Big families Quote by Fannie Lou Hamer
“My parents would make huge crops of sometimes 55 to 60 bales of cotton. Being from a big family where there were 20 children, it wasn't too hard to pick that much cotton. But my father, year after year, didn't get too much money and I remember he just kept going.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Testimony at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Fannie Lou Hamer, 1964
Hard work persists despite limited profit, reflecting resilience and dedication.
In simple terms: Hard work continues despite low payoff.
Key Takeaway
Persist and seek better opportunities.
Themes
resilience
hard work
economic struggle
Mood
determined
hopeful
Type
historical
activist
When to use this quote
- farm work
- family support
- activism
- policy advocacy
Key Concepts
agrarian life
family labor
systemic poverty
Questions to Reflect On
- How can communities improve economic returns?
- What motivates continued effort despite hardship?
A Different Perspective
Economic constraints can limit progress without systemic change.
![“I will never forget, one day [when I] was six years old and I was playing beside the road and this plantation owner drove up to me and stopped and asked me, 'could I pick cotton.' I told him I didn't know and he said, 'Yes, you can. I will give you things that you want from the commissary store,'…” quote by Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/593/fannie-lou-hamer-3999_sardines_i-will-never-forget-one-day-when-i-was-s_2563225.jpg)
![“I met one child there eleven years old, speaking three languages [in Guinea]. He could speak English, French and Malinke. Speaking my language actually better than I could. And this hypocrisy - they tell us here in America [ that black people can't be intelligent].” quote by Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6ef/fannie-lou-hamer-3999_america_i-met-one-child-there-eleven-years-old-s_78966.jpg)
![“... some of my people could have been left [in Africa] and are living there. And I can't understand them and they don't know me and I don't know them because all we had was taken away from us. And I became kind of angry; Ifelt the anger of why this had to happen to us. We were so stripped and…” quote by Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d38/fannie-lou-hamer-3999_robbed_some-of-my-people-could-have-been-left-i_142242.jpg)
![“I came from a big family, with not enough attention. It's classic. I wasn't the baby, but was second to last. It's absolutely the same story that most people have in this [film] business, they're the middle children. I've encountered some people, and it's weird to me, that they were the youngest…” quote by Paul F. Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/74d/paul-f-tompkins-3121_attention_i-came-from-a-big-family-with-not-enough_226143.jpg)
