--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a good thing to know what it is to…" description: "\"It is a good thing to know what it is to be poor, and a better thing if you can do it in company.\" — Marilynne Robinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/110/marilynne-robinson-602_business_it-is-a-good-thing-to-know-what-it-is-to_2847052.png" --- # It is a good thing to know what it is to be poor, and a… ![“It is a good thing to know what it is to be poor, and a better thing if you can do it in company.” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/110/marilynne-robinson-602_business_it-is-a-good-thing-to-know-what-it-is-to_2847052.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/110/marilynne-robinson-602_business_it-is-a-good-thing-to-know-what-it-is-to_2847052.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/110/marilynne-robinson-602_business_it-is-a-good-thing-to-know-what-it-is-to_2847052.png) > “It is a good thing to know what it is to be poor, and a better thing if you can do it in company.” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Experiencing poverty alongside others deepens empathy and shared understanding. **In simple terms:** Knowing poverty with company builds empathy. Key Takeaway Seek shared experiences to foster compassion. Themes poverty empathy community Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - social work - education - policy making - personal growth Key Concepts sociology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How does shared hardship change perspective? - What can we learn from collective adversity? A Different Perspective Individual poverty can also be isolating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Good things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-things/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) ## Related quotes > [I've been rich and I've been poor. It's better to be rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-ve-been-rich-and-i-ve-been-poor-it-s-better-to-be-rich/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“I don't think the poor are any better than the rich. Not at all. They're exactly the same,except that they are broke. Hell, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matz/i-don-t-think-the-poor-are-any-better-than-the-rich-not-at-all-they/) [Matz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matz/) > [In Detroit, at least in my household, you might be poor, but you better be honest. 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You do everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-hale/it-seems-as-if-when-you-try-to-do-just-one-thing-and-nothing-but-you/) [Nancy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-hale/) > ['It could be better' is the only thing that anyone should write in the margins of their own script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ol-parker/it-could-be-better-is-the-only-thing-that-anyone-should-write-in-the/) [Ol Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ol-parker/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. 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I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Now that I look back, it seems to me that in all that deep darkness a miracle was preparing. 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