--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What's wrong with social climbing? What's…" description: "\"What's wrong with social climbing? What's wrong with trying to improve your lot in life? And if you do, what happens if your family doesn't? Is that be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/jeannette-walls-1378_family_what-s-wrong-with-social-climbing-what-s_2750416.jpg" --- # What's wrong with social climbing? What's wrong with… ![“What's wrong with social climbing? What's wrong with trying to improve your lot in life? And if you do, what happens if your family doesn't? Is that betraying your roots? Are you being dishonest? I had a really good job, and it paid really well. Am I supposed to quit it out of loyalty to my parents?” quote by Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/jeannette-walls-1378_family_what-s-wrong-with-social-climbing-what-s_2750416.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/jeannette-walls-1378_family_what-s-wrong-with-social-climbing-what-s_2750416.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/174/jeannette-walls-1378_family_what-s-wrong-with-social-climbing-what-s_2750416.jpg) > “What's wrong with social climbing? What's wrong with trying to improve your lot in life? And if you do, what happens if your family doesn't? Is that betraying your roots? Are you being dishonest? I had a really good job, and it paid really well. Am I supposed to quit it out of loyalty to my parents?” [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Social climbing and improving one's status raise ethical questions about loyalty, honesty, and familial obligations. **In simple terms:** Social climbing challenges loyalty and honesty. Key Takeaway Balance ambition with integrity. Themes ambition family ethics Mood conflicted thoughtful Type personal ethical When to use this quote - career decisions - family expectations - personal growth - societal pressure Key Concepts sociology psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you define success? - What are the costs of social climbing? A Different Perspective Ambition may conflict with personal values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty/) [Roots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roots/) [Social climbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-climbing/) ## Related quotes > [“I wonder how often I ended up on the short-end of the stick because I was climbing the wrong tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/i-wonder-how-often-i-ended-up-on-the-short-end-of-the-stick-because-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I was like a cat always climbing the wrong tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/i-was-like-a-cat-always-climbing-the-wrong-tree/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [Hello there. 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Social status is a reward for social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-barrett-batson/merciful-heaven-social-status-is-something-to-be-strived-for-not-born/) Ann Barrett Batson > [“for everybody must now 'move in a circle', - to the prevalence of which rotatory motion, is perhaps to be attributed the giddiness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-everybody-must-now-move-in-a-circle-to-the-prevalence-of-which/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Social climbing is my forté.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teejay-hughes/social-climbing-is-my-fort/) Teejay Hughes > [Social climbing and power climbing -- the two are often synonymous -- are what make Washington run. ... 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You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-not-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [With a complicated childhood, you can either focus on the positive or the negative, and I chose to focus on the positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/with-a-complicated-childhood-you-can-either-focus-on-the-positive-or/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/she-never-felt-sorry-for-herself-and-that-was-something-i-decided-i/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“If you want to live in the farmland, haul your sorry hide off to Pennsylvania.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/if-you-want-to-live-in-the-farmland-haul-your-sorry-hide-off-to/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“I WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-sitting-in-a-taxi-wondering-if-i-had-overdressed-for-the/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [I had the big shoulders; I had the big hair. 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"You have to show compassion for her..." She added that you should never hate anyone, even your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-hate-erma-i-told-mom-you-have-to-show-compassion-for-her-she-added/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Sad state to spend your life in. Being afraid of your own self." Rex Walls”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/sad-state-to-spend-your-life-in-being-afraid-of-your-own-self-rex/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [I was so worried that people wouldn't like me or my story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-so-worried-that-people-wouldn-t-like-me-or-my-story/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“the surest way to feel rich was to invest in quality nonessentials.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/the-surest-way-to-feel-rich-was-to-invest-in-quality-nonessentials/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) [Explore all 247 Jeannette Walls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) ## More Family quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. 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He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. 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