--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was this desire for a feeling of…" description: "\"It was this desire for a feeling of importance that led an uneducated, poverty-stricken grocery clerk to study some law books he found in the bottom of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/dale-carnegie-382_barrels_it-was-this-desire-for-a-feeling-of-impo_859588.jpg" --- # It was this desire for a feeling of importance that led an… ![“It was this desire for a feeling of importance that led an uneducated, poverty-stricken grocery clerk to study some law books he found in the bottom of a barrel of household plunder that he had bought for fifty cents. You have probably heard of this grocery clerk. His name was Lincoln.” quote by Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/dale-carnegie-382_barrels_it-was-this-desire-for-a-feeling-of-impo_859588.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/dale-carnegie-382_barrels_it-was-this-desire-for-a-feeling-of-impo_859588.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bef/dale-carnegie-382_barrels_it-was-this-desire-for-a-feeling-of-impo_859588.jpg) > “It was this desire for a feeling of importance that led an uneducated, poverty-stricken grocery clerk to study some law books he found in the bottom of a barrel of household plunder that he had bought for fifty cents. You have probably heard of this grocery clerk. His name was Lincoln.” [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A desire for significance can drive even the poorest to pursue knowledge and self‑improvement, leading to great achievements. **In simple terms:** Wanting importance pushes people to learn and grow. Key Takeaway Seek purpose, study relentlessly. Themes ambition self‑improvement social mobility education determination Mood inspirational reflective determined Type aphilosophical motivational biographical When to use this quote - career advancement - personal development - overcoming poverty - learning new skills - building confidence Key Concepts psychology of motivation self‑efficacy socio‑economic ascent Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to seek importance? - How can you turn modest resources into learning opportunities? A Different Perspective The quote idealizes self‑made success, overlooking systemic barriers that limit many. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Law books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law-books/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [I am poor and feeble, persecuted and vulnerable, Yeshua conquered me, and with the New Man he honored me, He delivered me from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-zion/i-am-poor-and-feeble-persecuted-and-vulnerable-yeshua-conquered-me/) Daniel Zion > [Truffles must come to the table in their own stock and as you break open this jewel sprung from a poverty-stricken soil, imagine -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/truffles-must-come-to-the-table-in-their-own-stock-and-as-you-break/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [“God must not be judged from appearances. Beneath the gilding of heaven I perceive a poverty-stricken universe. Creation is bankrupt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/god-must-not-be-judged-from-appearances-beneath-the-gilding-of-heaven/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Growing up in New Orleans and just being in a poverty-stricken neighborhood gave me that same fire that Eazy had to separate himself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mitchell/growing-up-in-new-orleans-and-just-being-in-a-poverty-stricken/) [Jason Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mitchell/) > [I had an extraordinary belief in myself. For years people told me to give it up and even though I was poverty- stricken, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/i-had-an-extraordinary-belief-in-myself-for-years-people-told-me-to/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You suffer from trauma from the things that you've been through because you come from a poverty-stricken background. There are a lot of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bugzy-malone/you-suffer-from-trauma-from-the-things-that-you-ve-been-through/) [Bugzy Malone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bugzy-malone/) > [The unemployed, poverty-stricken white man must be made to realize that he is in the very same boat with the Negro. Together, they could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-unemployed-poverty-stricken-white-man-must-be-made-to-realize/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“many poverty-stricken countries were unable to obtain much-needed capital because of their undependable laws and confiscatory policies toward foreign investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/many-poverty-stricken-countries-were-unable-to-obtain-much-needed/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Coming from the Eastern Cape, it's one of the most poverty-stricken provinces in the country, so whether it be in education or something else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zozibini-tunzi/coming-from-the-eastern-cape-it-s-one-of-the-most-poverty-stricken/) [Zozibini Tunzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zozibini-tunzi/) > [I grew up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, but I didn't really know I was a deprived, poverty-stricken child until the media made me aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ving-rhames/i-grew-up-in-a-poverty-stricken-neighborhood-but-i-didn-t-really-know/) [Ving Rhames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ving-rhames/) > [Sometimes, when you grow up in one of these poverty-stricken neighborhoods where the educational system isn't the best, you don't realize that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/sometimes-when-you-grow-up-in-one-of-these-poverty-stricken/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) > [I'm the sole provider for my child, I don't get any help. I'm not saying we're poverty stricken, but it does mean I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-rouass/i-m-the-sole-provider-for-my-child-i-don-t-get-any-help-i-m-not/) [Laila Rouass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-rouass/) > [I love where I'm from, but it's a tough, poverty-stricken area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-plant/i-love-where-i-m-from-but-it-s-a-tough-poverty-stricken-area/) [Caleb Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-plant/) > [I am a sensitive person, so it is actually saddening to learn that these poverty-stricken families are most of the time mistreated or looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-a-sensitive-person-so-it-is-actually-saddening-to-learn-that/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [At the very least, you must make the Internet free in areas that are poverty-stricken. Without the Internet and access to information, poverty-stricken households…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-allen/at-the-very-least-you-must-make-the-internet-free-in-areas-that-are/) [Byron Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-allen/) ## More by Dale Carnegie > [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate, and glorify the obvious - because the obvious is what people need to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-deal-with-the-obvious-i-present-reiterate-and-glorify-the-obvious/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/you-can-make-more-friends-in-two-months-by-becoming-more-interested/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-man-who-goes-farthest-is-generally-the-one-who-is-willing-to-do/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“Apply the blacksmith's homely principle when you are speaking. If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/apply-the-blacksmith-s-homely-principle-when-you-are-speaking-if-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/one-of-the-most-tragic-things-i-know-about-human-nature-is-that-all/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-can-t-sleep-then-get-up-and-do-something-instead-of-lying/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I realize now that people are not thinking about you and me or caring what is said about us. They are thinking about themselves-before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-realize-now-that-people-are-not-thinking-about-you-and-me-or-caring/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/those-convinced-against-their-will-are-of-the-same-opinion-still/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism - and wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/each-nation-feels-superior-to-other-nations-that-breeds-patriotism/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [We are gods in the chrysalis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/we-are-gods-in-the-chrysalis/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/so-if-you-aspire-to-be-a-good-conversationali-st-be-an-attentive/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [...Be grateful for what you have to be thankful for instead of complaining about the little things that annoy you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/be-grateful-for-what-you-have-to-be-thankful-for-instead-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/don-t-be-afraid-of-enemies-who-attack-you-be-afraid-of-the-friends/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) [Explore all 592 Dale Carnegie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## More Barrels quotes > [It's good to find the barrel of the bat again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-utley/it-s-good-to-find-the-barrel-of-the-bat-again/) [Chase Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-utley/) > [The benevolence of wrapping the partridge in a vine leaf brings out its quality, just as the barrel of Diogenes brought forth the qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-des-essarts/the-benevolence-of-wrapping-the-partridge-in-a-vine-leaf-brings-out/) Emmanuel des Essarts > [You could pay a fair market price for a barrel of oil and cut 50 cents a barrel or a dollar barrel off what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bolling/you-could-pay-a-fair-market-price-for-a-barrel-of-oil-and-cut-50/) [Eric Bolling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bolling/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [When the landscape buckles and jerks around, when a dust column of debris rises from the collapse of a block of buildings on bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/when-the-landscape-buckles-and-jerks-around-when-a-dust-column-of/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [The sudden release of five million barrels of oil, enormous quantities of methane and two million gallons of toxic dispersants into an already greatly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-earle/the-sudden-release-of-five-million-barrels-of-oil-enormous-quantities/) [Sylvia Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-earle/) > [In addition, each barrel of oil we save through conservation further decreases our dangerous reliance on unstable Middle East oil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gillmor/in-addition-each-barrel-of-oil-we-save-through-conservation-further/) [Paul Gillmor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gillmor/) > [Muzzle control has to be a religion. You cannot point that weapon at one of your brothers-or yourself. Know where you barrel is at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-couch/muzzle-control-has-to-be-a-religion-you-cannot-point-that-weapon-at/) [Dick Couch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-couch/) > [The defense budget is more than a piggy bank for people who want to get busy beating swords into pork barrels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-defense-budget-is-more-than-a-piggy-bank-for-people-who-want-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today's political leaders demonstrate their low opinion of the public with every social law they pass. They believe that, if given the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-skousen/today-s-political-leaders-demonstrate-their-low-opinion-of-the-public/) [Mark Skousen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-skousen/) > [Europe and North America, we are told, are less dependent on energy-intensive heavy industry than in the 1960s and 1970s. It seems we squeeze…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buchan/europe-and-north-america-we-are-told-are-less-dependent-on-energy/) [James Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buchan/) > [My silence is golden, I Dnt waste time on empty barrels, empty barrels make the most noise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sweetner/my-silence-is-golden-i-dnt-waste-time-on-empty-barrels-empty-barrels/) [Sweetner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sweetner/) > [The desert seems to be a brown wasteland of dry, prickly scrub whose only purpose is to serve as a setting for the majestic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/the-desert-seems-to-be-a-brown-wasteland-of-dry-prickly-scrub-whose/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [To accept the principal that "all power proceeds from the barrel of a gun" is to accept a society which will be dominated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-douglas/to-accept-the-principal-that-all-power-proceeds-from-the-barrel-of-a/) [Tommy Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-douglas/) > [You look tired," Rachel told Jason. "I wish I could jog and sleep at the same time." "Can't you?" Ferrin asked, joining them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-mull/you-look-tired-rachel-told-jason-i-wish-i-could-jog-and-sleep-at-the/) [Brandon Mull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-mull/) Browse all 277 Barrels quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was this desire for a feeling of importance that led an uneducated, poverty-stricken grocery clerk to study some law books he found in the bottom of a barrel of household plunder that he had bought for fifty cents. You have probably heard of this grocery clerk. 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