--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A population weakened and exhausted by…" description: "\"A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles - whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled - is vulnerable..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/ryszard-kapuscinski-4233_absorbing_a-population-weakened-and-exhausted-by-b_2006258.jpg" --- # A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so… ![“A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles - whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled - is vulnerable to manipulation and regimentation. The struggle for survival is, above all, an exercise that is hugely time-consuming, absorbing and debilitating…” quote by Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/ryszard-kapuscinski-4233_absorbing_a-population-weakened-and-exhausted-by-b_2006258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/ryszard-kapuscinski-4233_absorbing_a-population-weakened-and-exhausted-by-b_2006258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/ryszard-kapuscinski-4233_absorbing_a-population-weakened-and-exhausted-by-b_2006258.jpg) > “A population weakened and exhausted by battling against so many obstacles - whose needs are never satisfied and desires never fulfilled - is vulnerable to manipulation and regimentation. The struggle for survival is, above all, an exercise that is hugely time-consuming, absorbing and debilitating. If you create these ''anti-conditions,'' your rule is guaranteed for a hundred years.” [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Populations weakened by endless struggle become easy to control; creating harsh conditions ensures long‑term domination. **In simple terms:** Hardship makes people vulnerable to control. Key Takeaway Address basic needs to prevent exploitation. Themes power control vulnerability Mood critical concerned Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - authoritarian regimes - economic crises - public health emergencies Key Concepts political theory social manipulation Questions to Reflect On - What policies can protect vulnerable groups? - How can societies build resilience? A Different Perspective If people are resilient, control is harder to maintain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Manipulation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manipulation/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) [Regimentation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regimentation/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle for survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-for-survival/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) ## Related quotes > [In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/in-the-struggle-for-survival-the-fittest-win-out-at-the-expense-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [But nothing less than the most radical imagination will carry us beyond this place, beyond the mere struggle for survival, to that lucid recognition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/but-nothing-less-than-the-most-radical-imagination-will-carry-us/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [“Conflict is a natural part of existence. Life is a struggle for survival for every organism at every level.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/conflict-is-a-natural-part-of-existence-life-is-a-struggle-for/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Add the shortage of blankets, warm clothing, and vegetables, and the result was likely to be more suffering and more death than had occurred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-levy/add-the-shortage-of-blankets-warm-clothing-and-vegetables-and-the/) [George Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-levy/) > [I didn't take the money route because I saw my parents struggle for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/i-didn-t-take-the-money-route-because-i-saw-my-parents-struggle-for/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [Reason is the main resource of man in his struggle for survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/reason-is-the-main-resource-of-man-in-his-struggle-for-survival/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“For too long we have been dreaming a dream from which we are now waking up: the dream that if we just improve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-frankl/for-too-long-we-have-been-dreaming-a-dream-from-which-we-are-now/) [Victor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-frankl/) > [“I was raised to assume that wealth and rank and privilege would be mine by right," he said painfully. "Through a combination of bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/i-was-raised-to-assume-that-wealth-and-rank-and-privilege-would-be/) [Mary Jo Putney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-putney/) > [The evolutionary struggle for survival is really a self-serving series of blows and stabs, and yet it can lead to extremely social animals like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/the-evolutionary-struggle-for-survival-is-really-a-self-serving/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [If evolution is a struggle for survival, why hasn't it ruthlessly eliminated altruists, who seem to increase another's prospects of survival at the cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/if-evolution-is-a-struggle-for-survival-why-hasn-t-it-ruthlessly/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Jealousy, which serves the struggle for survival, can deteriorate into the envy which draws defeat even from victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-gaylin/jealousy-which-serves-the-struggle-for-survival-can-deteriorate-into/) [Willard Gaylin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-gaylin/) > [As the struggle for survival has subsided, the question has emerged: survival for what? Ever more people have the means to live, but no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-the-struggle-for-survival-has-subsided-the-question-has-emerged/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ah, Robert?” “Shhhh, not while I’m praying,” he said, momentarily losing his place before he started again, “thank you for letting us survive that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-mathewson/ah-robert-shhhh-not-while-i-m-praying-he-said-momentarily-losing-his/) [R.L. Mathewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-l-mathewson/) > [“Only one thing can allow a business to transcend the daily brute struggle for survival: monopoly profits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/only-one-thing-can-allow-a-business-to-transcend-the-daily-brute/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [The common talk of the struggle for survival has obscured the plain fact that man rose in the world primarily by cooperating, not struggling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-muller/the-common-talk-of-the-struggle-for-survival-has-obscured-the-plain/) Hermann Muller ## More by Ryszard Kapuscinski > [We have such a mixture now, such a fusion of different genres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/we-have-such-a-mixture-now-such-a-fusion-of-different-genres/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [“Here is an oral tradition, legends passed from mouth to mouth, a communal myth created invariably at the base of the mango tree in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/here-is-an-oral-tradition-legends-passed-from-mouth-to-mouth-a/) [Ryszard Kapuściński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [He killed his enemies because he was afraid they would kill him. Amin ordered entire tribes to be put to death, because he feared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/he-killed-his-enemies-because-he-was-afraid-they-would-kill-him-amin/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Money changes all the iron rules into rubber bands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/money-changes-all-the-iron-rules-into-rubber-bands/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [More than anything, one is struck by the light. Light everywhere. Brightness everywhere. Everywhere, the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/more-than-anything-one-is-struck-by-the-light-light-everywhere/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [The Cold War in Africa is one of the darkest, most disgraceful pages in contemporary history, and everybody ought to be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-cold-war-in-africa-is-one-of-the-darkest-most-disgraceful-pages/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Our salvation is in striving to achieve what we know we'll never achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/our-salvation-is-in-striving-to-achieve-what-we-know-we-ll-never/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [I remember in 1978 meeting two Ugandan captains in the hotel talking Russian. They had been educated in Moscow and since they came from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/i-remember-in-1978-meeting-two-ugandan-captains-in-the-hotel-talking/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [How do cultures differ from one another? Above all, in their customs. Tell me how you dress, how you act, what are your habits,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/how-do-cultures-differ-from-one-another-above-all-in-their-customs/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [“on war and conquest: in the realm of human affairs one also needs a pretext. it is important to give it the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/on-war-and-conquest-in-the-realm-of-human-affairs-one-also-needs-a/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [In the tropics the white feels weakened, or downright weak, whence comes the heightened tendency to outbursts of aggression. People who are polite, modest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/in-the-tropics-the-white-feels-weakened-or-downright-weak-whence/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Pack the one bag. Unpack it, pack it, unpack it, pack it: passeport, ticket, book, taxi, airport, check-in, beer, announcement, stairs, airplane, fasten seat-belt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/pack-the-one-bag-unpack-it-pack-it-unpack-it-pack-it-passeport-ticket/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and relatively free; that for the moment you are not under lock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/do-not-be-misled-by-the-fact-that-you-are-at-liberty-and-relatively/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [I'll tell you what colonial experience is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/i-ll-tell-you-what-colonial-experience-is/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) [Explore all 88 Ryszard Kapuscinski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) ## More Absorbing quotes > [The artist has to be something like a whale swimming with his mouth wide open, absorbing everything until he has what he really needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romare-bearden/the-artist-has-to-be-something-like-a-whale-swimming-with-his-mouth/) [Romare Bearden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romare-bearden/) > [I probably need another couple of years of absorbing that and really looking at it to be able to do it because you actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-hanks/i-probably-need-another-couple-of-years-of-absorbing-that-and-really/) [Colin Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-hanks/) > [I bless the gods for not letting my education in rhetoric, poetry, and other literary studies come easily to me, and thereby sparing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/i-bless-the-gods-for-not-letting-my-education-in-rhetoric-poetry-and/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Edge also implies what Ben Graham…called a margin of safety. You have a margin of safety when you buy an asset at a price…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mauboussin/edge-also-implies-what-ben-graham-called-a-margin-of-safety-you-have/) [Michael Mauboussin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mauboussin/) > [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/) [Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/) > [The nut of this tree is hung high aloft, wrapped in a silk wrapper, which is enclosed in a case of sole leather, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-de-camoes/the-nut-of-this-tree-is-hung-high-aloft-wrapped-in-a-silk-wrapper/) [Luis de Camoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-de-camoes/) > [The habit of quietly absorbing the shocks will be quite a great help to stabilize pure awareness. The technique is: Just feel not disturbed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-habit-of-quietly-absorbing-the-shocks-will-be-quite-a-great-help/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [It's hard to pick. I mean, I think the one that is most emblematic of the collaboration that occurred is "We Know The Way."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/it-s-hard-to-pick-i-mean-i-think-the-one-that-is-most-emblematic-of/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [Babies breathe a lot more rapidly than adults do, and what's more, they're also growing quickly and so they're absorbing lots more into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-thompson/babies-breathe-a-lot-more-rapidly-than-adults-do-and-what-s-more-they/) [Francis Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-thompson/) > [Where does the ego get its energy? The ego feeds off your desire to be something else. You are poor and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/where-does-the-ego-get-its-energy-the-ego-feeds-off-your-desire-to-be/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I know "accessibility" is a term that's kind of thrown around wantonly today, especially with talking about visual media. But I think that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-powell/i-know-accessibility-is-a-term-that-s-kind-of-thrown-around-wantonly/) [Nate Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-powell/) > [I've always looked at directing as the next step for me in my creative career, and after spending the better part of the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anthony-dale/i-ve-always-looked-at-directing-as-the-next-step-for-me-in-my/) [Ian Anthony Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anthony-dale/) > [In anything fit to be called by the name of reading, the process itself should be absorbing and voluptuous; we should gloat over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/in-anything-fit-to-be-called-by-the-name-of-reading-the-process/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Inside you're like some kind of mirror, reflecting everything without absorbing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-j-deikman/inside-you-re-like-some-kind-of-mirror-reflecting-everything-without/) [Arthur J. 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