--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I first came to Columbia University…" description: "\"When I first came to Columbia University, I was dirt poor. I did not choose to come here - I just ended up here because I had nowhere else to go, havin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/li-lu-18293_country_when-i-first-came-to-columbia-university_649218.jpg" --- # When I first came to Columbia University, I was dirt poor… ![“When I first came to Columbia University, I was dirt poor. I did not choose to come here - I just ended up here because I had nowhere else to go, having just escaped from China after Tiananmen. I was in a new country where I didn't understand the language, didn't know anybody, and didn't have a…” quote by Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/li-lu-18293_country_when-i-first-came-to-columbia-university_649218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/li-lu-18293_country_when-i-first-came-to-columbia-university_649218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebc/li-lu-18293_country_when-i-first-came-to-columbia-university_649218.jpg) > “When I first came to Columbia University, I was dirt poor. I did not choose to come here - I just ended up here because I had nowhere else to go, having just escaped from China after Tiananmen. I was in a new country where I didn't understand the language, didn't know anybody, and didn't have a penny to my name. So I was desperate and afraid.” [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A refugee arrives at a prestigious university with no resources, feeling fear and desperation. **In simple terms:** A poor refugee feels scared at a new university. Key Takeaway Seek community and resources despite hardship. Themes immigration poverty education resilience Mood anxious hopeful Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - college enrollment - language learning - finding housing - building friendships Key Concepts identity survival adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How can institutions better support displaced students? - What personal strengths can you draw on in crisis? A Different Perspective Limited support systems can hinder integration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Came Columbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/came-columbia-5195781/) [China Tiananmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china-tiananmen-5195782/) [Columbia university](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columbia-university/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Dirt Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirt-poor-501693/) [Escaped China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/escaped-china-536155/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Name](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/name/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/penny/) ## Related quotes > [In 2003, the world didn't learn about SARS until after it had escaped China and become impossible to deny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeynep-tufekci/in-2003-the-world-didn-t-learn-about-sars-until-after-it-had-escaped/) [Zeynep Tufekci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeynep-tufekci/) > [I was living in the border area with China, in Hyesan City. But after my father was imprisoned for informal trading, I escaped to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/park-yeon-mi/i-was-living-in-the-border-area-with-china-in-hyesan-city-but-after/) [Park Yeon-mi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/park-yeon-mi/) > [When I escaped from China and came to Hong Kong, the contrast was that China was like hell and Hong Kong like heaven. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-lai/when-i-escaped-from-china-and-came-to-hong-kong-the-contrast-was-that/) [Jimmy Lai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-lai/) > [The moment I escaped to China, I didn't have any money; I only had one address in my hand of some long-distance Chinese relatives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/the-moment-i-escaped-to-china-i-didn-t-have-any-money-i-only-had-one/) [Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/) > [When I say dirt-poor, I mean Mom made maybe $25,000 a year. I remember buying milk with food stamps. Vividly. So, growing up, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-sehorn/when-i-say-dirt-poor-i-mean-mom-made-maybe-25-000-a-year-i-remember/) [Jason Sehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-sehorn/) > [If all we've got is the dirt poor and the filthy rich, the dirt poor would eat the filthy rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/if-all-we-ve-got-is-the-dirt-poor-and-the-filthy-rich-the-dirt-poor/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [Oprah is definitely a self-made woman and she came from being dirt poor, as did I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/oprah-is-definitely-a-self-made-woman-and-she-came-from-being-dirt/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [I didn't have life that good coming up. I wasn't born with a lot of money. We weren't dirt poor, but we weren't rich.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunna/i-didn-t-have-life-that-good-coming-up-i-wasn-t-born-with-a-lot-of/) [Gunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunna/) > [We live in a world with serious class complexes. It is one thing to be a college student with loan debts and another thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/we-live-in-a-world-with-serious-class-complexes-it-is-one-thing-to-be/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [Some people think that poor people are lazy. Actually, it takes a lot of work to survive when you are dirt-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/some-people-think-that-poor-people-are-lazy-actually-it-takes-a-lot/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [My parents worked their tails off, but we weren't the poorest people in town. Some people I went to school with, you could tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-devito/my-parents-worked-their-tails-off-but-we-weren-t-the-poorest-people/) [Danny DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-devito/) > [My mom had to be resourceful. She grew up dirt poor in rural Louisiana.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/my-mom-had-to-be-resourceful-she-grew-up-dirt-poor-in-rural-louisiana/) [Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/) > [“Vodou says, there’s God, sure, Gran Met, but He’s big, too big and too far away to worry Himself if your ass is poor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/vodou-says-there-s-god-sure-gran-met-but-he-s-big-too-big-and-too-far/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [I was dirt-poor. I could barely hold down a job. Eventually, though, I started getting small parts on shows like 'Smallville,' 'Supernatural'... and lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-monteith/i-was-dirt-poor-i-could-barely-hold-down-a-job-eventually-though-i/) [Cory Monteith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-monteith/) > [“Back in Russia we were dirt-poor. Here in the West we are still poor but have risen above the dirt to tower alongside stalks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/back-in-russia-we-were-dirt-poor-here-in-the-west-we-are-still-poor/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) ## More by Li Lu > [Everyone has blind spots, and even the brightest people are no exceptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/everyone-has-blind-spots-and-even-the-brightest-people-are-no/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Mao Zedong's way was to make people crazy. It was like a religious cult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/mao-zedong-s-way-was-to-make-people-crazy-it-was-like-a-religious-cult/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Without a free man, there is no free market. That's called exploitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/without-a-free-man-there-is-no-free-market-that-s-called-exploitation/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [All companies incur expenses, some of which are fixed and bear no relation to sales volumes. In this way, profits can grow at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/all-companies-incur-expenses-some-of-which-are-fixed-and-bear-no/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [I grew up in Communist China and never had much money to my name, and then, all of a sudden, I had giant student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/i-grew-up-in-communist-china-and-never-had-much-money-to-my-name-and/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [A 'competence' that has no defined borders cannot be called a true competence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/a-competence-that-has-no-defined-borders-cannot-be-called-a-true/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [You can't imagine a free market coupled with a dictatorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/you-can-t-imagine-a-free-market-coupled-with-a-dictatorship/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Tiananmen did not fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/tiananmen-did-not-fail/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Part of the game of investing is to come into your own. You must find some way that perfectly fits your personality because there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/part-of-the-game-of-investing-is-to-come-into-your-own-you-must-find/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [I was born and grew up in China during the 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/i-was-born-and-grew-up-in-china-during-the-1960s/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Investing is about predicting the future, and the future is inherently unpredictable. Therefore, the only way you can do better is to assess all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/investing-is-about-predicting-the-future-and-the-future-is-inherently/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [In my 40s, the two cultures finally came to peace with one other inside me, and I have come to identify myself as both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/in-my-40s-the-two-cultures-finally-came-to-peace-with-one-other/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [With free market and free man, if you remove one of them, it is not called capitalism in my dictionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/with-free-market-and-free-man-if-you-remove-one-of-them-it-is-not/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [Politically, China suppresses its people, but because the government allows some freedom in economic matters, business has become the ultimate expression of individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/politically-china-suppresses-its-people-but-because-the-government/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) > [No dictatorship can be sustained within the context of an information revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-lu/no-dictatorship-can-be-sustained-within-the-context-of-an-information/) [Li Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) [Explore all 35 Li Lu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-lu/) ## More Columbia university quotes > [Columbia University, where I went to study in 1993, insisted its undergraduates learn a foreign language, so I discovered French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aravind-adiga/columbia-university-where-i-went-to-study-in-1993-insisted-its/) [Aravind Adiga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aravind-adiga/) > [I starred in a Broadway play that was Sidney Poitier's first directing job and the cast was Lou Gossett, Cicely Tyson, Diana Ladd and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-steinberg/i-starred-in-a-broadway-play-that-was-sidney-poitier-s-first/) [David Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-steinberg/) > [Two years later, I went to the University of Minnesota from which I was on leave for several years during the war as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stigler/two-years-later-i-went-to-the-university-of-minnesota-from-which-i/) [George Stigler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stigler/) > [High on the list of things I've been meaning to do since I moved to New York in 2004 is going up to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-geist/high-on-the-list-of-things-i-ve-been-meaning-to-do-since-i-moved-to/) [Willie Geist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-geist/) > [The young women, what can they not learn, what can they not achieve, with Columbia University annex thrown open to them? In this great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-e-w-sherwood/the-young-women-what-can-they-not-learn-what-can-they-not-achieve/) [M. E. W. Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-e-w-sherwood/) > [Columbia University in 1959 had a kind of reputation that interested me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/columbia-university-in-1959-had-a-kind-of-reputation-that-interested/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [As a health scientist at Columbia University, Les Roberts, pointed out, sooner or later people are going to be looking at a child in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/as-a-health-scientist-at-columbia-university-les-roberts-pointed-out/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I worked at Columbia University's School of Public Health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/i-worked-at-columbia-university-s-school-of-public-health/) [Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/) > [I'm going to Columbia University but I'm trying to keep that low-profile because I don't want weird people following me there. I want the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-stiles/i-m-going-to-columbia-university-but-i-m-trying-to-keep-that-low/) [Julia Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-stiles/) > [The truly great books are always novels: 'Anna Karenina,' 'The Brothers Karamazov,' 'The Magic Mountain.' Just as with 'Shahnameh,' I browse these books from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/the-truly-great-books-are-always-novels-anna-karenina-the-brothers/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I work with The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. I sit proudly as one of only two recovering addicts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-work-with-the-national-center-on-addiction-and-substance-abuse-at/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Misguided liberal Joseph Stiglitz.Columbia University professor and Nobel Prize winner, claims the American dream is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/misguided-liberal-joseph-stiglitz-columbia-university-professor-and/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [ \[Mark\] Lilla is a professor at Columbia University in New York, and he has waded into the debate about what Democrats and liberals should… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-inskeep/mark-lilla-is-a-professor-at-columbia-university-in-new-york-and-he/) [Steve Inskeep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-inskeep/) > [I went to Columbia University because I knew I wanted to go to a school that was academically rigorous. I prided myself on getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-koenig/i-went-to-columbia-university-because-i-knew-i-wanted-to-go-to-a/) [Ezra Koenig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-koenig/) > [It was at the graduate school at Columbia University that I first met Wesley C. Mitchell, with whom I was associated for many years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kuznets/it-was-at-the-graduate-school-at-columbia-university-that-i-first-met/) [Simon Kuznets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kuznets/) [Browse all 32 Columbia university quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columbia-university/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I first came to Columbia University, I was dirt poor. I did not choose to come here - I just ended up here because I had nowhere else to go, having just escaped from China after Tiananmen. 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