--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My father was in the coal business in…" description: "\"My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png" --- # My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both… ![“My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant the place to go if you really wanted an education.” quote by John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png) > “My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant the place to go if you really wanted an education.” [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education is valued as a path to upward mobility, contrasting with the coal industry background. **In simple terms:** Education offers a way out of manual labor. Key Takeaway Pursue education for advancement. Themes social class education family aspiration Mood reflective hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - college applications - career planning - family expectations - regional job markets Key Concepts social mobility regional culture economic disparity Questions to Reflect On - What obstacles do you face in seeking education? - How does family background shape your goals? A Different Perspective Access to education may be limited by resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Coal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal/) [Coal Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal-business-2569886/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/england/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Coal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-coal-480719/) [Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massachusetts/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Originally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-originally-1380268/) [New england](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-england/) [Originally Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/originally-massachusetts-2569885/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virginia/) [Wanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanted/) [West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west/) [West virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-virginia/) ## Related quotes > [My mother was originally from Yorkshire and I spent a lot of my childhood there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prunella-scales/my-mother-was-originally-from-yorkshire-and-i-spent-a-lot-of-my/) [Prunella Scales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prunella-scales/) > [Wrong location? Move it. Wrong people? Replace 'em. Wrong industry? I don't believe it. I've got a company in the machine tools industry, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-hendricks/wrong-location-move-it-wrong-people-replace-em-wrong-industry-i-don-t/) [Ken Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-hendricks/) > [I came from a very, very small valley in the middle of South Wales. I grew up there with my father, who's a coal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/i-came-from-a-very-very-small-valley-in-the-middle-of-south-wales-i/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [I come from a coal-mining, working-class background. My father was a coal miner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/i-come-from-a-coal-mining-working-class-background-my-father-was-a/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [My father was a coal hewer from Goldthorpe, a coal-mining village in South Yorkshire. He played for the Yorkshire second team as an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-father-was-a-coal-hewer-from-goldthorpe-a-coal-mining-village-in/) [Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/) > [New Jersey boasts the highest percentage of passport holders (68%); Delaware (67%), Alaska (65%), Massachusetts (63%), New York (62%), and California (60%) are close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-florida/new-jersey-boasts-the-highest-percentage-of-passport-holders-68/) [Richard Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-florida/) > [When I was a West Virginia lad of 17, I met a Massachusetts lad of 42 by the name of John F. Kennedy. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-hickam/when-i-was-a-west-virginia-lad-of-17-i-met-a-massachusetts-lad-of-42/) [Homer Hickam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-hickam/) > [History will always regard Florida as the state that decided the Bush-Gore contest, but if Gore had carried Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri, West Virginia or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kornacki/history-will-always-regard-florida-as-the-state-that-decided-the-bush/) [Steve Kornacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kornacki/) > [All I want is greatness for West Virginia, and I'll work with anyone who is ready to help me turn this state around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/all-i-want-is-greatness-for-west-virginia-and-i-ll-work-with-anyone/) [Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/) > [“Our 182-passenger Boeing Classic this morning is under the able command of Captain Hiram Slatt, discharged from service in the United States Air Force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/our-182-passenger-boeing-classic-this-morning-is-under-the-able/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I've been surrounded by good people at West Virginia. That helped me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-grier/i-ve-been-surrounded-by-good-people-at-west-virginia-that-helped-me-a/) [Will Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-grier/) > [“Wyoming got an Algonquian name from Pennsylvania meaning “large prairie,” but the adoption came only after a long fight. Decades before the settling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/wyoming-got-an-algonquian-name-from-pennsylvania-meaning-large/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Imposing excessive new regulations, or closing coal-fired power plants, would produce few health or environmental benefits. But it would exact huge costs on society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-driessen/imposing-excessive-new-regulations-or-closing-coal-fired-power-plants/) [Paul Driessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-driessen/) > [“That’s what’s called a ‘valley fill.’ What they fill it with the coal companies call ‘overburden.’ That’s basically everything they tore off the land:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baldacci/that-s-what-s-called-a-valley-fill-what-they-fill-it-with-the-coal/) [David Baldacci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baldacci/) > [In West Virginia, the most vulnerable people we have are people who get up every morning and go to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manchin/in-west-virginia-the-most-vulnerable-people-we-have-are-people-who/) [Joe Manchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manchin/) ## More by John Knowles > [“Why talk about something you can't do anything about?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/why-talk-about-something-you-can-t-do-anything-about/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [There are special, strange gifted people in the world and they have to be treated with understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-are-special-strange-gifted-people-in-the-world-and-they-have-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [It seemed clear that wars were not made by generations and their special stupidities, but that wars were made instead by something ignorant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/it-seemed-clear-that-wars-were-not-made-by-generations-and-their/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“I saw on the pad not an operator's number from my home town, but one which seemed to interrupt the beating of my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/i-saw-on-the-pad-not-an-operator-s-number-from-my-home-town-but-one/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“Sixteen is the key and crucial and natural age for a human being to be, and people of all other ages are ranged in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/sixteen-is-the-key-and-crucial-and-natural-age-for-a-human-being-to/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [the scornful force of his tone turned the word into a curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/the-scornful-force-of-his-tone-turned-the-word-into-a-curse/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [There was no harm in taking aim, even if the target was a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/there-was-no-harm-in-taking-aim-even-if-the-target-was-a-dream/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [We are all born equally far from the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/we-are-all-born-equally-far-from-the-sun/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Stranded in this mill town railroad yard while the whole world was converging elsewhere, we seemed to be nothing but children playing among heroic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/stranded-in-this-mill-town-railroad-yard-while-the-whole-world-was/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Sarcasm is the protest of the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/sarcasm-is-the-protest-of-the-weak/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [It was hard to remember in the heavy and sensual clarity of these mornings; I forgot whom I hated and who hated me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/it-was-hard-to-remember-in-the-heavy-and-sensual-clarity-of-these/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Exeter was, I suspect, more crucial in my life than in the lives of most members of my class, and conceivably, than in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/exeter-was-i-suspect-more-crucial-in-my-life-than-in-the-lives-of/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Nothing endures. Not a tree. Not love. Not even death by violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/nothing-endures-not-a-tree-not-love-not-even-death-by-violence/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“He was nodding his head, his jaw tightening and his eyes closed on the tears. “I believe you. It’s okay because I understand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/he-was-nodding-his-head-his-jaw-tightening-and-his-eyes-closed-on-the/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [“Like all old, good schools, Devon did not stand isolated behind walls and gates but emerged naturally from the town which had produced it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/like-all-old-good-schools-devon-did-not-stand-isolated-behind-walls/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) [Explore all 107 John Knowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant the place to go if you really wanted an education.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Knowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f9/john-knowles-4729_business_my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-we_260481.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from…” — John Knowles", "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": "John Knowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My father was in the coal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/#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 } } ] } ```