political or electoral freedom, but capitalism's perversion of the concept: the illusion that I hold the power over my own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/i-don-t-criticize-political-or-electoral-freedom-but-capitalism-s/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [We can live a more relaxed life. We can accept that our decisions aren't rational, that we are always conditioned by society; that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/we-can-live-a-more-relaxed-life-we-can-accept-that-our-decisions-aren/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) > [Sigmund Freud already discovered that suffering gives us pleasure - in a strange masochistic way. The tyranny of choice exploits that weakness. Consumer culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renata-salecl/sigmund-freud-already-discovered-that-suffering-gives-us-pleasure-in/) [Renata Salecl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) [Explore all 20 Renata Salecl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renata-salecl/) ## More Capitalism quotes > [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/) [Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Corporations have nothing to do with values, and they know it, and sometimes say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kierans/corporations-have-nothing-to-do-with-values-and-they-know-it-and/) [Eric Kierans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kierans/) > [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/) F. A. Harper > [The free market is ugly and stupid, like going to the mall; the unfree market is just as ugly and just as stupid, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-free-market-is-ugly-and-stupid-like-going-to-the-mall-the-unfree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Capitalism, communism ... it's all garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mstislav-rostropovich/capitalism-communism-it-s-all-garbage/) [Mstislav Rostropovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mstislav-rostropovich/) > [There are no two countries with the same style of economic mechanism, with the same capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/there-are-no-two-countries-with-the-same-style-of-economic-mechanism/) [Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [Historically, usury was defined as any interest whatever on an unproductive loan.Our whole banking system I have ever abhorred, I continue to abhor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/historically-usury-was-defined-as-any-interest-whatever-on-an/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [Socialism is humanity's second nature. All politicians do is turn human vice into votes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/socialism-is-humanity-s-second-nature-all-politicians-do-is-turn/) [Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/) > [“Scholars have long debated whether capital markets lead to appropriate levels of saving and investment for future generations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-weimer/scholars-have-long-debated-whether-capital-markets-lead-to/) David L. Weimer > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 3,832 Capitalism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capitalism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We aren't really the victims. 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