--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in…" description: "\"We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.\" — Chic Murray" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/chic-murray-18540_advertisements_we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-o_790633.png" --- # We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the… ![“We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.” quote by Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/chic-murray-18540_advertisements_we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-o_790633.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/chic-murray-18540_advertisements_we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-o_790633.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15c/chic-murray-18540_advertisements_we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-o_790633.png) > “We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.” [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on extreme poverty, noting that even a simple ashtray without ads felt like a luxury, highlighting how scarcity reshapes value. **In simple terms:** Even minimal items can seem luxurious when resources are scarce. Key Takeaway Appreciate small comforts in hardship. Themes poverty gratitude materialism Mood reflective humorous Type observational social When to use this quote - tight budgets - humble living - resourcefulness Key Concepts minimalism economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - What small comforts do you cherish? - How does scarcity affect your perception of value? A Different Perspective Luxury is relative and can be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashtrays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtrays/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think the older I get, the more I realize that the ultimate luxury is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kors/i-think-the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-that-the-ultimate-luxury/) [Michael Kors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kors/) > [It is the ultimate luxury to combine passion and contribution. It's also a very clear path to happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/it-is-the-ultimate-luxury-to-combine-passion-and-contribution-it-s/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Art is the ultimate luxury good, but one that can make you think, give a you a blast of beauty and enhance your life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/art-is-the-ultimate-luxury-good-but-one-that-can-make-you-think-give/) [Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/) > [Hands, matches, an ashtray. A ritual beautiful and bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/hands-matches-an-ashtray-a-ritual-beautiful-and-bitter/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [Junior colleges are high schools with ashtrays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/junior-colleges-are-high-schools-with-ashtrays/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [Let's try and create scenes that are about something... About something deeper than this ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-de-maat/let-s-try-and-create-scenes-that-are-about-something-about-something/) [Martin de Maat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-de-maat/) > [I've used soap dishes as ashtrays in the best hotels in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/i-ve-used-soap-dishes-as-ashtrays-in-the-best-hotels-in-the-world/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [Grab something off the shelf that's on the spaceship-an ashtray, it doesn't matter what. Because I can tell you, if they flew here from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/grab-something-off-the-shelf-that-s-on-the-spaceship-an-ashtray-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't come looking for you. But let a diamond bracelet disappear in France and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-hayes/every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a-hotel-they-don-t-come-looking/) [John Michael Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-hayes/) > [British scientists have demonstrated that cigarettes can harm your children. Fair enough. Use an ashtray!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/british-scientists-have-demonstrated-that-cigarettes-can-harm-your/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [ Writing a play is like smashing that \[glass\] ashtray, filming it in slow motion, and then running the film in reverse, so that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/writing-a-play-is-like-smashing-that-glass-ashtray-filming-it-in-slow/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [The sky was so clear that the starlight cast shadows, and so many sparkles and glitters and glints appeared above us that it looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-sky-was-so-clear-that-the-starlight-cast-shadows-and-so-many/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/kissing-a-smoker-is-like-licking-an-ashtray/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [“all people start to come apart finally and there it is: just empty ashtrays in a room or wisps of hair on a comb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/all-people-start-to-come-apart-finally-and-there-it-is-just-empty/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) ## More by Chic Murray > [I went to the butchers to buy a leg of lamb. "Is it Scotch?", I asked. "Why?" the butcher said in reply. "Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-went-to-the-butchers-to-buy-a-leg-of-lamb-is-it-scotch-i-asked-why/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [I was taking my dog out the other day and I met this chap who asked me where I was going. The dog is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-was-taking-my-dog-out-the-other-day-and-i-met-this-chap-who-asked/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [She had been married so often she bought a drip-dry wedding dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/she-had-been-married-so-often-she-bought-a-drip-dry-wedding-dress/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [My parents never understood me; they were Japanese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/my-parents-never-understood-me-they-were-japanese/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [My father was from Aberdeen, and a more generous man you couldn't wish to meet. I have a gold watch that belonged to him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/my-father-was-from-aberdeen-and-a-more-generous-man-you-couldn-t-wish/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [We've got stained glass windows in our house; it's those damned pigeons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/we-ve-got-stained-glass-windows-in-our-house-it-s-those-damned-pigeons/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [A neighbour put his budgerigar in the mincing machine and invented shredded tweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/a-neighbour-put-his-budgerigar-in-the-mincing-machine-and-invented/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [I met this cowboy with a brown paper hat, paper waistcoat and paper trousers. He was wanted for rustling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-met-this-cowboy-with-a-brown-paper-hat-paper-waistcoat-and-paper/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [It was a pretty posh place. They were so used to fur coats that two bears strolled in and ordered lunch and nobody even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/it-was-a-pretty-posh-place-they-were-so-used-to-fur-coats-that-two/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [I dreamt I was forced to eat 25lb of marshmallows. When I woke up, my pillow was missing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-dreamt-i-was-forced-to-eat-25lb-of-marshmallows-when-i-woke-up-my/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [My wife went to a beauty parlor and got a mudpack; for two days she looked nice, then the mud fell off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/my-wife-went-to-a-beauty-parlor-and-got-a-mudpack-for-two-days-she/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [After I told my wife that black underwear turned me on, she didn't wash my Y-fronts for a month.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/after-i-told-my-wife-that-black-underwear-turned-me-on-she-didn-t/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [A luxury meal was prairie sandwiches - two slices of bread with wide-open spaces between them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/a-luxury-meal-was-prairie-sandwiches-two-slices-of-bread-with-wide/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [I took my father on a coach trip last summer.We were halfway there when the driver lost control of the coach, it flew down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/i-took-my-father-on-a-coach-trip-last-summer-we-were-halfway-there/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [My sister wanted a cat for a pet... I wanted a dog, so they bought a cat and taught it to bark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/my-sister-wanted-a-cat-for-a-pet-i-wanted-a-dog-so-they-bought-a-cat/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) [Explore all 34 Chic Murray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) ## More Advertisements quotes > [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [In advertisements for your favorite products, are women denigrated or objectified in some way? All of that is important. 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I think that the art world would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/i-believe-in-advertisement-and-media-completely-my-art-and-my/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [To measure your needs by that which is projected via mass media is a mistake that has no mercy. The average person views a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haki-r-madhubuti/to-measure-your-needs-by-that-which-is-projected-via-mass-media-is-a/) [Haki R. 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