# Quote — Sheri S. Tepper, Raising The Stones

> That’s why they become prophets. Why would you want to be one, otherwise? Why would you want to scream your head off and threaten people with death and torture and Hell and make women cover themselves up unless you were hardwired for being crazy? The point is, if somebody’s hardwired and you’re not, the only thing he’ll let you be is a follower. If an ordinary person tries to talk to a hardwired person and be nice to him, it doesn’t do any good. It’s like being nice to a fruit-plucking machine. It’ll pluck out your eyes if you get in the way, no matter how fast you talk or how nice you are. Punishment doesn’t work, and talking to them won’t work, and arguing with them won’t work, any more than arguing with a plucking machine would work.

- Author: [Sheri S. Tepper](https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper.md)
- Book: [Raising The Stones](https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper/raising-the-stones.md)
- Page: 398
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper#Raising_the_Stones_(1990)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper/raising-the-stones/thats-why-they

## More from this book

> There is no sin inherent in any mind save the sin of pride in believing one has seen or been taught the absolute truth. The second greatest sin is refusing to search for the truth one must acknowledge one will never absolutely find.

p. 155 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper/raising-the-stones/there-is-no-sin.md)

> “It seems to me,” said Spiggy softly, “that when a race of man becomes so anthropocentric it regards other living beings as lesser consumables, it could get to be a habit. It might become easy to include other living creatures with the Gharm. Animals. Children. Women. Entire planet. Perhaps they, too, become consumables, to be used up and thrown away.”

p. 284 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper/raising-the-stones/it-seems-to-me-said.md)

> I’ve met the prophet Awateh, and he’s very religious, but he’s also completely off his head. It seems to me religious toleration stops when they intend to kill you or hurt you with it. Africa, that’s my aunt, she always said noninterference was a two-way street.

p. 397 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/sheri-s-tepper/raising-the-stones/ive-met-the.md)