--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A problem with living in the twenty-first…" description: "\"“A problem with living in the twenty-first century… we are made to feel poor on thirty thousand pounds a year. To feel poorly travelled if we have only..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/matt-haig-1036_feel-poor_a-problem-with-living-in-the-twenty-firs_2436272.jpg" --- # A problem with living in the twenty-first century… we are… ![“A problem with living in the twenty-first century… we are made to feel poor on thirty thousand pounds a year. To feel poorly travelled if we have only been to ten other countries. To feel old if we have a wrinkle. To feel ugly if we aren’t photo shopped and filtered.” quote by Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/matt-haig-1036_feel-poor_a-problem-with-living-in-the-twenty-firs_2436272.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/matt-haig-1036_feel-poor_a-problem-with-living-in-the-twenty-firs_2436272.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3dc/matt-haig-1036_feel-poor_a-problem-with-living-in-the-twenty-firs_2436272.jpg) > ““A problem with living in the twenty-first century… we are made to feel poor on thirty thousand pounds a year. To feel poorly travelled if we have only been to ten other countries. To feel old if we have a wrinkle. To feel ugly if we aren’t photo shopped and filtered.”” [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern life imposes unrealistic standards of wealth, travel, age, and appearance, making people feel inadequate despite modest achievements. **In simple terms:** Society sets high expectations that cause feelings of inadequacy. Key Takeaway Recognize and reject unrealistic standards. Themes self‑esteem societal pressure comparisons Mood reflective critical hopeful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - social media use - career advancement - travel planning - personal budgeting Key Concepts consumerism media influence psychology Questions to Reflect On - What standards do you accept as your own? - How can you define success beyond external metrics? A Different Perspective Comparison can be motivating for some, but often leads to chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“As far as I can see, this is a problem with living in the twenty-first century. 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It felt refined and tantalising, all at once, like a polite collective pre-orgasm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-felt-civilised-and-modern-it-felt-refined-and-tantalising-all-at/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [If you can't give children optimism, then what are you doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/if-you-can-t-give-children-optimism-then-what-are-you-doing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“He just wanted to live inside a moment of that life with her forever, to pluck it like a flower and press it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/he-just-wanted-to-live-inside-a-moment-of-that-life-with-her-forever/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [British culture is very cynical sometimes of overt displays of sentimentality, and I think that becomes almost a suspicion of emotion, or a suspicion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/british-culture-is-very-cynical-sometimes-of-overt-displays-of/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“That is one of the patterns: when nothing is happening, nothing continues to happen, but after a while the lull becomes too much and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/that-is-one-of-the-patterns-when-nothing-is-happening-nothing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [The single biggest act of bravery or madness anyone can do is the act of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/the-single-biggest-act-of-bravery-or-madness-anyone-can-do-is-the-act/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [For me, as a writer, I desperately want to be read. I'm very conscious of readers as I'm writing. I think, 'If you write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/for-me-as-a-writer-i-desperately-want-to-be-read-i-m-very-conscious/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“It’s not you. It’s them. (No, really. It is.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/it-s-not-you-it-s-them-no-really-it-is/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“We are all so weird that, really, none of us are. There are seven billion versions of strange on this freak wonder of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/we-are-all-so-weird-that-really-none-of-us-are-there-are-seven/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Sa asculti muzica, mi-am dat eu seama, nu era altceva decat placerea de a numara fara sa iti dai seama ca numeri.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/sa-asculti-muzica-mi-am-dat-eu-seama-nu-era-altceva-decat-placerea-de/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Beauty--be not caused," said Emily Dickinson. "It is." In one way she was wrong. The scattering of light over a long distance creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/beauty-be-not-caused-said-emily-dickinson-it-is-in-one-way-she-was/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [I'm a firm believer in the connection between the body and the mind: feed one, feed both. I like to run, but only short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/i-m-a-firm-believer-in-the-connection-between-the-body-and-the-mind/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [Look at the sky; remind yourself of the cosmos. Seek vastness at every opportunity in order to see the smallness of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/look-at-the-sky-remind-yourself-of-the-cosmos-seek-vastness-at-every/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [A book is a map. There will be times in your life when you will feel lost and confused. The way back to yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/a-book-is-a-map-there-will-be-times-in-your-life-when-you-will-feel/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) [Explore all 294 Matt Haig quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) ## More Feel Poor quotes > [You do not have to have money to attract money, but you cannot feel poor and attract money. 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Poor people are those who only work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mujica/i-can-live-well-with-what-i-have-i-m-called-the-poorest-president-but/) [Jose Mujica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mujica/) > [I'm called 'the poorest president', but I don't feel poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-mujica/i-m-called-the-poorest-president-but-i-don-t-feel-poor/) [Jose Mujica](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-mujica/) > [“Look Below and You'll feel Rich, Look Above and You'll feel Poor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/look-below-and-you-ll-feel-rich-look-above-and-you-ll-feel-poor/) [Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/) > [Im scared to death of being poor. Its like a fat girl who loses 500 pounds but is always fat inside. I grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/im-scared-to-death-of-being-poor-its-like-a-fat-girl-who-loses-500/) [Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/) > [Alone, human beings can feel hunger. Alone, we can feel cold. Alone, we can feel pain. To feel poor, however, is something we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/alone-human-beings-can-feel-hunger-alone-we-can-feel-cold-alone-we/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) > [“As far as I can see, this is a problem with living in the twenty-first century. Many of us have every material thing we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/as-far-as-i-can-see-this-is-a-problem-with-living-in-the-twenty-first/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [“Many of us have every material thing we need, so the job of marketing is now to tie the economy to our emotions, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/many-of-us-have-every-material-thing-we-need-so-the-job-of-marketing/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [Am I in the Forbes 100? Absolutely not, and I'll never be there. But for the first time I make so much money that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-needles/am-i-in-the-forbes-100-absolutely-not-and-i-ll-never-be-there-but-for/) [Sharon Needles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-needles/) > [Few save the poor feel for the poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/few-save-the-poor-feel-for-the-poor/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [If the poor ever feel poor as the rich do, we will have a most bloody revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-the-poor-ever-feel-poor-as-the-rich-do-we-will-have-a-most-bloody/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [As the twentieth century draws to a close it has become obvious that material yardsticks alone cannot serve as an adequate measure of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/as-the-twentieth-century-draws-to-a-close-it-has-become-obvious-that/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [I'm scared to death of being poor. 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