--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was strange how it was always the poor…" description: "\"“It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up [hitchhiking]...They dwelled beneath poverty lines and were undereducated, but they were......" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg" --- # It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up… ![“It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up [hitchhiking]...They dwelled beneath poverty lines and were undereducated, but they were...more civilized than the finely bred..for there is no demographic that has a sharper instinct for empathy than the downtrodden.” quote by Ken Ilgunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg) > ““It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up \[hitchhiking\]...They dwelled beneath poverty lines and were undereducated, but they were...more civilized than the finely bred..for there is no demographic that has a sharper instinct for empathy than the downtrodden.”” [Ken Ilgunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ilgunas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights that people living in poverty often exhibit greater empathy than those from privileged backgrounds. **In simple terms:** The poor are often more empathetic than the privileged. Key Takeaway Recognize and value empathy from all social strata. Themes empathy social class human nature Mood reflective thoughtful Type observational social commentary When to use this quote - community work - policy making - personal relationships - volunteering Key Concepts sociology psychology inequality Questions to Reflect On - How does socioeconomic status shape empathy? - Can privilege hinder emotional insight? A Different Perspective Empathy can be influenced by many factors, not just poverty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [He was slumped in the back, gazing out of the window, as though his parents were two people who had picked him up hitchhiking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-was-slumped-in-the-back-gazing-out-of-the-window-as-though-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-are-200-million-poor-in-the-world-who-would-gladly-take-the-vow/) [Fulton J. 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“In places where government priorities and market imperatives create a world so capricious that to help a neighbor is to risk your ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/in-places-where-government-priorities-and-market-imperatives-create-a/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [“I've always been after the trappings of great luxury. But all I've got hold of are the trappings of great poverty. I've got hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cook/i-ve-always-been-after-the-trappings-of-great-luxury-but-all-i-ve-got/) [Peter Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cook/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Hundreds of millions of human beings on our planet increasingly suffer from unemployment, poverty, hunger, and the destruction of their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-kung/hundreds-of-millions-of-human-beings-on-our-planet-increasingly/) [Hans Kung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-kung/) > [There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/there-are-200-million-poor-in-the-world-who-would-gladly-take-the-vow/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [Every one is weary, the poore in seeking, the rich in keeping, the good in learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/every-one-is-weary-the-poore-in-seeking-the-rich-in-keeping-the-good/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 7,240 Poverty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up [hitchhiking]...They dwelled beneath poverty lines and were undereducated, but they were...more civilized than the finely bred..for there is no demographic that has a sharper instinct for empathy than the downtrodden.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Ilgunas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poor-who-picked-us-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Poverty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poor-who-picked-us-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c4/ken-ilgunas-26210_poverty_it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poo_811885.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was strange how it was always the poor who picked us up [hitchhiking]...They dwelled beneath poverty…” — Ken Ilgunas", "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": "Ken Ilgunas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ilgunas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was strange how it was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poor-who-picked-us-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ilgunas/it-was-strange-how-it-was-always-the-poor-who-picked-us-up/#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 } } ] } ```