"I've seen public opinion shift like the wind and put out the very fire it lighted"

This quote by Rachel Field speaks to the unpredictable nature of public opinion. It suggests that popular opinion can be unforeseeable and can change rapidly, like the wind. It likewise suggests that popular opinion can be an effective force, capable of both producing and snuffing out a fire. This could be analyzed as a metaphor for the power of public opinion to both start and end motions, patterns, and concepts. It could also be interpreted as a warning to be mindful of the power of popular opinion and to be knowledgeable about how quickly it can change. This quote functions as a suggestion that popular opinion is a powerful force that ought to not be taken lightly.