--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I meant that people will take anything…" description: "\"I meant that people will take anything that gives them a lift, whether it's alcohol or cocaine or the consciousness-expanding drugs or opiates. In Iran..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-meant-that-people-will-take-anything-t_1394605.jpg" --- # I meant that people will take anything that gives them a… ![“I meant that people will take anything that gives them a lift, whether it's alcohol or cocaine or the consciousness-expanding drugs or opiates. In Iran, until recently, they sold opium in shops legally, and they had 3,000,000 addicts in a population of 15,000,000. I don't believe that all those…” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-meant-that-people-will-take-anything-t_1394605.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-meant-that-people-will-take-anything-t_1394605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0dd/william-s-burroughs-528_addict_i-meant-that-people-will-take-anything-t_1394605.jpg) > “I meant that people will take anything that gives them a lift, whether it's alcohol or cocaine or the consciousness-expanding drugs or opiates. In Iran, until recently, they sold opium in shops legally, and they had 3,000,000 addicts in a population of 15,000,000. I don't believe that all those people were escaping from "complexes" or anything of the sort. They were simply exposed to it.” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often use substances for a quick escape, and widespread availability can lead to massive addiction rates. **In simple terms:** Substance use as escape; availability drives addiction. Key Takeaway Address both demand and supply of drugs. Themes addiction escape availability social policy Mood critical concerned Type social analytical When to use this quote - community outreach - policy reform - education programs Key Concepts public health sociology Questions to Reflect On - Why do people turn to drugs for relief? - What societal changes could reduce dependence? A Different Perspective Legal access may not eliminate underlying social issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Addicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/addicts/) [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Cocaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cocaine/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Drug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drug/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Opiates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opiates/) [Opium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opium/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [The consciousness-expanding drugs - the hallucinogens, such as cannabis, mescaline, LSD, Psylocybin - I think are useful to a writer up to a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-consciousness-expanding-drugs-the-hallucinogens-such-as-cannabis/) [William S. 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If you see it through the video…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/one-of-the-things-that-s-attractive-about-cyberspace-is-that-it-can/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [ For instance, they \[The Federal Narcotics Bureau \] give out that marijuana is a harmful and habit-forming drug, and it simply isn't. They claim… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-instance-they-the-federal-narcotics-bureau-give-out-that/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I am also interested in music expanding consciousness. By expanding consciousness, I mean that old patterns can be replaced with new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-oliveros/i-am-also-interested-in-music-expanding-consciousness-by-expanding/) [Pauline Oliveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-oliveros/) > [Consider this: 1. 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The visions of future triumph, which at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/used-with-due-abstinence-hope-acts-as-a-healthful-tonic-intemperately/) [James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/) [William S. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Addict quotes > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. 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Once they have it, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frey/addiction-is-a-decision-an-individual-wants-something-whatever-that/) [James Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frey/) Browse all 634 Addict quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I meant that people will take anything that gives them a lift, whether it's alcohol or cocaine or the consciousness-expanding drugs or opiates. In Iran, until recently, they sold opium in shops legally, and they had 3,000,000 addicts in a population of 15,000,000. I don't believe that all those people were escaping from \"complexes\" or anything of the sort. They were simply exposed to it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William S. 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