--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one tree in Francie’s yard was…" description: "\"“The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg" --- # The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a… ![“The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a…” quote by Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg) > ““The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenements districts. You took a walk on a Sunday afternoon and came to a nice neighborhood, very refined. You saw a small one of these trees through the iron gate leading to someone’s yard and you knew that soon that section of Brooklyn would get to be a tenement district. The tree knew. It came there first. Afterwards, poor foreigners seeped in and the quiet old brownstone houses were hacked up into flats, feather beds were pushed out on the window sills to air and the Tree of Heaven flourished. That was the kind of tree it was. It liked poor people. That”” [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Tree of Heaven thrives in neglected urban spaces, signaling and arrival of poverty and change. **In simple terms:** A hardy tree grows where the poor live, predicting neighborhood decline. Key Takeaway Notice how environments shape communities. Themes urban decay resilience gentrification immigration nature Mood melancholic reflective Type literary observational When to use this quote - city planning - community development - social work - historical research Key Concepts ecology sociology urban studies Questions to Reflect On - How do physical symbols influence our perception of neighborhoods? - Can we protect vulnerable communities without erasing their history? A Different Perspective The tree’s presence may romanticize hardship, overlooking systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poor people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) [Sunday afternoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday-afternoon/) [Tree Francie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-francie-3184277/) [Tree Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-grew-1513910/) [Tree Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-heaven-3184278/) [Tree Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-knew-765833/) [Tree Liked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-liked-1513911/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [You took a walk on a Sunday afternoon and came to a nice neighborhood, very refined. You saw a small one of these trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/you-took-a-walk-on-a-sunday-afternoon-and-came-to-a-nice-neighborhood/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/no-matter-where-its-seed-fell-it-made-a-tree-which-struggled-to-reach/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [There's a tree that grows in Brooklyn. Some people call it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed falls, it makes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/there-s-a-tree-that-grows-in-brooklyn-some-people-call-it-the-tree-of-2/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of Love. Along that river is the tree of heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-paul-kirkpatrick/there-is-a-river-whose-streams-make-glad-the-city-of-love-along-that/) [David Paul Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-paul-kirkpatrick/) > [“I walked along the side with the spray-painted trees, some in white like a starched chemical snowfall, others painted gold, pink, red, even black.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-walked-along-the-side-with-the-spray-painted-trees-some-in-white/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“Like children facing an empty Christmas tree, they knew the world wasn’t a very magical place at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preston-walker/like-children-facing-an-empty-christmas-tree-they-knew-the-world-wasn/) [Preston Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preston-walker/) > [“It is only glass, you know. Nothing fine or grand.Your Mother knew it, when she accepted it with my hand.And she knew I danced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/it-is-only-glass-you-know-nothing-fine-or-grand-your-mother-knew-it/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Her fingertips dug into his shoulders as she pressed closer. Then her lips parted to his, and there was no mistaking the passion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-donovan/her-fingertips-dug-into-his-shoulders-as-she-pressed-closer-then-her/) [Sierra Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-donovan/) > [“When she turned back around, the looming tree grew larger against the dusky sky, like a vicious serpent reaching out its tentacles to grab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-b-thomas/when-she-turned-back-around-the-looming-tree-grew-larger-against-the/) [Lisa B. Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-b-thomas/) > [From seed to tree I grew so tall, through wind and rain I could not fall. But now my branches suffer and my leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-beach-boys/from-seed-to-tree-i-grew-so-tall-through-wind-and-rain-i-could-not/) [The Beach Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-beach-boys/) > [“Tina knew she could have taken the man a tree that grew its own money and he would say, ‘Not much call for money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-trope/tina-knew-she-could-have-taken-the-man-a-tree-that-grew-its-own-money/) [Nicole Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-trope/) > [I knew the tree when it grew, and the tree is now gone. The farmers cut it up, and it's become firewood. And there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/i-knew-the-tree-when-it-grew-and-the-tree-is-now-gone-the-farmers-cut/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [“Paco had a way with plants…Sara believed that whenever he walked under a tree it grew a new branch to shade him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-doerr/paco-had-a-way-with-plants-sara-believed-that-whenever-he-walked/) [Harriet Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-doerr/) > [“We planted a tree and it grew up. And so did we.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-muldrow/we-planted-a-tree-and-it-grew-up-and-so-did-we/) [Diane Muldrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-muldrow/) > [An oak tree and a rosebush grew, Young and green together, Talking the talk of growing things- Wind and water and weather. And while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/an-oak-tree-and-a-rosebush-grew-young-and-green-together-talking-the/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) ## More by Betty Smith > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [As long as one can suffer, one is living…live and suffer until life is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/as-long-as-one-can-suffer-one-is-living-live-and-suffer-until-life-is/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Sissy told them they were way behind the times; that midwives were things of the past. Besides, she informed them proudly, she had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/sissy-told-them-they-were-way-behind-the-times-that-midwives-were/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Why, Mrs McGarrity's all right. Mr McGarrity's all right, too. Only I guess they aren't all right to each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/why-mrs-mcgarrity-s-all-right-mr-mcgarrity-s-all-right-too-only-i/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“I drink because I don't stand a chance and I know it. I couldn't drive a truck and I couldn't get on the cops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/i-drink-because-i-don-t-stand-a-chance-and-i-know-it-i-couldn-t-drive/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Pipe dreams, he thought to himself, even while he was telling her about his dream winnings. But oh, how wonderful, he thought, if everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/pipe-dreams-he-thought-to-himself-even-while-he-was-telling-her-about/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to-live-look-at-that-tree/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [It takes a lot of doing to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/it-takes-a-lot-of-doing-to-die/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“She sat in the sunshine watching the life on the street and guarding within herself, her own mystery of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/she-sat-in-the-sunshine-watching-the-life-on-the-street-and-guarding/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [...the reading, the observing, the living from day to day. It was something that had been born into her and her only - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-reading-the-observing-the-living-from-day-to-day-it-was-something/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [People always think that happiness is a faraway thing … something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/people-always-think-that-happiness-is-a-faraway-thing-something/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“Hildy O’Dair is old for her age,” she thought. “It’s like powder was sprinkled on her yellow hair. But she’s not much older than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/hildy-o-dair-is-old-for-her-age-she-thought-it-s-like-powder-was/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“One day they’re babies in buggies and the next day they’re in here taking picks. Kids grow up quick in this neighborhood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/one-day-they-re-babies-in-buggies-and-the-next-day-they-re-in-here/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [“If she never had any lovers, she kicks herself around when the change comes, thinking of all the fun she could have had, didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/if-she-never-had-any-lovers-she-kicks-herself-around-when-the-change/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) [Explore all 306 Betty Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More Poor people quotes > [“I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor. Poor people are those who only work to try to keep an expensive lifestyle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mujica/i-m-called-the-poorest-president-but-i-don-t-feel-poor-poor-people/) [Jose Mujica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mujica/) > [I have a question, a question for the president: Do you hate all rich people, or just rich people who don't contribute to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/i-have-a-question-a-question-for-the-president-do-you-hate-all-rich/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I think that prosecuting some college kid because she shared a file is a lot like sending somebody to Australia 200 years ago for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/i-think-that-prosecuting-some-college-kid-because-she-shared-a-file/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Civil rights leaders are involved in helping poor people. That's what I've been doing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-young/civil-rights-leaders-are-involved-in-helping-poor-people-that-s-what/) [Andrew Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-young/) > [Dependency arguments often come from elites - either aid agencies or governments - and say something about attitudes to poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-harvey/dependency-arguments-often-come-from-elites-either-aid-agencies-or/) [Paul Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-harvey/) > [Don't be didactic - don't write about poverty. Write about poor people. When you dramatize their lives and let life and characters be your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/don-t-be-didactic-don-t-write-about-poverty-write-about-poor-people/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [A nation as such does not give aid to another nation. More precisely, the common citizens of our country, through their taxes, give to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/a-nation-as-such-does-not-give-aid-to-another-nation-more-precisely/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [Poor people are much more daring than the rich ones, a rich one is so fearful that he move with body guards and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/poor-people-are-much-more-daring-than-the-rich-ones-a-rich-one-is-so/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [“Have you ever played Monopoly? It's a board game designed to teach kids capitalism. And what happens in the end? The winner has all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/have-you-ever-played-monopoly-it-s-a-board-game-designed-to-teach/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [Being poor is people wondering why you didn't leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scalzi/being-poor-is-people-wondering-why-you-didn-t-leave/) [John Scalzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scalzi/) > [Donald Trump, when he gives his speeches, talks like a populist. And he talks to middle class and working America and poor people. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-schumer/donald-trump-when-he-gives-his-speeches-talks-like-a-populist-and-he/) [Charles Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-schumer/) > [What you must understand is oppression does not end with the niggers. It does not end with the poor people, it doesn't end with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/what-you-must-understand-is-oppression-does-not-end-with-the-niggers/) [Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/) [Browse all 864 Poor people quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-people/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenements districts. You took a walk on a Sunday afternoon and came to a nice neighborhood, very refined. You saw a small one of these trees through the iron gate leading to someone’s yard and you knew that soon that section of Brooklyn would get to be a tenement district. The tree knew. It came there first. Afterwards, poor foreigners seeped in and the quiet old brownstone houses were hacked up into flats, feather beds were pushed out on the window sills to air and the Tree of Heaven flourished. That was the kind of tree it was. It liked poor people. That”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Betty Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neither-a-pine-nor-a-hemlock-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Poor people" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neither-a-pine-nor-a-hemlock-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca5/betty-smith-1012_poor-people_the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neith_343094.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The one tree in Francie’s yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along…” — Betty Smith", "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": "Betty Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The one tree in Francie’s yard...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neither-a-pine-nor-a-hemlock-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/the-one-tree-in-francie-s-yard-was-neither-a-pine-nor-a-hemlock-it/#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 } } ] } ```