--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My salary was ten dollars a week, to…" description: "\"“My salary was ten dollars a week, to which I added the extra two dollars Harry used to give me and about three dollars in tips that I used to average,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/harold-robbins-13319_years-ago_my-salary-was-ten-dollars-a-week-to-whic_497849.jpg" --- # My salary was ten dollars a week, to which I added the… ![“My salary was ten dollars a week, to which I added the extra two dollars Harry used to give me and about three dollars in tips that I used to average, which made a comfortable total of fifteen a week and was enough for me to get along on. I could use more money, but then, who couldn’t? Jobs were…” quote by Harold Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/harold-robbins-13319_years-ago_my-salary-was-ten-dollars-a-week-to-whic_497849.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/harold-robbins-13319_years-ago_my-salary-was-ten-dollars-a-week-to-whic_497849.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/446/harold-robbins-13319_years-ago_my-salary-was-ten-dollars-a-week-to-whic_497849.jpg) > ““My salary was ten dollars a week, to which I added the extra two dollars Harry used to give me and about three dollars in tips that I used to average, which made a comfortable total of fifteen a week and was enough for me to get along on. I could use more money, but then, who couldn’t? Jobs were pretty hard to get and I thought I was doing pretty well. It wasn’t as much money as I had made years ago when I worked for Keough, but somehow I wasn’t too interested in trying to get back into that work. I had the idea that I would eventually work my way up into a better paying job. The Horatio Alger idea was still a good one as far as I knew.”” [Harold Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on modest earnings, ambition, and the allure of upward mobility despite limited prospects. **In simple terms:** He earns little, hopes for a better job, and believes in self‑improvement. Key Takeaway Seek realistic paths to advancement. Themes ambition economic struggle hope self‑improvement social mobility Mood determined reflective Type motivational realistic When to use this quote - job search - budgeting - career planning - education - networking Key Concepts American Dream class aspiration personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What concrete steps can you take to improve your financial situation? - How realistic is the “Horatio Alger” narrative today? A Different Perspective Economic constraints may limit upward mobility despite effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [My first paying job, when I was 15, I was a day camp counselor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-pratt/my-first-paying-job-when-i-was-15-i-was-a-day-camp-counselor/) [Victoria Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-pratt/) > [I felt like a monster reincarnation of Horatio Alger: A man on the move, and just sick enough to be totally confident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-felt-like-a-monster-reincarnation-of-horatio-alger-a-man-on-the/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Nobody I know is as committed to excellence as Donald Palmisano. He symbolizes everything that is good about our country. 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There were many others like me riding the rods for one reason or another, some heading nowhere in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-robbins/it-wasn-t-too-tough-a-trip-there-were-many-others-like-me-riding-the/) [Harold Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-robbins/) > [“laughed aloud. “Don’t worry, Mr. Moroni. It’s as safe as an automobile.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-robbins/laughed-aloud-don-t-worry-mr-moroni-it-s-as-safe-as-an-automobile/) [Harold Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-robbins/) > [“I can wait,’ she said simply. ‘He has to have this chance.’ She drew me down to the chair beside her and rested my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-robbins/i-can-wait-she-said-simply-he-has-to-have-this-chance-she-drew-me/) [Harold Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-robbins/) > [“My aunt touched my shoulder, I opened my eyes startled for a moment. 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Jobs were pretty hard to get and I thought I was doing pretty well. It wasn’t as much money as I had made years ago when I worked for Keough, but somehow I wasn’t too interested in trying to get back into that work. I had the idea that I would eventually work my way up into a better paying job. 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