--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a…" description: "\"Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.\" — Mary McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png" --- # Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad… ![“Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.” quote by Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png) > “Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.” [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Illiteracy among the wealthy is more alarming because it hides behind privilege and can influence power structures. **In simple terms:** Ignorance in the rich is dangerous. Key Takeaway Challenge educated elites to learn. Themes education class ignorance Mood concerned thoughtful Type sociological critical When to use this quote - policy making - media literacy - leadership development - public discourse Key Concepts sociology critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - How does elite illiteracy affect society? - What can be done to promote lifelong learning? A Different Perspective May underestimate systemic impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alarms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alarms/) [Bad grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-grammar/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Grammar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grammar/) [Illiteracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiteracy/) [Illiteracy Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illiteracy-poverty-2224275/) [Levels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/levels/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Nearly Illiteracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly-illiteracy-2224276/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Poverty Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty-level-743998/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Rich and poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich-and-poor/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [There's much talk about how there can't be democracy in a region that has problems of illiteracy and poverty. But I bring a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-ghosh/there-s-much-talk-about-how-there-can-t-be-democracy-in-a-region-that/) [Bobby Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-ghosh/) > [A year's worth of Social Security for an individual is not considered to be below the poverty level, and yet we know that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mellody-hobson/a-year-s-worth-of-social-security-for-an-individual-is-not-considered/) [Mellody Hobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mellody-hobson/) > [I think in some ways it would make more sense to have as a poverty level a relative concept and say, the level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-friedman/i-think-in-some-ways-it-would-make-more-sense-to-have-as-a-poverty/) [Milton Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-friedman/) > [There's tens of millions of families with single mothers who are living at 100 to 200 percent below the poverty level and these are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-arquette/there-s-tens-of-millions-of-families-with-single-mothers-who-are/) [Patricia Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-arquette/) > [A family living at the poverty level is unlikely to be able to afford a computer at home. Even with a computer, access to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/a-family-living-at-the-poverty-level-is-unlikely-to-be-able-to-afford/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [I grew up in a very modest house. We were poor-we lived on the poverty level. We all got jobs as young kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chely-wright/i-grew-up-in-a-very-modest-house-we-were-poor-we-lived-on-the-poverty/) [Chely Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chely-wright/) > [People who go to work every day and perform the services essential to keeping our economy functioning deserve to live above the poverty level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcy-kaptur/people-who-go-to-work-every-day-and-perform-the-services-essential-to/) [Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcy-kaptur/) > [I'm from Gary, Indiana, and everybody's damn near at the poverty level. It's a rough city to grow up in, and it's a modern-day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/i-m-from-gary-indiana-and-everybody-s-damn-near-at-the-poverty-level/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [I will not go down to posterity talking bad grammar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/i-will-not-go-down-to-posterity-talking-bad-grammar/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [I had a bully as a kid. He was dyslexic, so he used to stick Me Kick signs on my back. Then everyone thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-had-a-bully-as-a-kid-he-was-dyslexic-so-he-used-to-stick-me-kick/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“Di lorong sebuah rumah sakit yang telah sepi, ketika malam telah merangkul bumi, seorang anak perempuan kecil yang buta memanjatkan sepenggal doa yang mengharukan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/di-lorong-sebuah-rumah-sakit-yang-telah-sepi-ketika-malam-telah/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Relevance, Clarity, and Accuracy “Relevance” and “accuracy” refer to how well your ad copy matches what’s on your landing page. “Clarity” covers a wider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-marshall/relevance-clarity-and-accuracy-relevance-and-accuracy-refer-to-how/) [Perry Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-marshall/) > [“Magic is like bad grammar; hang around it long enough, and it rubs off on you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/magic-is-like-bad-grammar-hang-around-it-long-enough-and-it-rubs-off/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I RED A STUDY THA PPL WHO TYP N ALL CAPS R LESS INTELLGINT HAHA WHATEVA!!!1!!! ♥ ♥ ♥”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-lindensmith/i-red-a-study-tha-ppl-who-typ-n-all-caps-r-less-intellgint-haha/) [John R. Lindensmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-lindensmith/) > [What a crock. I could easily overemphasize the importance of good grammar. For example, I could say: Bad grammar is the leading cause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/what-a-crock-i-could-easily-overemphasize-the-importance-of-good/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) ## More by Mary McCarthy > [From what I have seen, I am driven to the conclusion that religion is only good for good people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/from-what-i-have-seen-i-am-driven-to-the-conclusion-that-religion-is/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [In morals as in politics anarchy is not for the weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-morals-as-in-politics-anarchy-is-not-for-the-weak/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Yet friendship, I believe, is essential to intellectuals. It is probably the growth hormone the mind requires as it begins its activity of producing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/yet-friendship-i-believe-is-essential-to-intellectuals-it-is-probably/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Any sizeable Portuguese town looks like a superstitious bride's finery - something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/any-sizeable-portuguese-town-looks-like-a-superstitious-bride-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The desire to believe the best of people is a prerequisite for intercourse with strangers; suspicion is reserved for friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-desire-to-believe-the-best-of-people-is-a-prerequisite-for/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [ “She considered \[her\] life, which had not been a life but only a sort of greeting, a Hello There.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/she-considered-her-life-which-had-not-been-a-life-but-only-a-sort-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [America is indeed a revelation, though not quite the one that was planned. Given a clean slate, man, it was hoped, would write the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/america-is-indeed-a-revelation-though-not-quite-the-one-that-was/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The happy ending is our national belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-happy-ending-is-our-national-belief/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Making love, we are all more alike than we are when we are talking or acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/making-love-we-are-all-more-alike-than-we-are-when-we-are-talking-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-america-children-are-instructed-in-the-virtues-of-the-system-they/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The only form of action open to a child is to break something or strike someone, its mother or another child; it cannot cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-only-form-of-action-open-to-a-child-is-to-break-something-or/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Combativeness was, I suppose, the dominant trait in my grandmother's nature. An aggressive churchgoer, she was quite without Christian feeling; the mercy of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/combativeness-was-i-suppose-the-dominant-trait-in-my-grandmother-s/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [I'm afraid I'm not sufficiently inhibited about the things that other women are inhibited about for me. They feel that you've given away trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/i-m-afraid-i-m-not-sufficiently-inhibited-about-the-things-that-other/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [Be truthful... and pay attention. I would also recommend the avoidance of credit cards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/be-truthful-and-pay-attention-i-would-also-recommend-the-avoidance-of/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [All ideas advanced to deal with the Florentine noise problem, the Florentine traffic problem, are Utopian, and nobody believes in them, just as nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/all-ideas-advanced-to-deal-with-the-florentine-noise-problem-the/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) [Explore all 154 Mary McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) ## More Alarms quotes > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [There's a statement from several members of the Senate, both Democrats and Republicans, including the Democratic leader, Charles Schumer; John McCain, the chair of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-stephanopoulos/there-s-a-statement-from-several-members-of-the-senate-both-democrats/) [George Stephanopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-stephanopoulos/) > [Here in the UK the audience immediately reacts and they get the fact that: "What would be the most annoying thing in the world?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duncan-jones/here-in-the-uk-the-audience-immediately-reacts-and-they-get-the-fact/) [Duncan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duncan-jones/) > [It is a hard matter for a man to lie all over, nature having provided king's evidence in almost every member. The hand will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-allston/it-is-a-hard-matter-for-a-man-to-lie-all-over-nature-having-provided/) [Washington Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-allston/) > [Who then is free? the wise man who is lord over himself; Whom neither poverty nor death, nor chains alarm; strong to withstand his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/who-then-is-free-the-wise-man-who-is-lord-over-himself-whom-neither/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [Modern man threw a brick through his own window in order to sell himself a burglar alarm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-carr/modern-man-threw-a-brick-through-his-own-window-in-order-to-sell/) [Allen Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-carr/) > [I understand the power and the alarm of words - Not those that they applaud from theatre-boxes, but those which make coffins break from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/i-understand-the-power-and-the-alarm-of-words-not-those-that-they/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [I don't know who Azazel is," he said. "Isn't he the cat from The Smurfs?" He cast about , but Isabelle just looked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-don-t-know-who-azazel-is-he-said-isn-t-he-the-cat-from-the-smurfs/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The beloved may be treacherous, greasy-headed and given to evil habits, or else it can be a man in his late forties who works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/the-beloved-may-be-treacherous-greasy-headed-and-given-to-evil-habits/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Those who have past much of their lives in this great city, look upon its opulence and its multitudes, its extent and variety, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/those-who-have-past-much-of-their-lives-in-this-great-city-look-upon/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Unfortunately, I'm one of those idiots who knows everything about health and is in a constant state of alarm, and yet I continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ames/unfortunately-i-m-one-of-those-idiots-who-knows-everything-about/) [Jonathan Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ames/) > [“batteries in the smoke alarms, and since he “just happened”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-lawson-timmer/batteries-in-the-smoke-alarms-and-since-he-just-happened/) [Julie Lawson Timmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-lawson-timmer/) > [When I see a new face, something sets off an alarm bell inside me. 'slow down! Danger!' Even when the attraction is strongest, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/when-i-see-a-new-face-something-sets-off-an-alarm-bell-inside-me-slow/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It's gonna be awesome! A suspected pedophile dunks my kids head in a bucket so when she dies she can live in an invisible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/it-s-gonna-be-awesome-a-suspected-pedophile-dunks-my-kids-head-in-a/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [I am sick of the girl who cries 'wolf' all the time. Even though not one of those cries was ever a false alarm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-am-sick-of-the-girl-who-cries-wolf-all-the-time-even-though-not-one/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) [Browse all 360 Alarms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alarms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the illiteracy of the well-to-do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alarms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/348/mary-mccarthy-2691_alarms_illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a_216816.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly a matter of bad grammar) does not alarm me nearly as much as the…” — Mary McCarthy", "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": "Mary McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Illiteracy at the poverty level (mainly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/illiteracy-at-the-poverty-level-mainly-a-matter-of-bad-grammar-does/#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 } } ] } ```