---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were not many people who could say…"
description: "\"There were not many people who could say that their education had been paid for with cigarettes.\" — Markus Zusak"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png"
---

#  There were not many people who could say that their…

![“There were not many people who could say that their education had been paid for with cigarettes.” quote by Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png)

> “There were not many people who could say that their education had been paid for with cigarettes.”

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Education can be funded through unconventional means, reflecting socioeconomic constraints and personal sacrifice.

**In simple terms:** People sometimes pay for schooling with harmful habits.

Key Takeaway

Recognize hidden costs of education.

Themes

poverty education trade-offs

Mood

reflective critical

Type

literary social commentary

When to use this quote

- student loans
- gig work
- substance use
- family support

Key Concepts

social economics personal sacrifice

Questions to Reflect On

- What are the true costs of your education?
- How can society reduce such burdens?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize harmful coping strategies.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cigarette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/) [Cigarettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarettes/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Education Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education-paid-2804083/) [Paid Cigarettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-cigarettes-5217273/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-say/) [Say Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-education-905703/)

## Related quotes

> [The truth is that the want of common education with us is not from our poverty, but from the want of an orderly system.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-truth-is-that-the-want-of-common-education-with-us-is-not-from/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [My education was paid for by the RAF Benevolent Fund, so a charity school, run like an orphanage, with uniforms and beatings. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/my-education-was-paid-for-by-the-raf-benevolent-fund-so-a-charity/)

[Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/)

> [I say further that our system of education should be unsectarian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-barton/i-say-further-that-our-system-of-education-should-be-unsectarian/)

[Edmund Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-barton/)

> [I still say the only education worth anything is self-education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/i-still-say-the-only-education-worth-anything-is-self-education/)

[Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/)

> [It's quite fashionable to say that the education system's broken — it's not broken, it's wonderfully constructed. It's just that we don't need it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sugata-mitra/it-s-quite-fashionable-to-say-that-the-education-system-s-broken-it-s/)

[Sugata Mitra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sugata-mitra/)

> [I say, too, with education, America needs to be putting a lot more focus on that and our schools have got to be really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/i-say-too-with-education-america-needs-to-be-putting-a-lot-more-focus/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [“They say education has no end. If you still disagree with this, here is a better way to take it in; "Education has an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/they-say-education-has-no-end-if-you-still-disagree-with-this-here-is/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Now, let me say this about education. I've said it till I'm blue-green. Not everybody is cut out for the traditional pathway of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-justice/now-let-me-say-this-about-education-i-ve-said-it-till-i-m-blue-green/)

[Jim Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-justice/)

> [The say education is the key, but we see no padlock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dabby-felix/the-say-education-is-the-key-but-we-see-no-padlock/)

[Dabby Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dabby-felix/)

> [I tap a Malediction out of the box, fire it up, and puff. It tastes like a tire fire in a candy factory next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/i-tap-a-malediction-out-of-the-box-fire-it-up-and-puff-it-tastes-like/)

[Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/)

> [Cigarettes don't kill people - cancer kills people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weiner/cigarettes-don-t-kill-people-cancer-kills-people/)

[Richard M. Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weiner/)

> [Everything really needs to be paraben-free for me. I mean, because if I’m going to smoke cigarettes, then I need to be aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/everything-really-needs-to-be-paraben-free-for-me-i-mean-because-if-i/)

[Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/)

> [I quit because I'm so tired of hearing bad news about cigarettes... Even if they discover good news, they don't publicize it - like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arj-barker/i-quit-because-i-m-so-tired-of-hearing-bad-news-about-cigarettes-even/)

[Arj Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arj-barker/)

> [In the 1960s, you could eat anything you wanted, and of course, people were smoking cigarettes and all kinds of things, and there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/in-the-1960s-you-could-eat-anything-you-wanted-and-of-course-people/)

[Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/)

> [We have too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes smoking cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-have-too-many-preacherettes-preaching-too-many-sermonettes-to-too/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

## More by Markus Zusak

> [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I think that as a writer your responsibility is to search for and stir up the things that are in this world. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-think-that-as-a-writer-your-responsibility-is-to-search-for-and/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“For two days I went about my business. I travelled the globe as always, handing souls to the conveyor belt of eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/for-two-days-i-went-about-my-business-i-travelled-the-globe-as-always/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [It is early, early morning. It's that time when it's still dark but you know the day is coming. Blue is bleeding through black.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/it-is-early-early-morning-it-s-that-time-when-it-s-still-dark-but-you/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“I'm twenty years old and look at me-- there isn't a thing I want to do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-m-twenty-years-old-and-look-at-me-there-isn-t-a-thing-i-want-to-do/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [You should give it to Max, Liesel. See if you can leave it on the bedside table, like all the other things." Liesel watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/you-should-give-it-to-max-liesel-see-if-you-can-leave-it-on-the/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“When a woman with an iron fist tells you to get out there and clean spit off the door, you do it. Especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/when-a-woman-with-an-iron-fist-tells-you-to-get-out-there-and-clean/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [Is there cowardice with the acknowledgement of fear?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/is-there-cowardice-with-the-acknowledgement-of-fear/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“«¿Por qué no puede oírlo el resto del mundo? —me pregunto. En pocos segundos me lo pregunto muchas veces—. Porque no le importa —me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/por-qu-no-puede-o-rlo-el-resto-del-mundo-me-pregunto-en-pocos/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [Could she smell my breath? Could she hear my cursed circular heart beat revolving like the crime it is in my deathly chest?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/could-she-smell-my-breath-could-she-hear-my-cursed-circular-heart/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I see how complicated it is to make a film and how many people are involved and I love the fact that I get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-see-how-complicated-it-is-to-make-a-film-and-how-many-people-are/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [One wild card was yet to be played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/one-wild-card-was-yet-to-be-played/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [“Može li netko ukrasti sreću? Ili je i to još jedan unutarnji, paklenski ljudski trik?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/mo-e-li-netko-ukrasti-sre-u-ili-je-i-to-jo-jedan-unutarnji-paklenski/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

> [I look at my first books and am glad they weren't published… You start writing by imitating your heroes, then you keep the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/i-look-at-my-first-books-and-am-glad-they-weren-t-published-you-start/)

[Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

[Explore all 953 Markus Zusak quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/)

## More Cigarette quotes

> [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [Books were always important. I have to thank my father, he filled my life with books. He didn't write but he always read. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/books-were-always-important-i-have-to-thank-my-father-he-filled-my/)

[Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

[Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/)

> [We have too many preacherettes preaching too many sermonettes to too many Christianettes smoking cigarettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/we-have-too-many-preacherettes-preaching-too-many-sermonettes-to-too/)

[Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/)

> [Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/since-i-don-t-smoke-i-decided-to-grow-a-mustache-it-is-better-for-the/)

[Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/)

> [If the fact that people make poor decisions is reason enough for the government to second-guess their decisions about dangerous activities such as smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-sullum/if-the-fact-that-people-make-poor-decisions-is-reason-enough-for-the/)

[Jacob Sullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-sullum/)

> [“When I was young” … “Before I was twenty, I mean, I used to think that life was a thing that kept gaining impetus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/when-i-was-young-before-i-was-twenty-i-mean-i-used-to-think-that-life/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [They represent tomorrow's cigarette business. . . As this 14-24 age group matures, they will account for a key share of the total cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-reynolds/they-represent-tomorrow-s-cigarette-business-as-this-14-24-age-group/)

[R. J. Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-reynolds/)

> [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/)

[Hudson Maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-maxim/)

> [The ratings thing is the real issue. It really hurts movies. For example, in Redbelt, I smoked. The whole plot of my character was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-mortimer/the-ratings-thing-is-the-real-issue-it-really-hurts-movies-for/)

[Emily Mortimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-mortimer/)

> [I am a completely horizontal author. I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched on a couch and with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/i-am-a-completely-horizontal-author-i-can-t-think-unless-i-m-lying/)

[Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/)

> [They should give until it hurts, maybe a very small thing, maybe just a packet of cigarettes, but instead of by smoking that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/they-should-give-until-it-hurts-maybe-a-very-small-thing-maybe-just-a/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/you-can-accept-or-reject-the-way-you-are-treated-by-other-people-but/)

[Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/)

> [Then he bummed a cigarette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-rogers/then-he-bummed-a-cigarette/)

[Kenny Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-rogers/)

> [You're a religious man, ... You believe in God and life after death. I also believe. When we come to the other world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-wiesenthal/you-re-a-religious-man-you-believe-in-god-and-life-after-death-i-also/)

[Simon Wiesenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-wiesenthal/)

[Browse all 787 Cigarette quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There were not many people who could say that their education had been paid for with cigarettes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Markus Zusak"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say-that-their-education-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cigarette"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say-that-their-education-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/markus-zusak-165_cigarette_there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say_1450866.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There were not many people who could say that their education had been paid for with cigarettes.” — Markus Zusak",
                "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": "Markus Zusak",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There were not many people who...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say-that-their-education-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/there-were-not-many-people-who-could-say-that-their-education-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
