--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My dad started off in scrap metal, real…" description: "\"My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs.\" — Esther McVey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg" --- # My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's… ![“My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs.” quote by Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg) > “My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs.” [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting from humble, physically demanding work builds character and work ethic. **In simple terms:** Hard work shapes character. Key Takeaway Value perseverance and skill development. Themes hard work humility career growth identity Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational career When to use this quote - construction - entrepreneurship - career counseling - education programs Key Concepts social mobility labor dignity personal development Questions to Reflect On - What lessons from manual jobs apply today? - How can you honor such origins in leadership? A Different Perspective Physical labor may not translate directly to modern office skills. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Real men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-men/) [Scrap metal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrap-metal/) ## Related quotes > [Scrap metal theft costs our state countless dollars in stolen public and private property.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-tlaib/scrap-metal-theft-costs-our-state-countless-dollars-in-stolen-public/) [Rashida Tlaib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-tlaib/) > [A Republican philosophy goes something like this: If you take your car to the mechanic, and instead of fixing it, they take out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ellison/a-republican-philosophy-goes-something-like-this-if-you-take-your-car/) [Keith Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ellison/) > [I don't have any contempt for the men who have to have jobs and have to commute and have to pay the mortgage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/i-don-t-have-any-contempt-for-the-men-who-have-to-have-jobs-and-have/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [To us, your power comes from one simple thing: you’re a woman, and we men will do anything humanly possible to impress you so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/to-us-your-power-comes-from-one-simple-thing-you-re-a-woman-and-we/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [Men have jobs, while women have Roles: Mother, Wife, Goddess, Temptress, etc. That's probably why it's so hard for women to rewrite the rules.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryl-rivers/men-have-jobs-while-women-have-roles-mother-wife-goddess-temptress/) [Caryl Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryl-rivers/) > [I prove to you that all men are not the same we all not ass holes we all don't think about sex all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rayshawn-lee/i-prove-to-you-that-all-men-are-not-the-same-we-all-not-ass-holes-we/) Rayshawn Lee > [Men without jobs do not form families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-holmes-norton/men-without-jobs-do-not-form-families/) [Eleanor Holmes Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-holmes-norton/) > [“The women work because the white folks give them jobs—washing dishes and clothes and floors and windows. The women work because for years now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-petry/the-women-work-because-the-white-folks-give-them-jobs-washing-dishes/) [Ann Petry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-petry/) > [Men can get jobs from one country to another, they can get in. But the people who always fell through the cracks were women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iman-abdulmajid/men-can-get-jobs-from-one-country-to-another-they-can-get-in-but-the/) [Iman Abdulmajid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iman-abdulmajid/) > [We've learned that women can and should do 'men's jobs,' for instance, and we've won the principle (if not the fact) of getting equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-ve-learned-that-women-can-and-should-do-men-s-jobs-for-instance/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If young men have jobs - or the prospects of jobs - they are less likely to take up arms, they are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-ferguson/if-young-men-have-jobs-or-the-prospects-of-jobs-they-are-less-likely/) [Niall Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-ferguson/) > [Feminists often discuss women having two jobs: work and children. True. But no one discusses those divorced and remarried men who have three jobs:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/feminists-often-discuss-women-having-two-jobs-work-and-children-true/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [My dad started taking me to watch Leeds when I was about seven and I used to get a bit of stick for being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/my-dad-started-taking-me-to-watch-leeds-when-i-was-about-seven-and-i/) [Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/) > [As kids we'd be forever shooting at dad and I started as a striker, but I eventually became a pivote, the position I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-busquets/as-kids-we-d-be-forever-shooting-at-dad-and-i-started-as-a-striker/) [Sergio Busquets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-busquets/) > [I mean, I look at my dad. He was twenty when he started having a family, and he was always the coolest dad. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sandler/i-mean-i-look-at-my-dad-he-was-twenty-when-he-started-having-a-family/) [Adam Sandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sandler/) ## More by Esther McVey > [Where I come from, from a very different point of view, it's a Labour heartland, it's a trade union heartland, and I'll have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/where-i-come-from-from-a-very-different-point-of-view-it-s-a-labour/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [We all have dreams, whether it be about success in our careers, improving our relationship with family and friends, or sorting out our finances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/we-all-have-dreams-whether-it-be-about-success-in-our-careers/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [That is what we should be doing: liberating everyone's potential, whether it's a self-made individual, whether it's someone taking the university route, whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/that-is-what-we-should-be-doing-liberating-everyone-s-potential/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Labour parades compassion for the poor, but it practised casual cruelty by consigning millions to benefits. Yet there's nothing compassionate about being trapped on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/labour-parades-compassion-for-the-poor-but-it-practised-casual/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [I've had other friends who had such a burning desire to have children: they have this biological ticking clock. I don't know what happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/i-ve-had-other-friends-who-had-such-a-burning-desire-to-have-children/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [That's what you've got to be to be an MP: a problem solver. How can I help you? How can I engage? What do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/that-s-what-you-ve-got-to-be-to-be-an-mp-a-problem-solver-how-can-i/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Politicians themselves, every one of us, has a responsibility to make sure that we send out a message that it is a good place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/politicians-themselves-every-one-of-us-has-a-responsibility-to-make/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [We never have been closed to immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/we-never-have-been-closed-to-immigration/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [People shouldn't have to lose their accents to get a fair crack at the whip at a job or move up within a sector…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/people-shouldn-t-have-to-lose-their-accents-to-get-a-fair-crack-at/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [One of my best friends was the first U.K. female fighter pilot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/one-of-my-best-friends-was-the-first-u-k-female-fighter-pilot/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [My friends have always known there was this more serious side to me, and all my life, I've had Conservative values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-friends-have-always-known-there-was-this-more-serious-side-to-me/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [First and foremost, we have to ensure that we have to get our own kids ready for work so that employers want to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/first-and-foremost-we-have-to-ensure-that-we-have-to-get-our-own-kids/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Universal Credit claimants who refuse to accept a zero hours contract job offer, without good reason, can be subject to a sanction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/universal-credit-claimants-who-refuse-to-accept-a-zero-hours-contract/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [Politics is all about trust. Trust is like the soul: once gone, it never returns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/politics-is-all-about-trust-trust-is-like-the-soul-once-gone-it-never/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) > [I guess, as a young girl growing up in Liverpool in the '80s, when unemployment was high, my ideal job would have been to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/i-guess-as-a-young-girl-growing-up-in-liverpool-in-the-80s-when/) [Esther McVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) [Explore all 80 Esther McVey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/) ## More Dad quotes > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [Here I am, 11 years old, and these grown men have to give it everything they have to beat me. In one part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/here-i-am-11-years-old-and-these-grown-men-have-to-give-it-everything/) [Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/) > [I always remember what my dad told me when I decided to turn into an actor. He was emphatic that whatever I do, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthi/i-always-remember-what-my-dad-told-me-when-i-decided-to-turn-into-an/) [Karthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthi/) > [My mom and dad had the relationship that I want, and they were teammates. They were always equal 50/50.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-kufrin/my-mom-and-dad-had-the-relationship-that-i-want-and-they-were/) [Becca Kufrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-kufrin/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [My father was the role model I looked up. My dad was an entertainer, too. I patterned my life after him. He wanted me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/my-father-was-the-role-model-i-looked-up-my-dad-was-an-entertainer/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [It's something he used to say when he was happy. It could be a very, very simple day. We might be sitting out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-grant/it-s-something-he-used-to-say-when-he-was-happy-it-could-be-a-very/) [Jennifer Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-grant/) > [I talk to my dad all the time, he's more like my buddy than my father, and he's not happy that I use him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-spade/i-talk-to-my-dad-all-the-time-he-s-more-like-my-buddy-than-my-father/) [David Spade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-spade/) > [This week I realized my dad will make you cry in the store if you make him mad. Also when your crossing the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-week-i-realized-my-dad-will-make-you-cry-in-the-store-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was just putting way too much pressure on myself. I was just trying to get that validation from my dad. It got so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-was-just-putting-way-too-much-pressure-on-myself-i-was-just-trying/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) [Browse all 9,737 Dad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Esther McVey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-men-doing-men-s-jobs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dad" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-men-doing-men-s-jobs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c7/esther-mcvey-8493_dad_my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-m_780245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My dad started off in scrap metal, real men doing men's jobs.” — Esther McVey", "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": "Esther McVey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-mcvey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My dad started off in scrap...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-men-doing-men-s-jobs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-mcvey/my-dad-started-off-in-scrap-metal-real-men-doing-men-s-jobs/#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 } } ] } ```