--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In her whole life Mom never earned more…" description: "\"In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. Being without a husband, it was hard for her to find any place at all for us t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/ethel-waters-9047_dollars_in-her-whole-life-mom-never-earned-more_2463837.jpg" --- # In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six… ![“In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. Being without a husband, it was hard for her to find any place at all for us to live.” quote by Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/ethel-waters-9047_dollars_in-her-whole-life-mom-never-earned-more_2463837.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/ethel-waters-9047_dollars_in-her-whole-life-mom-never-earned-more_2463837.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e04/ethel-waters-9047_dollars_in-her-whole-life-mom-never-earned-more_2463837.jpg) > “In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. Being without a husband, it was hard for her to find any place at all for us to live.” [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Her mother struggled financially, facing poverty and instability. **In simple terms:** Mother lived in chronic poverty. Key Takeaway Advocate for economic support for single parents. Themes poverty family resilience Mood somber empathetic Type historical social When to use this quote - housing assistance - job training - childcare support - community programs Key Concepts economic inequality single parent challenges social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support single mothers? - What policies reduce poverty cycles? A Different Perspective Systemic barriers limit upward mobility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) [Earned Dollars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earned-dollars-687381/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-life/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Husband Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-hard-426314/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-mom-304413/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Mom Earned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom-earned-687380/) [Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/six/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) [Week Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week-husband-687382/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) [Whole life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-life/) ## Related quotes > [I know as well as anyone that the American people want to know that their hard-earned dollars are being spent wisely by government officials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-price/i-know-as-well-as-anyone-that-the-american-people-want-to-know-that/) [Tom Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-price/) > [In 1950, American families sent 1 of 50 of their hard earned dollars to Washington: Today it is 1 in 4.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/in-1950-american-families-sent-1-of-50-of-their-hard-earned-dollars/) [John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/) > [My wife is married to a part-time husband. That's hard to do. The kids get the short end of the stick, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashad-evans/my-wife-is-married-to-a-part-time-husband-that-s-hard-to-do-the-kids/) [Rashad Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashad-evans/) > [When my body, my energy is low, it's hard for me to be a good husband, hard for me to be a good father...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trip-lee/when-my-body-my-energy-is-low-it-s-hard-for-me-to-be-a-good-husband/) [Trip Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trip-lee/) > [Being a boyfriend is easy.. Being a husband is hard and being a father is devoted... And satisfying her…… Right...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romel-elien/being-a-boyfriend-is-easy-being-a-husband-is-hard-and-being-a-father/) [Romel Elien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romel-elien/) > [Like so many couples, my husband and I had a hard time trying to conceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-buteau/like-so-many-couples-my-husband-and-i-had-a-hard-time-trying-to/) [Michelle Buteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-buteau/) > [“I just saved your fucking life, Mom. . . . You could at least offer me an Oreo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/i-just-saved-your-fucking-life-mom-you-could-at-least-offer-me-an-oreo/) [Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/) > [I'm a Mommy's Girl - the strongest influence in my young life was my mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/i-m-a-mommy-s-girl-the-strongest-influence-in-my-young-life-was-my-mom/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [I?m lucky that my real-life Mom has both a great sense of humor about herself and an amazing ability to slip into complete denial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/i-m-lucky-that-my-real-life-mom-has-both-a-great-sense-of-humor-about/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [I can't imagine my life without my mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-imagine-my-life-without-my-mom/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yes, I was scared, vulnerable, and fragile and lived in books more than real life. Yet there was nothing Mom could do to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaia-b-amman/yes-i-was-scared-vulnerable-and-fragile-and-lived-in-books-more-than/) [Gaia B. Amman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaia-b-amman/) > [Nothing has been handed to me my entire life. You have to go there and take it. My mom taught me that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/nothing-has-been-handed-to-me-my-entire-life-you-have-to-go-there-and/) [Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/) > [One of the greatest pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten in my life was from my mom. When I was a little kid there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-depp/one-of-the-greatest-pieces-of-advice-i-ve-ever-gotten-in-my-life-was/) [Johnny Depp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-depp/) > [Never had a Father in my life, my mom had to be it. With that being said my kid won't ever have to worry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-had-a-father-in-my-life-my-mom-had-to-be-it-with-that-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I've always looked up to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/throughout-my-life-my-mom-has-been-the-person-that-i-ve-always-looked/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) ## More by Ethel Waters > [Whenever I write for hotel reservations, I always enclose a set of rules I have made for the hotels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/whenever-i-write-for-hotel-reservations-i-always-enclose-a-set-of/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Today I blame only certain agents for my long eclipse as a public entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/today-i-blame-only-certain-agents-for-my-long-eclipse-as-a-public/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-had-always-loved-john-ford-s-pictures-and-i-came-to-love-him-too/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [All my life I've been prejudiced against wealthy people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/all-my-life-i-ve-been-prejudiced-against-wealthy-people/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The big compliment came from the beer drinkers who didn't know me. They wouldn't drink or move when I sang. If they had their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-big-compliment-came-from-the-beer-drinkers-who-didn-t-know-me/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I was born out of wedlock. Nobody brought me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-was-born-out-of-wedlock-nobody-brought-me-up/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I dressed plain, but my partners were always spending more money on clothes than I could afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-dressed-plain-but-my-partners-were-always-spending-more-money-on/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [After years in white theaters I dreaded working in colored houses. The noise, the stomping, whistling, and cheering that hadn't annoyed me when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/after-years-in-white-theaters-i-dreaded-working-in-colored-houses-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Many people know how to criticize, but few know how to praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/many-people-know-how-to-criticize-but-few-know-how-to-praise/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Negroes are human beings with exactly the same faults and virtues as members of the other races.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/negroes-are-human-beings-with-exactly-the-same-faults-and-virtues-as/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [There is a great supply of amateur undertakers in show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/there-is-a-great-supply-of-amateur-undertakers-in-show-business/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [My father came back one day and forced my mother to submit to him. He raped her, holding a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/my-father-came-back-one-day-and-forced-my-mother-to-submit-to-him-he/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/though-i-was-excited-about-the-sojourner-truth-play-it-was-not/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I found that a couple of bottles of beer would give me a lift, but the third bottle would sober me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-found-that-a-couple-of-bottles-of-beer-would-give-me-a-lift-but-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I'd have to take off my gloves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-white-audiences-thought-i-was-white-my-features-being-what-they/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) [Explore all 75 Ethel Waters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## More Dollars quotes > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [This welfare for wealthy companies wastes taxpayer dollars, harms the environment, and makes a mockery of the recent reductions in federal social spending programs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-nader/this-welfare-for-wealthy-companies-wastes-taxpayer-dollars-harms-the/) [Ralph Nader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-nader/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [The greatest charity you can contribute to is yourself. Instead of spending a dollar to help feed hungry children, why not spend that dollar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-greatest-charity-you-can-contribute-to-is-yourself-instead-of/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Some day I'll write a book and call it 'How I Got the Nickname Pumpsie' and sell it for one dollar, and if everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pumpsie-green/some-day-i-ll-write-a-book-and-call-it-how-i-got-the-nickname-pumpsie/) [Pumpsie Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pumpsie-green/) > [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/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Right now, the government is spending billions of dollars supporting the problem-makers in the U.S. economy - the polluters, despoilers, incarcerators, and warmongers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/right-now-the-government-is-spending-billions-of-dollars-supporting/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [In short, both experience and economic theory imply that the US could now t to a more competitive dollar without experiencing either increased inflation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-feldstein/in-short-both-experience-and-economic-theory-imply-that-the-us-could/) [Martin Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-feldstein/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [A man with a million dollars can be as happy nowadays as though he were rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-mcallister/a-man-with-a-million-dollars-can-be-as-happy-nowadays-as-though-he/) [Ward McAllister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-mcallister/) > [Here we were talking about economic development, about investing billions of dollars in various programs, and I could see it wasn't billions of dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/here-we-were-talking-about-economic-development-about-investing/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I used to sit in front of McDonald's and ask people for dollars to get me a cheeseburger. It was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-pain/i-used-to-sit-in-front-of-mcdonald-s-and-ask-people-for-dollars-to/) [T-Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-pain/) [Browse all 2,882 Dollars quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dollars/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In her whole life Mom never earned more than five or six dollars a week. 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