--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We used to have a lot of fun. We never…" description: "\"We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak? Who had steak?\" — Jesse Owens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg" --- # We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems… ![“We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak? Who had steak?” quote by Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg) > “We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak? Who had steak?” [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reminisces about a carefree past, noting the absence of luxury (steak) and implying that simple pleasures were enough. **In simple terms:** Remembering simple, carefree times without luxury. Key Takeaway Appreciate simple joys over material excess. Themes nostalgia simplicity contentment Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - childhood - economic hardship - celebrations Key Concepts materialism memory Questions to Reflect On - What simple pleasures bring you joy? - Do we romanticize the past? A Different Perspective Even without luxury, happiness can be found. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Sports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sports/) ## Related quotes > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [To a sprinter, the hundred-yard dash is over in three seconds, not nine or ten. The first 'second' is when you come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/to-a-sprinter-the-hundred-yard-dash-is-over-in-three-seconds-not-nine/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/if-you-don-t-try-to-win-you-might-as-well-hold-the-olympics-in/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [The secret is, first, get a thoroughbred horse because they are the most nervous animals on earth. Then get the biggest gun you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/the-secret-is-first-get-a-thoroughbred-horse-because-they-are-the/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [It dawned on me with blinding brightness. I realized: I had jumped into another rare kind of stratosphere - one that only a handful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/it-dawned-on-me-with-blinding-brightness-i-realized-i-had-jumped-into/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I want to thank my amateur trainer. We started at the bottom together. Just because you were born at the bottom doesn't mean you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavoris-cloud/i-want-to-thank-my-amateur-trainer-we-started-at-the-bottom-together/) [Tavoris Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavoris-cloud/) > [I love a good steak. I like my meat. I love broccoli - it's one of my favorites - and corn, too. I mix…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-wozniacki/i-love-a-good-steak-i-like-my-meat-i-love-broccoli-it-s-one-of-my/) [Caroline Wozniacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-wozniacki/) > [I'm a filet guy, so I like steak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-ingram/i-m-a-filet-guy-so-i-like-steak/) [Brandon Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-ingram/) > [There are times when born hollandaise heads, as well as nouveaux turbot freaks and recherche escargotphiles alike crave the saignet abundance of a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-greene/there-are-times-when-born-hollandaise-heads-as-well-as-nouveaux/) [Gael Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-greene/) > [I usually don't have a burger, a brat, and a steak but it is 4th of July. And I need the energy if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-usually-don-t-have-a-burger-a-brat-and-a-steak-but-it-is-4th-of/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [I used to be shy about ordering a steak after I had eaten a steak sandwich, but I got used to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/i-used-to-be-shy-about-ordering-a-steak-after-i-had-eaten-a-steak/) [A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/) > [He made a small sigh, as he swallowed the first blood, then his mouth closed over my earlobe, mouth working at the wound, tongue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-made-a-small-sigh-as-he-swallowed-the-first-blood-then-his-mouth/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“There is only one right way to eat a steak - with greed in your heart and a smile on your face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soumeet-lanka/there-is-only-one-right-way-to-eat-a-steak-with-greed-in-your-heart/) [Soumeet Lanka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soumeet-lanka/) > [If it's a healthy day, I'll head to the gym, then have a steak salad at the cafe next door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-mcgovern/if-it-s-a-healthy-day-i-ll-head-to-the-gym-then-have-a-steak-salad-at/) [Steph McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-mcgovern/) > [Our bodies are garbage heaps: we collect experience, and from the decomposition of the thrown-out eggshells, spinach leaves, coffee grinds, and old steak bones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/our-bodies-are-garbage-heaps-we-collect-experience-and-from-the/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) ## More by Jesse Owens > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [When I came back, after all those stories about Hitler and his snub, I came back to my native country, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-came-back-after-all-those-stories-about-hitler-and-his-snub-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [Joe Louis and I were the first modern national sports figures who were black... But neither of us could do national advertising because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/joe-louis-and-i-were-the-first-modern-national-sports-figures-who/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [A lifetime of training for just ten seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/a-lifetime-of-training-for-just-ten-seconds/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [The secret is, first, get a thoroughbred horse because they are the most nervous animals on earth. Then get the biggest gun you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/the-secret-is-first-get-a-thoroughbred-horse-because-they-are-the/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it's close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/it-all-goes-so-fast-and-character-makes-the-difference-when-it-s-close/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in somebody's back yard. The thrill of competing carries with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/if-you-don-t-try-to-win-you-might-as-well-hold-the-olympics-in/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [“In America anyone can still become someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/in-america-anyone-can-still-become-someone/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [To a sprinter, the hundred-yard dash is over in three seconds, not nine or ten. The first 'second' is when you come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/to-a-sprinter-the-hundred-yard-dash-is-over-in-three-seconds-not-nine/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [It dawned on me with blinding brightness. I realized: I had jumped into another rare kind of stratosphere - one that only a handful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/it-dawned-on-me-with-blinding-brightness-i-realized-i-had-jumped-into/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-always-loved-running-it-was-something-you-could-do-by-yourself-and/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [She (Minnie Ruth Solomon) was unusual because even though I knew her family was as poor as ours, nothing she said or did seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/she-minnie-ruth-solomon-was-unusual-because-even-though-i-knew-her/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [There is something that can happen to every athlete and every human being; the instinct to slack off, to give in to pain, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/there-is-something-that-can-happen-to-every-athlete-and-every-human/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [It was bad enough to have toppled from the Olympic heights to make my living competing with animals. But the competition wasn't even fair.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/it-was-bad-enough-to-have-toppled-from-the-olympic-heights-to-make-my/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) [Explore all 57 Jesse Owens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) ## More Athlete quotes > [As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-de-la-hoya/as-a-professional-athlete-and-someone-who-has-spent-almost-his-entire/) [Oscar De La Hoya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-de-la-hoya/) > [I'd noticed him watching me for a year or so, especially when we'd play games where there was running or jumping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/i-d-noticed-him-watching-me-for-a-year-or-so-especially-when-we-d/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [I think what bothers us about fighting sports isn't the damage to the athlete but the fact that you win by doing more harm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gottschall/i-think-what-bothers-us-about-fighting-sports-isn-t-the-damage-to-the/) [Jonathan Gottschall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gottschall/) > [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/) [Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/i-didn-t-set-out-to-be-the-first-openly-gay-athlete-playing-in-a/) [Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/) > [I like to push characters to extremes so they have to make really tough decisions and there is no life more extreme than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-like-to-push-characters-to-extremes-so-they-have-to-make-really/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) > [I don't want to say names, but there are certain companies I won't work with because of previous people they've worked with. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-don-t-want-to-say-names-but-there-are-certain-companies-i-won-t/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [We are like highly trained athletes, who never run a race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-samuelson/we-are-like-highly-trained-athletes-who-never-run-a-race/) [Paul Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-samuelson/) > [There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/there-are-only-two-options-regarding-commitment-you-re-either-in-or/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [I didn't aspire to be a good sport; 'champion' was good enough for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-perry/i-didn-t-aspire-to-be-a-good-sport-champion-was-good-enough-for-me/) [Fred Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-perry/) > [Treat yourself like an overweight, out of shape person and that's what you will be. Why not train and treat yourself like an athlete?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chalene-johnson/treat-yourself-like-an-overweight-out-of-shape-person-and-that-s-what/) [Chalene Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chalene-johnson/) [Browse all 2,455 Athlete quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak? Who had steak?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jesse Owens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-had-any-problems-we-always-ate/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Athlete" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-had-any-problems-we-always-ate/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/jesse-owens-11808_athlete_we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-ha_660847.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We used to have a lot of fun. We never had any problems. We always ate. The fact that we didn't have steak?…” — Jesse Owens", "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": "Jesse Owens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We used to have a lot...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-had-any-problems-we-always-ate/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/we-used-to-have-a-lot-of-fun-we-never-had-any-problems-we-always-ate/#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 } } ] } ```