--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS…" description: "\"“THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS, drifters, hobos, restless souls. But now, in the second millennium, a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging. Peop..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/jessica-bruder-46109_dental-work_there-have-always-been-itinerants-drifte_164791.jpg" --- # THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS, drifters, hobos… ![“THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS, drifters, hobos, restless souls. But now, in the second millennium, a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging. People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road. They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel…” quote by Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/jessica-bruder-46109_dental-work_there-have-always-been-itinerants-drifte_164791.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/jessica-bruder-46109_dental-work_there-have-always-been-itinerants-drifte_164791.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/783/jessica-bruder-46109_dental-work_there-have-always-been-itinerants-drifte_164791.jpg) > ““THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS, drifters, hobos, restless souls. But now, in the second millennium, a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging. People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road. They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans, secondhand RVs, school buses, pickup campers, travel trailers, and plain old sedans. They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class. Decisions like: Would you rather have food or dental work? Pay your mortgage or your electric bill? Make a car payment or buy medicine? Cover rent or student loans? Purchase warm clothes or gas for your commute? For many the answer seemed radical at first. You can’t give yourself a raise, but what about cutting your biggest expense? Trading a stick-and-brick domicile for life on wheels?”” [Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are abandoning traditional housing for mobile living to escape financial pressures, choosing freedom on wheels over conventional stability. **In simple terms:** Escaping high costs, many choose mobile homes for flexibility and lower expenses. Key Takeaway Consider mobile living to reduce financial strain. Themes economics housing freedom minimalism choice Mood anxious hopeful Type sociological inspirational When to use this quote - housing crisis - budgeting - career transitions - family planning Key Concepts Cost‑benefit analysis nomadic lifestyle financial trade‑offs Questions to Reflect On - What sacrifices are you willing to make for freedom? - How does mobility affect community ties? A Different Perspective Mobile living can limit stability and access to services. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dental work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dental-work/) [Imagined Nomads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined-nomads-1798723/) [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Nomads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nomads/) [Wandering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wandering/) [Wandering Tribe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wandering-tribe-1036769/) [Wheel Estate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel-estate-1798724/) ## Related quotes > [“The Lost Tribe How long, how long must I regret? I never found my people yet; I go about, but cannot find The blood-relations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-pitter/the-lost-tribe-how-long-how-long-must-i-regret-i-never-found-my/) [Ruth Pitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-pitter/) > [A man loses his illusions first, his teeth second, and his follies last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/a-man-loses-his-illusions-first-his-teeth-second-and-his-follies-last/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [If suffering brought wisdom, the dentist's office would be full of luminous ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/if-suffering-brought-wisdom-the-dentist-s-office-would-be-full-of/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“I suppose he represented the worst of what rural life can do to a man: he was racist, uneducated, and badly in need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suppose-he-represented-the-worst-of-what-rural-life-can-do-to-a-man/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [They say TV has a tendency to diminish actors, and I think that's probably true in the long run - it wears on 'em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/they-say-tv-has-a-tendency-to-diminish-actors-and-i-think-that-s/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I got some real rough dental work done not long ago, and my mouth's still numb right here \[points to the left side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jones-jr/i-got-some-real-rough-dental-work-done-not-long-ago-and-my-mouth-s/) [Roy Jones Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jones-jr/) > [A dentist at work in his vocation always looks down in the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-d-prentice/a-dentist-at-work-in-his-vocation-always-looks-down-in-the-mouth/) [George D. Prentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-d-prentice/) > [ Darla \[from Buffy The Vampire Slayer\] wasn't Darla in the beginning, by the way. Darla was just Vampire Girl #1. But I just started… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/darla-from-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-wasn-t-darla-in-the-beginning-by/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [I had very good dentures once. Some magnificent gold work. It's the only form of jewelry a man can wear that women fully appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-had-very-good-dentures-once-some-magnificent-gold-work-it-s-the/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [I've been giving free money seminars for the troops at Walter Reed Hospital and one of the Iraqi War Vets realized that the military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/i-ve-been-giving-free-money-seminars-for-the-troops-at-walter-reed/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [There was never yet philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-was-never-yet-philosopher-that-could-endure-the-toothache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The grinding of the intellect is for most people as painful as a dentists drill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-woolf/the-grinding-of-the-intellect-is-for-most-people-as-painful-as-a/) [Leonard Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-woolf/) > [My health plan doesn't cover dental, so I enrolled my teeth as 32 dependents, each needing a complete physical once a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/my-health-plan-doesn-t-cover-dental-so-i-enrolled-my-teeth-as-32/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [Every tooth in a man's head is more valuable than a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/every-tooth-in-a-man-s-head-is-more-valuable-than-a-diamond/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [I feel like alternative piercings in the ear is this untapped way to festoon yourself. Not many people understand this, but it hurts so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leandra-medine/i-feel-like-alternative-piercings-in-the-ear-is-this-untapped-way-to/) [Leandra Medine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leandra-medine/) ## More by Jessica Bruder > [“But for them—as for anyone—survival isn’t enough. So what began as a last-ditch effort has become a battle cry for something greater. Being human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bruder/but-for-them-as-for-anyone-survival-isn-t-enough-so-what-began-as-a/) [Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) > [“AT THE SAME TIME Empire was dying, a new and very different kind of company town was thriving seventy miles to the south. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bruder/at-the-same-time-empire-was-dying-a-new-and-very-different-kind-of/) [Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) > [“A deepening class divide makes social mobility all but impossible. 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As much as food or shelter, we require hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bruder/being-human-means-yearning-for-more-than-subsistence-as-much-as-food/) [Jessica Bruder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) [Explore all 8 Jessica Bruder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bruder/) ## More Dental work quotes > [A man loses his illusions first, his teeth second, and his follies last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/a-man-loses-his-illusions-first-his-teeth-second-and-his-follies-last/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [Every tooth in a man's head is more valuable than a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/every-tooth-in-a-man-s-head-is-more-valuable-than-a-diamond/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [My health plan doesn't cover dental, so I enrolled my teeth as 32 dependents, each needing a complete physical once a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/my-health-plan-doesn-t-cover-dental-so-i-enrolled-my-teeth-as-32/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The grinding of the intellect is for most people as painful as a dentists drill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-woolf/the-grinding-of-the-intellect-is-for-most-people-as-painful-as-a/) [Leonard Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-woolf/) > [There was never yet philosopher that could endure the toothache patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/there-was-never-yet-philosopher-that-could-endure-the-toothache/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I've been giving free money seminars for the troops at Walter Reed Hospital and one of the Iraqi War Vets realized that the military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/i-ve-been-giving-free-money-seminars-for-the-troops-at-walter-reed/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [I had very good dentures once. Some magnificent gold work. It's the only form of jewelry a man can wear that women fully appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/i-had-very-good-dentures-once-some-magnificent-gold-work-it-s-the/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [ Darla \[from Buffy The Vampire Slayer\] wasn't Darla in the beginning, by the way. Darla was just Vampire Girl #1. But I just started… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/darla-from-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-wasn-t-darla-in-the-beginning-by/) [Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/) > [A dentist at work in his vocation always looks down in the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-d-prentice/a-dentist-at-work-in-his-vocation-always-looks-down-in-the-mouth/) [George D. Prentice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-d-prentice/) > [I got some real rough dental work done not long ago, and my mouth's still numb right here \[points to the left side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-jones-jr/i-got-some-real-rough-dental-work-done-not-long-ago-and-my-mouth-s/) [Roy Jones Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-jones-jr/) > [They say TV has a tendency to diminish actors, and I think that's probably true in the long run - it wears on 'em…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/they-say-tv-has-a-tendency-to-diminish-actors-and-i-think-that-s/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [“I suppose he represented the worst of what rural life can do to a man: he was racist, uneducated, and badly in need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reif-larsen/i-suppose-he-represented-the-worst-of-what-rural-life-can-do-to-a-man/) [Reif Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reif-larsen/) > [If suffering brought wisdom, the dentist's office would be full of luminous ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/if-suffering-brought-wisdom-the-dentist-s-office-would-be-full-of/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I feel like alternative piercings in the ear is this untapped way to festoon yourself. Not many people understand this, but it hurts so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leandra-medine/i-feel-like-alternative-piercings-in-the-ear-is-this-untapped-way-to/) [Leandra Medine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leandra-medine/) > [I am terribly British. Especially in the eyes of Americans. I drink several gallons of tea a day, I'm often excessively polite and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhianna-pratchett/i-am-terribly-british-especially-in-the-eyes-of-americans-i-drink/) [Rhianna Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhianna-pratchett/) [Browse all 22 Dental work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dental-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ITINERANTS, drifters, hobos, restless souls. But now, in the second millennium, a new kind of wandering tribe is emerging. People who never imagined being nomads are hitting the road. They’re giving up traditional houses and apartments to live in what some call “wheel estate”—vans, secondhand RVs, school buses, pickup campers, travel trailers, and plain old sedans. They are driving away from the impossible choices that face what used to be the middle class. Decisions like: Would you rather have food or dental work? Pay your mortgage or your electric bill? Make a car payment or buy medicine? Cover rent or student loans? Purchase warm clothes or gas for your commute? For many the answer seemed radical at first. You can’t give yourself a raise, but what about cutting your biggest expense? 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