--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Who wants to die? Everything struggles to…" description: "\"“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png" --- # Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at… ![“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth. And it's strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong. My children will be strong that way," said…” quote by Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png) > ““Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth. And it's strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong. My children will be strong that way," said Katie. Aw, somebody ought to cut that tree down, the homely thing," said the midwife. If there was only one tree like that in the whole world, you would think it was beautiful," said Katie. "But because there are so many, you just can't see how beautiful it really is. Look at those children." She pointed to a swarm of dirty children playing in the gutter. "You could take any one of them and wash him good and dress him up and sit him in a fine house and you would think he was beautiful.”” [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. Life's resilience emerges from hardship; strength is forged through struggle, often unnoticed amidst abundance. **In simple terms:** Strength from struggle Key Takeaway Hardship builds character Themes Resilience Beauty in adversity Hidden strength Perception Social inequality Mood Reflective Hopeful Somber Type Philosophical Narrative When to use this quote - Parenting under poverty - Observing marginalized children - Evaluating beauty standards - Witnessing nature's perseverance Key Concepts Growth Survival Empathy Societal judgment Practical Applications - Teaching resilience to youth - Advocating for equitable support Questions to Reflect On - How does adversity shape personal identity? - What biases affect our perception of beauty? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-playing/) [Children Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-strong-468430/) [Die Struggles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-struggles-982389/) [Midwife Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midwife-tree-982388/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggles/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) ## Related quotes > [Who wants to die? 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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. 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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/) > [There is here, what is not in the old country. In spite of hard, unfamiliar things, there is here - hope. In the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/there-is-here-what-is-not-in-the-old-country-in-spite-of-hard/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) [Explore all 306 Betty Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. 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Aw, somebody ought to cut that tree down, the homely thing,\" said the midwife. If there was only one tree like that in the whole world, you would think it was beautiful,\" said Katie. \"But because there are so many, you just can't see how beautiful it really is. Look at those children.\" She pointed to a swarm of dirty children playing in the gutter. \"You could take any one of them and wash him good and dress him up and sit him in a fine house and you would think he was beautiful.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Betty Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to-live-look-at-that-tree/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to-live-look-at-that-tree/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c1/betty-smith-1012_children_who-wants-to-die-everything-struggles-to_75944.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Who wants to die? 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