---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's important for me to go back into the…"
description: "\"It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't live in the ghetto but every time I go back..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png"
---

#  It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where…

![“It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't live in the ghetto but every time I go back, I'm seeing the same things that I lived. That's one of the things I mean when I say, &quot;My feet back onto the ground.&quot;” quote by Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png)

> “It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't live in the ghetto but every time I go back, I'm seeing the same things that I lived. That's one of the things I mean when I say, "My feet back onto the ground."”

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

## About This Quote

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

Returning to one's roots provides grounding, perspective, and renewed energy, reminding us of our origins and core values.

**In simple terms:** Going back home keeps you grounded.

Key Takeaway

Revisit your origins for clarity.

Themes

identity roots grounding reflection

Mood

reflective hopeful nostalgic

Type

inspirational philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- creative inspiration
- community engagement
- mental health
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

Nostalgia self-awareness cultural continuity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “the ground” symbolize for you?
- How does revisiting origins affect your current goals?

A Different Perspective

Romanticizing the past may ignore present challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ghetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghetto/) [Oxygen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oxygen/)

## Related quotes

> [It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-the-ghetto-where-i-m-from-i-2/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [If you live in a ghetto and really want not to just change your life and your family's life but change your ghetto's life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/if-you-live-in-a-ghetto-and-really-want-not-to-just-change-your-life/)

[will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/)

> [No mama, no papa, and I live in the ghetto. I'm just a child from a broken home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-aitken/no-mama-no-papa-and-i-live-in-the-ghetto-i-m-just-a-child-from-a/)

[Laurel Aitken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-aitken/)

> [The ghetto is not where you live. The ghetto is inside your mind. And anyone who tells you that you can't get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-ghetto-is-not-where-you-live-the-ghetto-is-inside-your-mind-and/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I would love to see no more ghettos, but the things is, there's no diplomacy in the ghetto. They want to tell you something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-would-love-to-see-no-more-ghettos-but-the-things-is-there-s-no-2/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I would love to see no more ghettos but the things is, there's no diplomacy in the ghetto. They want to tell you something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-would-love-to-see-no-more-ghettos-but-the-things-is-there-s-no/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I'll continue on the path I've been taking, feet on the ground, describing people's lives, describing people's emotions, writing from the standpoint of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/i-ll-continue-on-the-path-i-ve-been-taking-feet-on-the-ground/)

[Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/)

> [I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-still-have-my-feet-on-the-ground-i-just-wear-better-shoes/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [It takes forty men with their feet on the ground to keep one man with his head in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-takes-forty-men-with-their-feet-on-the-ground-to-keep-one-man-with/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You can't grasp the wonderful and keep your feet on the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-afters/you-can-t-grasp-the-wonderful-and-keep-your-feet-on-the-ground/)

The Afters

> [Live a little be a gypsy, get around. Get your feet up off the ground, live a little, get around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/live-a-little-be-a-gypsy-get-around-get-your-feet-up-off-the-ground/)

[Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/)

> [You got to keep your feet on the ground, and it is what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-holloway/you-got-to-keep-your-feet-on-the-ground-and-it-is-what-it-is/)

[Max Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-holloway/)

> [I try to, pardon the expression, stay with my feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-zanardi/i-try-to-pardon-the-expression-stay-with-my-feet-on-the-ground/)

[Alex Zanardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-zanardi/)

> [I'm a legend now. But I'll keep my feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-oliveira/i-m-a-legend-now-but-i-ll-keep-my-feet-on-the-ground/)

[Charles Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-oliveira/)

> [Being six feet off the ground does give one a sense of superiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/being-six-feet-off-the-ground-does-give-one-a-sense-of-superiority/)

[Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/)

## More by Jimmy Cliff

> [If I don't channel pain into a song, I play my guitar or play the piano or play my drums, or go swimming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/if-i-don-t-channel-pain-into-a-song-i-play-my-guitar-or-play-the/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I’ve abused myself a lot over the years. But my voice is still intact – really, it’s better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-ve-abused-myself-a-lot-over-the-years-but-my-voice-is-still-intact/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I have not become the artist I believe I am. I want to become a stadium act. I'm not done at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-have-not-become-the-artist-i-believe-i-am-i-want-to-become-a/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [Look at the waterfall! See how the shadow scroll. If you belive me, we'll stay together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/look-at-the-waterfall-see-how-the-shadow-scroll-if-you-belive-me-we/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [“I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than to live life as a puppet or a slave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-d-rather-be-a-free-man-in-my-grave-than-to-live-life-as-a-puppet-or/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I grew up in the church and had always questioned what they were telling me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-grew-up-in-the-church-and-had-always-questioned-what-they-were/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [My pigment is of the earth, and collecting my sacred fire from my solar plexus with the central sun of the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/my-pigment-is-of-the-earth-and-collecting-my-sacred-fire-from-my/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I'm very attached to my family and protective of them and miss them, and that situation, my connection with that can make me become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-m-very-attached-to-my-family-and-protective-of-them-and-miss-them/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I visit studios. Just to get the feel, the smell, and see what other people are doing. Not only listening to the radio, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-visit-studios-just-to-get-the-feel-the-smell-and-see-what-other/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [Got your mind set on a dream, you can get it though how hard it may seem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/got-your-mind-set-on-a-dream-you-can-get-it-though-how-hard-it-may/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [I need you everyday and we'll stay this way. The same ol'place we found It's ours forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/i-need-you-everyday-and-we-ll-stay-this-way-the-same-ol-place-we/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [Rastafari means to live in nature, to see the Creator in the wind, sea and storm. Other religions pointed to the sky, and while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/rastafari-means-to-live-in-nature-to-see-the-creator-in-the-wind-sea/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [Reggae night and we'll be jammin 'till the morning light. Penny Reel just called got to get my things got to catch this ride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/reggae-night-and-we-ll-be-jammin-till-the-morning-light-penny-reel/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [My role is the shepherd's role. The shepherd is the one who opens the gate and allows the flock to go through and whoever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/my-role-is-the-shepherd-s-role-the-shepherd-is-the-one-who-opens-the/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

> [People might say, 'Jimmy Cliff, you've done a lot, achieved a lot. What more can you want?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/people-might-say-jimmy-cliff-you-ve-done-a-lot-achieved-a-lot-what/)

[Jimmy Cliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

[Explore all 96 Jimmy Cliff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/)

## More Feet quotes

> [The minute you step onstage, you get eight feet taller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/the-minute-you-step-onstage-you-get-eight-feet-taller/)

[Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/)

[Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/)

> [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [We can't love a place or a person if we always have one foot out the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/we-can-t-love-a-place-or-a-person-if-we-always-have-one-foot-out-the/)

[Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/)

> [When I was 3, my parents strapped on a pair of Playskool plastic roller skates to my feet, and that's where the story begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-celski/when-i-was-3-my-parents-strapped-on-a-pair-of-playskool-plastic/)

[J. R. Celski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-celski/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/)

[Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/)

> [“Always wash you feet last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-wash-you-feet-last/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My husband really loves my feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayesha-curry/my-husband-really-loves-my-feet/)

[Ayesha Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayesha-curry/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/)

[Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/)

> [Griezmann is an exceptional player. He's brimming with talent, and he knows how to keep his feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-matuidi/griezmann-is-an-exceptional-player-he-s-brimming-with-talent-and-he/)

[Blaise Matuidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-matuidi/)

> [I thought that I had no time for faith nor time to pray, then I saw an armless man saying his Rosary with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-thought-that-i-had-no-time-for-faith-nor-time-to-pray-then-i-saw-an/)

[John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/)

> [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

Browse all 6,557 Feet quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't live in the ghetto but every time I go back, I'm seeing the same things that I lived. That's one of the things I mean when I say, \"My feet back onto the ground.\"",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jimmy Cliff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-the-ghetto-where-i-m-from-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feet"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-the-ghetto-where-i-m-from-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/jimmy-cliff-6895_feet_it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-th_929217.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's important for me to go back into the ghetto, where I'm from. I still get my oxygen from there. I don't…” — Jimmy Cliff",
                "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": "Jimmy Cliff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cliff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It's important for me to go...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-the-ghetto-where-i-m-from-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cliff/it-s-important-for-me-to-go-back-into-the-ghetto-where-i-m-from-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
