--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...if they would but think how hard it is…" description: "\"“...if they would but think how hard it is for the very poor to have engendered in their hearts, that love of home from which all domestic virtues spri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg" --- # ...if they would but think how hard it is for the very… ![“...if they would but think how hard it is for the very poor to have engendered in their hearts, that love of home from which all domestic virtues spring, when they live in dense and squalid masses where social decency is lost, or rather never found ... and [those who rule] strive to improve the…” quote by Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg) > ““...if they would but think how hard it is for the very poor to have engendered in their hearts, that love of home from which all domestic virtues spring, when they live in dense and squalid masses where social decency is lost, or rather never found ... and \[those who rule\] strive to improve the wretched dwellings in bye-ways where only Poverty may walk ... In hollow voices from Workhouse, Hospital, and jail, this truth is preached from day to day, and has been proclaimed for years.”” [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how poverty strips people of the love of home and domestic virtues, while authorities only offer minimal, inadequate improvements. **In simple terms:** Poverty erodes home love; shallow fixes offered. Key Takeaway Recognize deep social needs beyond superficial aid. Themes poverty urban decay social neglect authority home virtues Mood somber reflective critical Type social commentary literary analytical When to use this quote - policy making - community development - social work - housing reform Key Concepts social inequality human dignity urban planning Questions to Reflect On - How can policies address the root causes of urban poverty? - What does “love of home” mean in modern society? A Different Perspective Superficial improvements ignore systemic causes of poverty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [“They had been brought up to think that the domestic virtues were self-evident and universal; they had been starved of the knowledge that most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/they-had-been-brought-up-to-think-that-the-domestic-virtues-were-self/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“At that moment I saw my duty. ‘I will assist.’ I exclaimed, ‘this good divine in his struggle to uphold those domestic virtues without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nathan/at-that-moment-i-saw-my-duty-i-will-assist-i-exclaimed-this-good/) [Robert Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nathan/) > [Man is naturally more disposed to beneficent than selfish actions. This we learn even from the history of savages. The domestic virtues have something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/man-is-naturally-more-disposed-to-beneficent-than-selfish-actions/) [Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/) > [“Right now I'm thinking a good deal about emancipation. One of our sins was slavery, another was emancipation. It's a paradox. In theory, emancipation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/right-now-i-m-thinking-a-good-deal-about-emancipation-one-of-our-sins/) [Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/) > [“As for my own answers to any of this? I have none. I'm far more confused than before I first went. I've had no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-for-my-own-answers-to-any-of-this-i-have-none-i-m-far-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Poqerty is the worst form of violence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/poqerty-is-the-worst-form-of-violence/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“If you are poor and go without food and clothes, don't hope for wealth in paradise, you are already forsaken”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-are-poor-and-go-without-food-and-clothes-don-t-hope-for-wealth/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [God has always been hard on the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-marat/god-has-always-been-hard-on-the-poor/) [Jean-Paul Marat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-marat/) > [Piety's hard enough to take among the poor who have to practice it. A rich man's piety stinks. It's insufferable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/piety-s-hard-enough-to-take-among-the-poor-who-have-to-practice-it-a/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [New York is a city where it's particularly hard to be poor, not only because everything costs twice as much as it does elsewhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/new-york-is-a-city-where-it-s-particularly-hard-to-be-poor-not-only/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I was very poor and I was a waitress, and it's hard to be a poor waitress in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-davis/i-was-very-poor-and-i-was-a-waitress-and-it-s-hard-to-be-a-poor/) [Kristin Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-davis/) > [“This is the dark side of the “American dream.” We blame the poor, accusing them of being poor because they do not work hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogyen-trinley-dorje/this-is-the-dark-side-of-the-american-dream-we-blame-the-poor/) [Ogyen Trinley Dorje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogyen-trinley-dorje/) > [Times were very hard if you were a poor, politically correct Jewish girl living in the east end of London during the Blitz and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/times-were-very-hard-if-you-were-a-poor-politically-correct-jewish/) [Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/) > [To be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/to-be-a-poor-man-is-hard-but-to-be-a-poor-race-in-a-land-of-dollars/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [It's really hard to be poor in New York - I was really poor when I lived in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-radnor/it-s-really-hard-to-be-poor-in-new-york-i-was-really-poor-when-i/) [Josh Radnor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-radnor/) ## More by Charles Dickens > [“All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself. Surely a curious thing. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/all-other-swindlers-upon-earth-are-nothing-to-the-self-swindlers-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-can-be-no-disparity-in-marriage-like-unsuitability-of-mind-and/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [A new heart for a New Year, always!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-new-heart-for-a-new-year-always/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-joe-was-a-very-clean-housekeeper-but-had-an-exquisite-art-of/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Besides which, all that I could have said of the Story to any purpose, I had endeavoured to say in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/besides-which-all-that-i-could-have-said-of-the-story-to-any-purpose/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The wheels rolled on, and rolled down by the Monument, and by the Tower; and by the Docks; down by Ratcliffe, and by Rotherhithe;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-wheels-rolled-on-and-rolled-down-by-the-monument-and-by-the-tower/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“The three customers pulled off their hats to Madame Defarge, with three flourishes. She acknowledged their homage by bending her head, and giving them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-three-customers-pulled-off-their-hats-to-madame-defarge-with/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“What a situation!' cried Miss Squeers; '...What is the reason that men fall in love with me, whether I like it or not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-a-situation-cried-miss-squeers-what-is-the-reason-that-men-fall/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Mr. Pickwick was a philosopher, but philosophers are only men in armour, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mr-pickwick-was-a-philosopher-but-philosophers-are-only-men-in-armour/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) [Explore all 2,309 Charles Dickens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) ## More Day to day quotes > [“There is a powerful difference between picturing an image that does not relate to you, and recalling something specific that you are connected with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-houge/there-is-a-powerful-difference-between-picturing-an-image-that-does/) [Adam Houge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-houge/) > [For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/for-the-meaning-of-life-differs-from-man-to-man-from-day-to-day-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [I try not to look too far ahead. I'm more about living day to day and working hard. I think it's great to visualize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/i-try-not-to-look-too-far-ahead-i-m-more-about-living-day-to-day-and/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [Put not off from day to day and from cycle to cycle, is the belief that ye will succeed in obtaining the mysteries when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/put-not-off-from-day-to-day-and-from-cycle-to-cycle-is-the-belief/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I regret that there aren't more short stories in other magazines. But in a certain way, I think the disappearance of the short-story template…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorin-stein/i-regret-that-there-aren-t-more-short-stories-in-other-magazines-but/) [Lorin Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorin-stein/) > [“There is no shortcut for hard work that leads to effectiveness. You must stay disciplined because most of the work is behind the scenes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/there-is-no-shortcut-for-hard-work-that-leads-to-effectiveness-you/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [As a child, I certainly wanted to have hair that I could grow long and flip around. I no longer want that. My own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-okonedo/as-a-child-i-certainly-wanted-to-have-hair-that-i-could-grow-long-and/) [Sophie Okonedo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-okonedo/) > [Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mcauley/each-day-is-a-step-we-make-towards-eternity-and-we-shall-continue/) [Catherine McAuley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mcauley/) > [I want the government to provide the military so we don't get invaded by somebody and destroyed. I want the government to provide the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/i-want-the-government-to-provide-the-military-so-we-don-t-get-invaded/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [The more aware you become, the more you shed from day to day what you have learned so that your mind is always fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-more-aware-you-become-the-more-you-shed-from-day-to-day-what-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [We forget today that Britain still depends for its livelihood and, indeed, its day-to-day survival, on the sea. But the Royal Navy is now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keegan/we-forget-today-that-britain-still-depends-for-its-livelihood-and/) [John Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keegan/) > [“The woman next to you that looks really bad might be going through the toughest challenge ever with her teenage daughter; think about if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-morrison/the-woman-next-to-you-that-looks-really-bad-might-be-going-through/) Barbara Morrison > [When you are so full that there is no emptiness in you, that you have started feeling the significance of the ordinary, day-to-day existence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/when-you-are-so-full-that-there-is-no-emptiness-in-you-that-you-have/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“My experiences in the Astronaut Corps had taught me that you never know what will happen from day to day. It’s best to experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-melvin/my-experiences-in-the-astronaut-corps-had-taught-me-that-you-never/) [Leland Melvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-melvin/) > [I've never thought about the end of my career. I've had this growing motto in my life to live day to day - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-polamalu/i-ve-never-thought-about-the-end-of-my-career-i-ve-had-this-growing/) [Troy Polamalu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-polamalu/) Browse all 1,000 Day to day quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...if they would but think how hard it is for the very poor to have engendered in their hearts, that love of home from which all domestic virtues spring, when they live in dense and squalid masses where social decency is lost, or rather never found ... and [those who rule] strive to improve the wretched dwellings in bye-ways where only Poverty may walk ... In hollow voices from Workhouse, Hospital, and jail, this truth is preached from day to day, and has been proclaimed for years.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Dickens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-for-the-very-poor-to-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Day to day" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-for-the-very-poor-to-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b75/charles-dickens-34_day-to-day_if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-f_773015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...if they would but think how hard it is for the very poor to have engendered in their hearts, that love of…” — Charles Dickens", "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": "Charles Dickens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...if they would but think how...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-for-the-very-poor-to-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/if-they-would-but-think-how-hard-it-is-for-the-very-poor-to-have/#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 } } ] } ```