--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People almost always imagine that life is…" description: "\"People almost always imagine that life is going to be better in town and that the streets of the town are paved with gold.\" — Desmond Tutu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg" --- # People almost always imagine that life is going to be… ![“People almost always imagine that life is going to be better in town and that the streets of the town are paved with gold.” quote by Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg) > “People almost always imagine that life is going to be better in town and that the streets of the town are paved with gold.” [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People romanticize city life, believing it offers wealth and opportunity. **In simple terms:** People think city life promises wealth and success. Key Takeaway Balance expectations with realistic planning before moving. Themes urbanization hope illusion Mood inspirational cautionary Type motivational practical When to use this quote - housing decisions - career planning - financial budgeting Key Concepts socio‑economic mobility migration myths Questions to Reflect On - What are the real challenges of city life? - How can one prepare for urban migration? A Different Perspective Idealizing cities can lead to disappointment and hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [If a man ordered a beer milkshake he'd better do it in a town where he wasn't known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-a-man-ordered-a-beer-milkshake-he-d-better-do-it-in-a-town-where/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [If a man ordered a beer milk shake, he thought, he'd better do it in a town where he wasn't known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-a-man-ordered-a-beer-milk-shake-he-thought-he-d-better-do-it-in-a/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [People often imagine that being hard to please confers a certain superiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/people-often-imagine-that-being-hard-to-please-confers-a-certain/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Otherwise the history just gets completely flattened out, and people imagine that everything was always available and accessible. One of the things that struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grubbs/otherwise-the-history-just-gets-completely-flattened-out-and-people/) [David Grubbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grubbs/) > [There are too many people who imagine that there is something sophisticated about always believing the best of those who hate your country, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/there-are-too-many-people-who-imagine-that-there-is-something/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [“Stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t a walk in the park, but the treasures that await you are like paths paved with gold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone-isn-t-a-walk-in-the-park-but-the/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [Romanians have a saying, 'Not every dog has a bagel on its tail.' It means that not all streets are paved with gold. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-comaneci/romanians-have-a-saying-not-every-dog-has-a-bagel-on-its-tail-it/) [Nadia Comaneci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-comaneci/) > [“Paved with gold, no - but, yes, diamonds appear on the ground in the rain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-levy/paved-with-gold-no-but-yes-diamonds-appear-on-the-ground-in-the-rain/) [Andrea Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-levy/) > [If we ever walk in streets paved with gold, we will have placed it there ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigham-young/if-we-ever-walk-in-streets-paved-with-gold-we-will-have-placed-it/) [Brigham Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigham-young/) > [A road need not be paved in gold to find treasures at its end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-brennert/a-road-need-not-be-paved-in-gold-to-find-treasures-at-its-end/) [Alan Brennert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-brennert/) > [“Oh, London is a fine town, A very famous city, Where all the streets are paved with gold, And all the maidens pretty, --G.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-williams/oh-london-is-a-fine-town-a-very-famous-city-where-all-the-streets-are/) [Mark Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-williams/) > [ The streets weren't paved with gold and Rose petals \[when I was young\]. "Do I have a horn to sell this month to pay… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/the-streets-weren-t-paved-with-gold-and-rose-petals-when-i-was-young/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) > [The road we're on may not be paved with gold, and it may get pretty bumpy, but there's no one else I'd rather be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-road-we-re-on-may-not-be-paved-with-gold-and-it-may-get-pretty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I don't know, but I've been told, the streets of hell are paved with gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/i-don-t-know-but-i-ve-been-told-the-streets-of-hell-are-paved-with/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [My grandmother ... came here, not only like so many others because of the streets 'being paved with gold' and all, but because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-grandmother-came-here-not-only-like-so-many-others-because-of-the/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) ## More by Desmond Tutu > [Each of us is precious to God because each of us has their name written on the palms of God's hands. And God says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/each-of-us-is-precious-to-god-because-each-of-us-has-their-name/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Freedom and liberty lose out by default because good people are not vigilant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/freedom-and-liberty-lose-out-by-default-because-good-people-are-not/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-shall-be-free-only-together-black-and-white-we-shall-survive-only/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Too many people think that reconciliation means you soft-pedal differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/too-many-people-think-that-reconciliation-means-you-soft-pedal/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Our Christian faith is actually very subversive of the conventional notion of success - the notion that what invests a person with worth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/our-christian-faith-is-actually-very-subversive-of-the-conventional/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Every situation of justice is an occasion where someone is being humiliated and they want to restore their dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/every-situation-of-justice-is-an-occasion-where-someone-is-being/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Race should not be used to claim privileges and rights for one group, exclusively, which are denied other different groups. Then that is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/race-should-not-be-used-to-claim-privileges-and-rights-for-one-group/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [People are able to justify immense cruelty and say that it is something that is sanctioned by their faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-are-able-to-justify-immense-cruelty-and-say-that-it-is/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [South Africa, so utterly improbably, is a beacon of hope in a dark and troubled world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/south-africa-so-utterly-improbably-is-a-beacon-of-hope-in-a-dark-and/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [I don't often want to speak. I try to be a reasonable person and to be diplomatic, but you go to that place and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/i-don-t-often-want-to-speak-i-try-to-be-a-reasonable-person-and-to-be/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“child of God, known by name and whose very hairs are numbered. Praise and adore God and thank him for ever and ever. Amen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/child-of-god-known-by-name-and-whose-very-hairs-are-numbered-praise/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [To remain neutral in situations of injustice is to be complicit in that injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/to-remain-neutral-in-situations-of-injustice-is-to-be-complicit-in/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [It's a fantastic thing that from moment to the next moment if God were to have stopped for a split second we would disintegrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-s-a-fantastic-thing-that-from-moment-to-the-next-moment-if-god/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Once lost, trust can only be regained if we are as good as our word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/once-lost-trust-can-only-be-regained-if-we-are-as-good-as-our-word/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) [Explore all 558 Desmond Tutu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) ## More Gold quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [With every product, the delta between the brand and the reality determines its power over the minds of consumers, and with Trump, that delta…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/with-every-product-the-delta-between-the-brand-and-the-reality/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [A great smile is a wonderful asset, but a good heart is pure gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/a-great-smile-is-a-wonderful-asset-but-a-good-heart-is-pure-gold/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I with borrow'd silver shine, What you see is none of mine. First I show you but a quarter, Like the bow that guards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-with-borrow-d-silver-shine-what-you-see-is-none-of-mine-first-i/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [Just as the setting sun turned the clouds to liquid gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/just-as-the-setting-sun-turned-the-clouds-to-liquid-gold/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [The spectacle of a great, solvent government paying a fictitious price for gold it did not want and did not need and doing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garet-garrett/the-spectacle-of-a-great-solvent-government-paying-a-fictitious-price/) [Garet Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garet-garrett/) > [Nothing good comes on a platter of gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-good-comes-on-a-platter-of-gold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All the people in Korea are cheering me like I'm a gold medalist or something, so I have a responsibility to my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psy/all-the-people-in-korea-are-cheering-me-like-i-m-a-gold-medalist-or/) [PSY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psy/) > [All metallics are neutrals. So it is absolutely fine to mix gold and silver; you just want it to look like it has purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-london/all-metallics-are-neutrals-so-it-is-absolutely-fine-to-mix-gold-and/) [Stacy London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-london/) > [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Browse all 3,806 Gold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People almost always imagine that life is going to be better in town and that the streets of the town are paved with gold.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Desmond Tutu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-is-going-to-be-better-in-town/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gold" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-is-going-to-be-better-in-town/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c3/desmond-tutu-442_gold_people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-i_318985.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People almost always imagine that life is going to be better in town and that the streets of the town are…” — Desmond Tutu", "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": "Desmond Tutu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People almost always imagine that life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-is-going-to-be-better-in-town/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/people-almost-always-imagine-that-life-is-going-to-be-better-in-town/#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 } } ] } ```