--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless children have strong education and…" description: "\"Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png" --- # Unless children have strong education and strong families… ![“Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.” quote by Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png) > “Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.” [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Education, families, communities, and housing are essential for meaningful civil rights progress. **In simple terms:** Strong social foundations are needed for equality. Key Takeaway Strengthen community support systems. Themes education family community housing civil rights Mood hopeful determined Type social activist When to use this quote - school reform - affordable housing projects - community organizing - family services Key Concepts Social equity systemic change public policy Questions to Reflect On - Which foundation needs most urgent investment? - How can these elements be coordinated effectively? A Different Perspective Addressing one issue alone may not achieve justice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Housing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/housing/) [Strong family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-family/) ## Related quotes > [Everything depends on a good job - strong families, strong communities, the pursuit of the American dream, and a tax base to support schools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-taft/everything-depends-on-a-good-job-strong-families-strong-communities/) [Bob Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-taft/) > [America is a country of strong families and strong values. My life's been blessed by both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/america-is-a-country-of-strong-families-and-strong-values-my-life-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/strong-families-use-the-word-we-a-lot-but-i-is-never-forgotten-family/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [Strong families are not an accident...They take thought and intention and preparation and skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-b-beck/strong-families-are-not-an-accident-they-take-thought-and-intention/) [Julie B. Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-b-beck/) > [We can have the largest economies and the most lethal weapons anywhere on Earth, but if we do not have strong families and strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-can-have-the-largest-economies-and-the-most-lethal-weapons/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I do believe that not just the churches but strong communities, strong trade unions, strong families can make a difference in terms of producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/i-do-believe-that-not-just-the-churches-but-strong-communities-strong/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Strong family values build strong families.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-angelo/strong-family-values-build-strong-families/) J.A. Angelo > [Our world needs good and strong families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/our-world-needs-good-and-strong-families/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close knit communities, and our faith in God , too many of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/in-a-nation-that-was-proud-of-hard-work-strong-families-close-knit/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Our children need strong families raising them with sturdy virtues, not to be smothered in the cold arms of the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/our-children-need-strong-families-raising-them-with-sturdy-virtues/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Strong families cultivate an attribute of effective communication. They talk out their problems, make plans together, and cooperate toward common objectives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/strong-families-cultivate-an-attribute-of-effective-communication/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [A loving family provides the foundation children need to succeed, and strong families with a man and a woman - bonded together for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bunning/a-loving-family-provides-the-foundation-children-need-to-succeed-and/) [Jim Bunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bunning/) > [Dreams do come true, but not without the help of others, a good education, a strong work ethic, and the courage to lean in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-burns/dreams-do-come-true-but-not-without-the-help-of-others-a-good/) [Ursula Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-burns/) > [“How can you showcase your unique expertise, valuable experience, and strong education without sounding egotistical?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/how-can-you-showcase-your-unique-expertise-valuable-experience-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [What we need is a strong education system that allows creativity to grow and encourages students to be interested in science and technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-arnold/what-we-need-is-a-strong-education-system-that-allows-creativity-to/) [Frances Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-arnold/) ## More by Marian Wright Edelman > [We must always refill and ensure there is a critical mass of leaders and activists committed to nonviolence and racial and economic justice who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-must-always-refill-and-ensure-there-is-a-critical-mass-of-leaders/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [It is utterly exhausting being Black in America - physically, mentally, and emotionally. While many minority groups and women feel similar stress, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-is-utterly-exhausting-being-black-in-america-physically-mentally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [Justice is not cheap. Justice is not quick. It is not ever finally achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/justice-is-not-cheap-justice-is-not-quick-it-is-not-ever-finally/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [I never thought I was breaking a glass ceiling. I just had to do what I had to do, and it never occurred to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/i-never-thought-i-was-breaking-a-glass-ceiling-i-just-had-to-do-what/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [In my generation, we learned how to be leaders by being exposed to and involved with adults who empowered us and gave us a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/in-my-generation-we-learned-how-to-be-leaders-by-being-exposed-to-and/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [The old notion that children are the private property of parents dies very slowly. In reality, no parent raises a child alone. How many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/the-old-notion-that-children-are-the-private-property-of-parents-dies/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [When Jesus Christ asked little children to come to him, he didn't say only rich children, or White children, or children with two-parent families,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/when-jesus-christ-asked-little-children-to-come-to-him-he-didn-t-say/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [“Don’t feel entitled to anything you don’t sweat and struggle for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/don-t-feel-entitled-to-anything-you-don-t-sweat-and-struggle-for/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [You can't tell parents to teach children the value of work when we don't have jobs and the jobs we have don't pay a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/you-can-t-tell-parents-to-teach-children-the-value-of-work-when-we/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [To all those mothers and fathers who are struggling with teen-agers, I say, just be patient: even though it looks like you can't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/to-all-those-mothers-and-fathers-who-are-struggling-with-teen-agers-i/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [It really takes a community to raise children, no matter how much money one has. Nobody can do it well alone. And it's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/it-really-takes-a-community-to-raise-children-no-matter-how-much/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [Democracy cannot breathe, indeed will die, if those enjoined to protect it and uphold the laws snuff it out - with no consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/democracy-cannot-breathe-indeed-will-die-if-those-enjoined-to-protect/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [Hunger and malnutrition have devastating consequences for children and have been linked to low birth weight and birth defects, obesity, mental and physical health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/hunger-and-malnutrition-have-devastating-consequences-for-children/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [We're spending, on average, three times more for prison than for public-school pupils. That's the dumbest investment policy. It doesn't make us safer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/we-re-spending-on-average-three-times-more-for-prison-than-for-public/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [You'd better stay determined, because that's how our ancestors got us where we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/you-d-better-stay-determined-because-that-s-how-our-ancestors-got-us/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) [Explore all 179 Marian Wright Edelman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's not enough to go sit in at a lunch counter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marian Wright Edelman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/unless-children-have-strong-education-and-strong-families-and-strong/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/unless-children-have-strong-education-and-strong-families-and-strong/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82e/marian-wright-edelman-2216_children_unless-children-have-strong-education-an_3186214.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unless children have strong education and strong families and strong communities and decent housing, it's…” — Marian Wright Edelman", "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": "Marian Wright Edelman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unless children have strong education and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/unless-children-have-strong-education-and-strong-families-and-strong/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/unless-children-have-strong-education-and-strong-families-and-strong/#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 } } ] } ```