--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was lucky to grow up at a time when it…" description: "\"I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult for the child of a tenant farmer to make his way to the state university.\" — James Hansen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-hansen-7143_children_i-was-lucky-to-grow-up-at-a-time-when-it_954697.jpg" --- # I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult… ![“I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult for the child of a tenant farmer to make his way to the state university.” quote by James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-hansen-7143_children_i-was-lucky-to-grow-up-at-a-time-when-it_954697.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-hansen-7143_children_i-was-lucky-to-grow-up-at-a-time-when-it_954697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/james-hansen-7143_children_i-was-lucky-to-grow-up-at-a-time-when-it_954697.jpg) > “I was lucky to grow up at a time when it was not difficult for the child of a tenant farmer to make his way to the state university.” [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up when higher education was accessible to children of modest farmers allowed upward mobility. **In simple terms:** Easy access to college helped social rise. Key Takeaway Leverage education for advancement. Themes education social mobility agricultural roots Mood reflective optimistic Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - rural youth seeking college - policy discussions on education access - family planning for future generations Key Concepts meritocracy opportunity class mobility Questions to Reflect On - How does background shape educational opportunities? - What policies improve rural college access? A Different Perspective Access may still be limited by systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmer/) [Farmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farmers/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [I had a great time with baseball growing up. I was lucky to grow up with it and to learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-johnson/i-had-a-great-time-with-baseball-growing-up-i-was-lucky-to-grow-up/) [Nick Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-johnson/) > [“If we get lucky, it will grow hair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-miller/if-we-get-lucky-it-will-grow-hair/) [Kirsten Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-miller/) > [I hope we'll get lucky enough to grow old together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible sources of energy--sun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-like-tenant-farmers-chopping-down-the-fence-around-our-house/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stand before you as the governor of Texas but also stand before you the son of two tenant farmers. Ray Perry who came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perry/i-stand-before-you-as-the-governor-of-texas-but-also-stand-before-you/) [Rick Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perry/) > [But you, Achilles,/ There is not a man in the world more blest than you--/ There never has been, never will be one./ Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-you-achilles-there-is-not-a-man-in-the-world-more-blest-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be a gentleman farmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/be-a-gentleman-farmer/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [A real farmer. He spent his childhood in the wheat, and his marriage in the hay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/a-real-farmer-he-spent-his-childhood-in-the-wheat-and-his-marriage-in/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [My mom had Julia Child and 'The Fannie Farmer Cookbook' on top of the refrigerator, and she had a small repertoire of French dishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/my-mom-had-julia-child-and-the-fannie-farmer-cookbook-on-top-of-the/) [Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/) > [The duty of the individual farmer, at this time, is to increase his production, particularly of food crops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-houston/the-duty-of-the-individual-farmer-at-this-time-is-to-increase-his/) [David F. Houston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-houston/) > [How will you know a good farmer when you meet him? 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The pigs had a great time, but I didn't make any money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/i-am-not-a-pig-farmer-the-pigs-had-a-great-time-but-i-didn-t-make-any/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [Im a farmer. I always will be a farmer. When I die, Ill be a farmer. Its something that Ive wanted to do since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/im-a-farmer-i-always-will-be-a-farmer-when-i-die-ill-be-a-farmer-its/) [Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/) ## More by James Hansen > [Talking nice about sun and wind and green jobs is just greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/talking-nice-about-sun-and-wind-and-green-jobs-is-just-greenwash/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What is frustrating people, me included, is that democratic action affects elections but what we get then from political leaders is greenwash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/what-is-frustrating-people-me-included-is-that-democratic-action/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The five-year mean global temperature has been flat for the last decade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-five-year-mean-global-temperature-has-been-flat-for-the-last/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [What makes tar sands particularly odious is that the energy you get out in the end, per unit carbon dioxide, is poor. 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That is the equivalent of what we face now \[with climate change\], yet… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/imagine-a-giant-asteroid-on-a-direct-collision-course-with-earth-that/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The most difficult task, phase-out over the next 20-25 years of coal use that does not capture COâ‚‚, is Herculean, yet feasible when compared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-most-difficult-task-phase-out-over-the-next-20-25-years-of-coal/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [As species are exterminated by shifting climate zones, ecosystems can collapse, destroying more species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/as-species-are-exterminated-by-shifting-climate-zones-ecosystems-can/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [I think we have a very brief window of opportunity to deal with climate change... no longer than a decade, at the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/i-think-we-have-a-very-brief-window-of-opportunity-to-deal-with/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) > [The climate system is being pushed hard enough that change will become obvious to the man in the street in the next decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hansen/the-climate-system-is-being-pushed-hard-enough-that-change-will/) [James Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) [Explore all 94 James Hansen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hansen/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. 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