--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things were so bad we ate rabbits that…" description: "\"Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.\" — Al Purdy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png" --- # Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run… ![“Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.” quote by Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png) > “Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.” [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poverty drives desperate choices, even eating animals that were once alive. **In simple terms:** Poverty forces extreme actions. Key Takeaway Recognize and address systemic poverty. Themes poverty desperation survival Mood somber empathetic Type social commentary narrative When to use this quote - rural hardship - food scarcity - economic crisis - community support Key Concepts social inequality human dignity Questions to Reflect On - What societal changes could prevent such desperation? - How does community perception affect the poor? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook agency and resilience of those affected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Neighbours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbours/) ## Related quotes > [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Now, when we say we want peace, what we want is really for our Palestinian neighbours to have a demilitarized state next to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/now-when-we-say-we-want-peace-what-we-want-is-really-for-our/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [“Oh so we are neighbours?” She tried to smile sweetly, so Maggie felt like she could talk more. Maggie shrugged again, “Not for long.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sian-b-claven/oh-so-we-are-neighbours-she-tried-to-smile-sweetly-so-maggie-felt/) [Sian B. Claven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sian-b-claven/) > [Respect your neighbours, neglect those haters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/respect-your-neighbours-neglect-those-haters/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [... to became neighbours and friends instead of journalists. This is the way to make your finest photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-eugene-smith/to-became-neighbours-and-friends-instead-of-journalists-this-is-the/) [W. Eugene Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-eugene-smith/) > [I miss watching TV and thinking they were all real. I used to feel like that about 'Neighbours.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayvan-novak/i-miss-watching-tv-and-thinking-they-were-all-real-i-used-to-feel/) [Kayvan Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayvan-novak/) > [When I was a boy, the neighbours all knew who I was because I'd take a ball with me everywhere I went.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isco/when-i-was-a-boy-the-neighbours-all-knew-who-i-was-because-i-d-take-a/) [Isco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isco/) > [“Speak ill of no one and avoid the company of those who talk (bad) about their neighbours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jacinta/speak-ill-of-no-one-and-avoid-the-company-of-those-who-talk-bad-about/) St. Jacinta > [Sometimes it is possible to live without knowing our neighbours: this is not Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/sometimes-it-is-possible-to-live-without-knowing-our-neighbours-this/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Music is the food of love but dont disturb the neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/music-is-the-food-of-love-but-dont-disturb-the-neighbours/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [Coming from New Zealand and Australia is like a tough pre-school for Hollywood. And having been on 'Neighbours,' even though the agents I met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-ryan/coming-from-new-zealand-and-australia-is-like-a-tough-pre-school-for/) [Jay Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-ryan/) > [The rule which should guide us in such cases is simple and obvious enough: that the aggregate testimony of our neighbours is subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kingdon-clifford/the-rule-which-should-guide-us-in-such-cases-is-simple-and-obvious/) [William Kingdon Clifford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kingdon-clifford/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [We are not downhearted, but we cannot understand what is happening to our neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chamberlain/we-are-not-downhearted-but-we-cannot-understand-what-is-happening-to/) [Joseph Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chamberlain/) ## More by Al Purdy > [In my own mind, I was sort of a desperate kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/in-my-own-mind-i-was-sort-of-a-desperate-kid/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [At a certain age you're always uncertain how other people will take you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/at-a-certain-age-you-re-always-uncertain-how-other-people-will-take/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [Uneasily the leaves fall at this season, forgetting what to do or where to go; the red amnesiacs of autumn drifting thru the graveyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/uneasily-the-leaves-fall-at-this-season-forgetting-what-to-do-or/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [A collected poems' is either a gravestone or a testimonial to survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/a-collected-poems-is-either-a-gravestone-or-a-testimonial-to-survival/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I was desperately unhappy trying to adjust to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-was-desperately-unhappy-trying-to-adjust-to-the-world/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [And it occurs to me that if I were aboard a rowboat floating in the middle of all the beer I've drunk in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/and-it-occurs-to-me-that-if-i-were-aboard-a-rowboat-floating-in-the/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I'm not religious in any formal sense, not in any God sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-m-not-religious-in-any-formal-sense-not-in-any-god-sense/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [For me, the vast marvel is to be alive. For man, or for flowers or beast or bird, the supreme triumph is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/for-me-the-vast-marvel-is-to-be-alive-for-man-or-for-flowers-or-beast/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I started writing when I was about thirteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-started-writing-when-i-was-about-thirteen/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) > [I don't think I do have a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/i-don-t-think-i-do-have-a-soul/) [Al Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) [Explore all 11 Al Purdy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/) ## More Bad quotes > [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/) [Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/) > [Sometimes I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I'm in a good mood. It's like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricky/sometimes-i-m-in-a-bad-mood-sometimes-i-m-in-a-good-mood-it-s-like/) [Tricky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricky/) > [Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushmita-sen/unfortunately-we-all-go-through-bad-phases/) [Sushmita Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushmita-sen/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [I've said it before, good people are forced to do bad things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-cloud/i-ve-said-it-before-good-people-are-forced-to-do-bad-things/) [Angus Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-cloud/) > [“If any woman opens her legs for you, don't feel so lucky to be fed with nonsense, she has been a bitch for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/if-any-woman-opens-her-legs-for-you-don-t-feel-so-lucky-to-be-fed/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [One thing I always tell players is that there are three bad things: Nothing good happens after midnight, nothing good happens when you're around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/one-thing-i-always-tell-players-is-that-there-are-three-bad-things/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/) [Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/) > [Obviously I'm very grateful 'Bad Guy' is doing so well - it's shocking and surprising and gratifying - but I do think it's important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/finneas/obviously-i-m-very-grateful-bad-guy-is-doing-so-well-it-s-shocking/) [Finneas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/finneas/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/) [Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/) > [My conscience is really active. So I feel bad about spending excess amount of money on things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/my-conscience-is-really-active-so-i-feel-bad-about-spending-excess/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) Browse all 7,973 Bad quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Al Purdy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-neighbours-had-run-over-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-neighbours-had-run-over-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f8/al-purdy-39939_bad_things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-n_1551471.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Things were so bad we ate rabbits that neighbours had run over and gave to us because they knew we were broke.” — Al Purdy", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Al Purdy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-purdy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Things were so bad we ate...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-neighbours-had-run-over-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-purdy/things-were-so-bad-we-ate-rabbits-that-neighbours-had-run-over-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```