--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I do remember how it was to be poor. I do…" description: "\"I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of our food, even our animals. And I remember i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg" --- # I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in… ![“I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of our food, even our animals. And I remember in my early life, we didn't even have electricity. So it was very, very hard times then.” quote by Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg) > “I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of our food, even our animals. And I remember in my early life, we didn't even have electricity. So it was very, very hard times then.” [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal recollection of severe poverty and self-sufficiency in early life. **In simple terms:** Hardship taught resilience and gratitude. Key Takeaway Value hard work and humility. Themes poverty resilience gratitude Mood reflective inspirational Type autobiographical motivational When to use this quote - rural upbringing - economic hardship - personal memoirs Key Concepts self-reliance historical context survival Questions to Reflect On - How did these experiences shape later success? - What lessons can be applied today? A Different Perspective May romanticize past struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Didn Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-electricity-1364076/) [Early life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-life/) [Electricity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/electricity/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Grows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grows/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-remember-4195057/) [Raises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raises/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-poor-939580/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [Electricity is a wonderful thing. Do you realise that if we didn't have electricity, we'd be watching television by candle light?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-cooper/electricity-is-a-wonderful-thing-do-you-realise-that-if-we-didn-t/) [Tommy Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-cooper/) > [I don’t know. After the downstairs, I assumed something creepier and dirtier.” I shrugged. “You didn’t have electricity down there.” “It’s for dramatic effect.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/i-don-t-know-after-the-downstairs-i-assumed-something-creepier-and/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [When I was about 8 or 9, I lived in New Jersey with my mother and we were seven deep in one bedroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-mayweather-jr/when-i-was-about-8-or-9-i-lived-in-new-jersey-with-my-mother-and-we/) [Floyd Mayweather, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-mayweather-jr/) > [My grandmother's house - she ran it just like her grandmother and her great-grandmother. They didn't have electricity. They had wood stoves that never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/my-grandmother-s-house-she-ran-it-just-like-her-grandmother-and-her/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [We didn't have electricity when I was a kid. We had to watch TV by candlelight. No, that's a silly joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-campbell/we-didn-t-have-electricity-when-i-was-a-kid-we-had-to-watch-tv-by/) [Glen Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-campbell/) > [Remember... Poor man is not the one who own nothing..But the one without a dream...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmed-mahdi-saleh/remember-poor-man-is-not-the-one-who-own-nothing-but-the-one-without/) [Ahmed Mahdi Saleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmed-mahdi-saleh/) > [Let us remember the poor, and not forget kindness to strangers; above all, let us love God with all our soul, and might, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athanasius-of-alexandria/let-us-remember-the-poor-and-not-forget-kindness-to-strangers-above/) [Athanasius of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athanasius-of-alexandria/) > [“Remember, No one is poor in this world who has Friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhanu-arora/remember-no-one-is-poor-in-this-world-who-has-friends/) [Bhanu Arora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhanu-arora/) > [“If the apostles reminded even Paul himself to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10), then surely the rest of us need such a reminder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-d-moore/if-the-apostles-reminded-even-paul-himself-to-remember-the-poor/) [Russell D. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-d-moore/) > [Remember the poor, it costs nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/remember-the-poor-it-costs-nothing/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [When you feel discouraged or simply lazy, as is bound to happen sometimes, remember the millions of people in the world who have not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jehan-sadat/when-you-feel-discouraged-or-simply-lazy-as-is-bound-to-happen/) [Jehan Sadat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jehan-sadat/) > [“Most of our readers will remember, that, until within a very few years past, there was a kind of iron cage in the wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/most-of-our-readers-will-remember-that-until-within-a-very-few-years/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Let us remember there is not a poor person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-conwell/let-us-remember-there-is-not-a-poor-person-in-the-united-states-who/) [Russell Conwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-conwell/) > [I formed, in early life, two purposes to which I have inflexibly adhered, under some very strong pressure from warm personal friends. They were,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/i-formed-in-early-life-two-purposes-to-which-i-have-inflexibly/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) > [In my early life, I was a professional folk singer. I used to sing on the national television and radio in Canada. Nobody knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gordon/in-my-early-life-i-was-a-professional-folk-singer-i-used-to-sing-on/) [Mary Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gordon/) ## More by Dolly Parton > [Got those moods a swinging, tears a slinging, nothing fits me, when it hits me, ranting, raving, misbehaving, PMS blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/got-those-moods-a-swinging-tears-a-slinging-nothing-fits-me-when-it/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [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 know my hair is out of the '60's, my clothes are '50's and the shoes I wear are from the '40's. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-my-hair-is-out-of-the-60-s-my-clothes-are-50-s-and-the-shoes-i/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [It's great at this stage in my life to still be in the running, that people appreciate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/it-s-great-at-this-stage-in-my-life-to-still-be-in-the-running-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [No matter how beautiful a woman might be, you're always threatened by certain... You're always threatened by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/no-matter-how-beautiful-a-woman-might-be-you-re-always-threatened-by/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Music is my personal addiction. So much of everything I've done has only been to open more doors for the music itself. It all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/music-is-my-personal-addiction-so-much-of-everything-i-ve-done-has/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [If you don't like the road youre walking, start paving another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/if-you-don-t-like-the-road-youre-walking-start-paving-another-one/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [After you reach a certain age, they think you’re over. Well, I will never be over. I’ll be making records if I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/after-you-reach-a-certain-age-they-think-you-re-over-well-i-will/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [ I think \[music and acting\], they are connected, all that stuff. It's your emotional self, is pretty much how you do it, I think,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-think-music-and-acting-they-are-connected-all-that-stuff-it-s-your/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Understanding isn't learned from punishment and anger. An iron has no gentle touch, and love ain't learned from hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/understanding-isn-t-learned-from-punishment-and-anger-an-iron-has-no/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [You'll pay the highest price on back roads and in back seats and in a cheap highway motel. But what's a few more strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/you-ll-pay-the-highest-price-on-back-roads-and-in-back-seats-and-in-a/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I went to bed hungry many nights as a child. It was a Dream that dressed me up when I was ragged, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-went-to-bed-hungry-many-nights-as-a-child-it-was-a-dream-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I know it's corny - but I love 'Jingle Bells!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-it-s-corny-but-i-love-jingle-bells/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [I figure if I keep my health, I have no intention of retiring. I love to work. I want to be like Bob Hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-figure-if-i-keep-my-health-i-have-no-intention-of-retiring-i-love/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [There are some people who physically are not beautiful. But the way they are, the way they treat people, they become beautiful, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/there-are-some-people-who-physically-are-not-beautiful-but-the-way/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) [Explore all 638 Dolly Parton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of our food, even our animals. And I remember in my early life, we didn't even have electricity. So it was very, very hard times then.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dolly Parton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do-remember-that-in-my-early/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do-remember-that-in-my-early/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/dolly-parton-366_animal_i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do_490132.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do remember how it was to be poor. I do remember that in my early years, we had to grow and raise all of…” — Dolly Parton", "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": "Dolly Parton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I do remember how it was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do-remember-that-in-my-early/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-do-remember-how-it-was-to-be-poor-i-do-remember-that-in-my-early/#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 } } ] } ```