---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you’re young, you don’t know that…"
description: "\"When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you just know whether or not you’re happy. And i was happy, and loved. My mom did whatever she has ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg"
---

#  When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you…

![“When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you just know whether or not you’re happy. And i was happy, and loved. My mom did whatever she has to do to get by, and the lesson i learned from my childhood was that it’s possible to pursue happiness, no matter where that pursuit may lead you.” quote by Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg)

> “When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you just know whether or not you’re happy. And i was happy, and loved. My mom did whatever she has to do to get by, and the lesson i learned from my childhood was that it’s possible to pursue happiness, no matter where that pursuit may lead you.”

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Happiness can be pursued regardless of wealth; childhood lessons show joy isn’t tied to money.

**In simple terms:** Happiness isn’t about money.

Key Takeaway

Seek joy beyond material wealth.

Themes

happiness poverty childhood

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal development
- mental health
- financial planning

Key Concepts

psychology socioeconomic status

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines happiness for you?
- How can you maintain joy amid financial stress?

A Different Perspective

Wealth can still affect opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/)

## Related quotes

> [“Having grown up in that house, there are certain lies you learned in childhood about who you believe you are, and they may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-f-martin/having-grown-up-in-that-house-there-are-certain-lies-you-learned-in/)

[Brian F. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-f-martin/)

> [I learned how my childhood had led me to be comfortable with confrontation and insensitive to those with less power. I came across as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gagan-biyani/i-learned-how-my-childhood-had-led-me-to-be-comfortable-with/)

[Gagan Biyani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gagan-biyani/)

> [Never will I pursue happiness, because it is not a goal, just a by-product, and there is no happiness in having or in getting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-will-i-pursue-happiness-because-it-is-not-a-goal-just-a-by/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [It was probably a mistake to pursue happiness; much better to create happiness; still better to create happiness for others. The more happiness you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-c-douglas/it-was-probably-a-mistake-to-pursue-happiness-much-better-to-create/)

[Lloyd C. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-c-douglas/)

> [There is what we desire to do, and what we are able to do. When those two things don't coincide, which path should we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiroshi-sakurazaka/there-is-what-we-desire-to-do-and-what-we-are-able-to-do-when-those/)

[Hiroshi Sakurazaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiroshi-sakurazaka/)

> [If you pursue happiness you never find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-snow/if-you-pursue-happiness-you-never-find-it/)

[C.P. Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-snow/)

> [The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself. A table, a chair, a bowl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-constitution-only-guarantees-the-american-people-the-right-to/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [I have a God-given right to pursue happiness, and happiness to me is killing things, skinning them, plucking them, and then having a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-have-a-god-given-right-to-pursue-happiness-and-happiness-to-me-is/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [Be that person that smiles no matter what they are going through. Do not let your circumstances determine your emotion. Be the decider of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/be-that-person-that-smiles-no-matter-what-they-are-going-through-do/)

[Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/)

> [Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/happiness-is-not-a-matter-of-intensity-but-of-balance-and-order-and/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [recurrence is sure. What the mind suffered last week, or last year, it does not suffer now; but it will suffer again next week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-meynell/recurrence-is-sure-what-the-mind-suffered-last-week-or-last-year-it/)

[Alice Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-meynell/)

> [“I have been thinking that the crux of happiness matter for me is whether or not I am in the moment, in the flow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lama-surya-das/i-have-been-thinking-that-the-crux-of-happiness-matter-for-me-is/)

[Lama Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lama-surya-das/)

> [The hour when you say, "What does my happiness matter? It is poverty and filth, and a wretched complacency. Yet my happiness should justify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-hour-when-you-say-what-does-my-happiness-matter-it-is-poverty-and/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Any happiness, no matter how brief, seemed better than the long, simmering torture of waking up day after day, knowing I could never have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/any-happiness-no-matter-how-brief-seemed-better-than-the-long/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [“Personal happiness is always a very serious matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheena-iyengar/personal-happiness-is-always-a-very-serious-matter/)

[Sheena Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheena-iyengar/)

## More by Jared Leto

> [It’s about getting to a point in your life where you’re ready to let go and move on and become the better version of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/it-s-about-getting-to-a-point-in-your-life-where-you-re-ready-to-let/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [I'm pretty healthy so I think that helps a lot. I've been that way for a long time - 20 solid years of eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-m-pretty-healthy-so-i-think-that-helps-a-lot-i-ve-been-that-way-for/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [I’ve always been interested in leaders and rule breakers and artists and politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-leaders-and-rule-breakers-and-artists/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [I think when Tom Ford was there I borrowed a Gucci tux one time, and they were very nice and he was very kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/i-think-when-tom-ford-was-there-i-borrowed-a-gucci-tux-one-time-and/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [Music is subjective to everyone's unique experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/music-is-subjective-to-everyone-s-unique-experience/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [Let's try and fail because through failure you learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/let-s-try-and-fail-because-through-failure-you-learn/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [When I was a kid I was the king of mullets. If you’re wearing a rock T-shirt and you’re a fan of Rush –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/when-i-was-a-kid-i-was-the-king-of-mullets-if-you-re-wearing-a-rock-t/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [You know it's a perverted crowd when a guy is screaming at you to take your shirt off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/you-know-it-s-a-perverted-crowd-when-a-guy-is-screaming-at-you-to/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [It was a real honor to be able to work with someone like that that I've been watching since I was a kid. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/it-was-a-real-honor-to-be-able-to-work-with-someone-like-that-that-i/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [My mother is very, very smart and commands respect because she has a lot of respect for herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/my-mother-is-very-very-smart-and-commands-respect-because-she-has-a/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [Professionally, I don’t necessarily have to adhere to a certain dress code. However, I think that comfort is crucial. Otherwise, you won’t be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/professionally-i-don-t-necessarily-have-to-adhere-to-a-certain-dress/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [If you are willing to walk the path of a dreamer, then anything is possibly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/if-you-are-willing-to-walk-the-path-of-a-dreamer-then-anything-is/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [ This is an industry \[high fashion\] that has an abundance of over-confidence. I don't think anyone would dispute that, and I'm not trying to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/this-is-an-industry-high-fashion-that-has-an-abundance-of-over/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [If you truly believe that your dreams will come a reality the possibilities are endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/if-you-truly-believe-that-your-dreams-will-come-a-reality-the/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

> [It was great growing up a nomad. To this day I still love hiking and back packing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/it-was-great-growing-up-a-nomad-to-this-day-i-still-love-hiking-and/)

[Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

[Explore all 174 Jared Leto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/)

## More Childhood quotes

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [“From childhood’s hour I have not been As others were—I have not seen As others saw—I could not bring My passions from a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/from-childhood-s-hour-i-have-not-been-as-others-were-i-have-not-seen/)

[Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/)

> [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/)

[Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/)

> [I had a rough upbringing. Group homes. Foster homes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shamrock/i-had-a-rough-upbringing-group-homes-foster-homes/)

[Frank Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shamrock/)

> [When I talk about my childhood I used to say it as if it was scripted and I'd make jokes because it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/when-i-talk-about-my-childhood-i-used-to-say-it-as-if-it-was-scripted/)

[Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/)

> [Every man remembers his childhood as a kind of mythical age, just as every nation's childhood is its mythical age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/every-man-remembers-his-childhood-as-a-kind-of-mythical-age-just-as/)

[Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/)

> [It's a very familiar type of place where people either go to their house on the lake or they get together in different places.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-carell/it-s-a-very-familiar-type-of-place-where-people-either-go-to-their/)

[Steve Carell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-carell/)

> [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/)

[Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/)

> [Downstairs in my house, I have a museum room. I keep all of my awards down there, and childhood photos, and even all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/downstairs-in-my-house-i-have-a-museum-room-i-keep-all-of-my-awards/)

[R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/)

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [On paper, it looks rough, but I had a great childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-morton/on-paper-it-looks-rough-but-i-had-a-great-childhood/)

[Samantha Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-morton/)

> [Let positive, strong, helpful thoughts enter into your brains from very childhood. Lay yourselves open to these thoughts, and not to weakening and paralysing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/let-positive-strong-helpful-thoughts-enter-into-your-brains-from-very/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/)

[Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/)

> [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/)

[John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/)

> [I'm not sure I would have ever started to draw, let alone write, if my childhood hadn't been so happy. It was a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/i-m-not-sure-i-would-have-ever-started-to-draw-let-alone-write-if-my/)

[Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/)

[Browse all 5,837 Childhood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you just know whether or not you’re happy. And i was happy, and loved. My mom did whatever she has to do to get by, and the lesson i learned from my childhood was that it’s possible to pursue happiness, no matter where that pursuit may lead you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jared Leto"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-you-re-poor-you-just-know/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Childhood"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-you-re-poor-you-just-know/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/448/jared-leto-2280_childhood_when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-yo_2610891.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you’re young, you don’t know that you’re poor, you just know whether or not you’re happy. And i was…” — Jared Leto",
                "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": "Jared Leto",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When you’re young, you don’t know...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-you-re-poor-you-just-know/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/when-you-re-young-you-don-t-know-that-you-re-poor-you-just-know/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
