---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was…"
description: "\"I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.\" — Emmanuel Jal"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png"
---

#  I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.

![“I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.” quote by Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png)

> “I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.”

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Long‑term reliance on external aid can trap you in poverty, highlighting the need for self‑sufficiency.

**In simple terms:** Aid alone doesn’t end poverty.

Key Takeaway

Seek sustainable independence.

Themes

poverty aid dependency self‑reliance

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

motivational social.

When to use this quote

- education
- entrepreneurship
- community development
- policy reform

Key Concepts

economic empowerment social mobility

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance assistance with personal growth?
- What steps lead to lasting economic freedom?

A Different Perspective

Aid can be essential in emergencies, making complete self‑reliance unrealistic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feds/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/)

## Related quotes

> [For me, it was two years before I fed a big croc when I came to Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-irwin/for-me-it-was-two-years-before-i-fed-a-big-croc-when-i-came-to/)

[Terri Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-irwin/)

> [I grew up below the poverty line; I didn't have as much as other people did. I think it made me stronger as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-bieber/i-grew-up-below-the-poverty-line-i-didn-t-have-as-much-as-other/)

[Justin Bieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-bieber/)

> [I grew up in a mobile home, but it wasn't like white trash - it was a beautiful mobile home park, I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-manning/i-grew-up-in-a-mobile-home-but-it-wasn-t-like-white-trash-it-was-a/)

[Taryn Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-manning/)

> [My mom grew up in poverty in Oklahoma - like Dust Bowl, nine people in one room kind of place - and the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/my-mom-grew-up-in-poverty-in-oklahoma-like-dust-bowl-nine-people-in/)

[Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/)

> [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/)

> [I grew up in poverty and my mother had to sacrifice a lot for us to eat and get an education - just imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/i-grew-up-in-poverty-and-my-mother-had-to-sacrifice-a-lot-for-us-to/)

[Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-ann-fraser-pryce/)

> [I grew up in poverty on the edge of a golf course. I saw how people lived on the other side of the tracks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-grew-up-in-poverty-on-the-edge-of-a-golf-course-i-saw-how-people/)

[Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/)

> [I grew up in poverty. I was ashamed of the fact, when we were kids, we'd be at school hungry, our stomachs rumbling so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/i-grew-up-in-poverty-i-was-ashamed-of-the-fact-when-we-were-kids-we-d/)

[Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/)

> [I grew up in poverty as a child, my parents had me when they were very young. They didn't have money growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-streeting/i-grew-up-in-poverty-as-a-child-my-parents-had-me-when-they-were-very/)

[Wes Streeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-streeting/)

> [School feeding is a great tool to encourage education and provide food aid to children born into extremely impoverished situations. The kids in school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-bush/school-feeding-is-a-great-tool-to-encourage-education-and-provide/)

[Lauren Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-bush/)

> [We make a lot of fun at President Clinton's expense. But this transition is going to be tough because it's been 25 years since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/we-make-a-lot-of-fun-at-president-clinton-s-expense-but-this/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [I am 25 years old, but I think I gained a lot of experience with PSG, and I think I can help Tottenham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-moura/i-am-25-years-old-but-i-think-i-gained-a-lot-of-experience-with-psg/)

[Lucas Moura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-moura/)

> [If somebody told me people would still care about our music 25 years ago, I would have thought they were crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/if-somebody-told-me-people-would-still-care-about-our-music-25-years/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [I really want people to know that I've worked hard, very hard, to get to where I am today.. this didn't just happen overnight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-really-want-people-to-know-that-i-ve-worked-hard-very-hard-to-get/)

[Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/)

> [We're in a golden age for television. TV 25 years ago was slow, plodding , boring. The production values were not great. Today it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/we-re-in-a-golden-age-for-television-tv-25-years-ago-was-slow/)

[Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/)

## More by Emmanuel Jal

> [Only a coward will use a gun to protect and get respect for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/only-a-coward-will-use-a-gun-to-protect-and-get-respect-for-themselves/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [If I sleep for more than half an hour, I get horrible dreams in which I'm firing a gun and helicopters are coming down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/if-i-sleep-for-more-than-half-an-hour-i-get-horrible-dreams-in-which/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [I'm still a soldier, fighting with my pen and paper for peace till the day I cease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-m-still-a-soldier-fighting-with-my-pen-and-paper-for-peace-till-the/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [I would advise dancers, musicians and others in the entertainment industry to take up yoga, as it clears the mind and creates a sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-would-advise-dancers-musicians-and-others-in-the-entertainment/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [If you really kill, you don't want to talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/if-you-really-kill-you-don-t-want-to-talk-about-it/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [I'm kind of weird - I don't get excited. Sometimes I fake that I'm excited just to make people happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-m-kind-of-weird-i-don-t-get-excited-sometimes-i-fake-that-i-m/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [War destroys people's souls. Most people focus on physical injuries, but the invisible injuries can take a lifetime to heal and affects the lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/war-destroys-people-s-souls-most-people-focus-on-physical-injuries/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [Young people are so brave when they go to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/young-people-are-so-brave-when-they-go-to-fight/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [When you don't educate the people, you're crippling them. You are, you're not giving them ways to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/when-you-don-t-educate-the-people-you-re-crippling-them-you-are-you/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [The wealthiest Sudanese don't know what war is. Their children are safe in school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/the-wealthiest-sudanese-don-t-know-what-war-is-their-children-are/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [Any child soldier has to go through a lot of love, care and understanding to become normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/any-child-soldier-has-to-go-through-a-lot-of-love-care-and/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [Rap music is amazing, it's beautiful. But the problem is the lyrics. The person who writes the lyrics - that's the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/rap-music-is-amazing-it-s-beautiful-but-the-problem-is-the-lyrics-the/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [The worst people on earth are not only those who commit evil, but those who stand by and turn a blind eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/the-worst-people-on-earth-are-not-only-those-who-commit-evil-but/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [When I first went to school, I was fighting all the time. The soldier mentality was still in me. I kept getting expelled. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/when-i-first-went-to-school-i-was-fighting-all-the-time-the-soldier/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

> [What music does to me, it helps me balance my inner pressure so that I can deal with the forces outside that are trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/what-music-does-to-me-it-helps-me-balance-my-inner-pressure-so-that-i/)

[Emmanuel Jal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

[Explore all 53 Emmanuel Jal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/)

## More Aids quotes

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. It's AIDS, it's herpes, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/freedom-in-every-sense-but-primarily-political-sense-a-rise-in/)

[Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/)

> [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/)

[Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/)

> [If you take all the food aid, America is by far the most generous country. If you take the direct aid, we're very generous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-you-take-all-the-food-aid-america-is-by-far-the-most-generous/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [I donated blood today. That's what I call getting an AIDS test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/i-donated-blood-today-that-s-what-i-call-getting-an-aids-test/)

[Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/)

> [Slavery, if it can be legalized at all, can be legalized only by positive legislation. Natural law gives it no aid. Custom imparts to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/slavery-if-it-can-be-legalized-at-all-can-be-legalized-only-by/)

[Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/)

> [Since I came to the White House, I got two hearing aids, a colon operation, skin cancer, a prostate operation, and I was shot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/since-i-came-to-the-white-house-i-got-two-hearing-aids-a-colon/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [The European talks of progress because by the aid of a few scientific discoveries he has established a society which has mistaken comfort for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/the-european-talks-of-progress-because-by-the-aid-of-a-few-scientific/)

[Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/)

> [Women's Aid is a fantastic charity which has my full support. I am proud to call myself a Real Man, a man who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-fox/women-s-aid-is-a-fantastic-charity-which-has-my-full-support-i-am/)

Neil Fox

> [It has been hard to muster the resources to support fledgling democracies and to intervene on behalf of the most desperate. The AIDS orphans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-has-been-hard-to-muster-the-resources-to-support-fledgling/)

[Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/)

> [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/)

[Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/)

> [Charles Darwin viewed the fossil record more as an embarrassment than as an aid to his theory ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/charles-darwin-viewed-the-fossil-record-more-as-an-embarrassment-than/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [I don't think I could compare myself to Macaulay Culkin, because we're pretty much two different kinds of actors. He's done a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-bonsall/i-don-t-think-i-could-compare-myself-to-macaulay-culkin-because-we-re/)

[Brian Bonsall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-bonsall/)

> [It is a great profession. There is the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid of science to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/it-is-a-great-profession-there-is-the-fascination-of-watching-a/)

[Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/)

Browse all 1,983 Aids quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emmanuel Jal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was-fed-on-aid/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aids"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was-fed-on-aid/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/emmanuel-jal-12766_aids_i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was_174511.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I grew up in poverty. For 25 years I was fed on aid.” — Emmanuel Jal",
                "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": "Emmanuel Jal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-jal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I grew up in poverty. For...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was-fed-on-aid/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-jal/i-grew-up-in-poverty-for-25-years-i-was-fed-on-aid/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
