--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are not concerned with the very poor…" description: "\"We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.\" — E. M. Forster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/e-m-forster-1118_concerned_we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor_167015.png" --- # We are not concerned with the very poor. They are… ![“We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.” quote by E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/e-m-forster-1118_concerned_we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor_167015.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/e-m-forster-1118_concerned_we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor_167015.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/550/e-m-forster-1118_concerned_we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor_167015.png) > “We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.” [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## 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 critiques society’s neglect of the poorest, implying they are only addressed by specialists, not the general public. **In simple terms:** Society ignores the poor, leaving them to experts. Key Takeaway Advocate for inclusive concern for all socioeconomic levels. Themes poverty social justice exclusion Mood empathetic concerned Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - policy making - community outreach - education programs Key Concepts economic disparity human dignity Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do we have toward the poor? - How can everyday people help? A Different Perspective The poor are not unthinkable; they are human. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concerned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned/) [Concerned Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerned-poor-1818164/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poor Unthinkable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-unthinkable-1818165/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Statistician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistician/) [Statistician Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistician-poet-1818167/) [Unthinkable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinkable/) [Unthinkable Approached](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinkable-approached-1818166/) ## Related quotes > [Mitt Romney said he's not concerned about the very poor. 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Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [ I have learned more \[from Balzac\] than from all the professional historians, economists, and statisticians put together. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-engels/i-have-learned-more-from-balzac-than-from-all-the-professional/) [Friedrich Engels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-engels/) > [The average family exists only on paper and its average budget is a fiction, invented by statisticians for the convenience of statisticians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-porter/the-average-family-exists-only-on-paper-and-its-average-budget-is-a/) [Sylvia Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-porter/) ## More by E. M. Forster > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-final-test-for-a-novel-will-be-our-affection-for-it-as-it-is-the/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [All men are equal — all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/all-men-are-equal-all-men-that-is-to-say-who-possess-umbrellas/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. 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Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Liking one person is an extra reason for liking another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/liking-one-person-is-an-extra-reason-for-liking-another/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [It is pleasant to be transferred from an office where one is afraid of a sergeant-major into an office where one can intimidate generals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-pleasant-to-be-transferred-from-an-office-where-one-is-afraid/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) [Explore all 287 E. M. Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## More Concerned quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. 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