--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm from a small town, and I thought I…" description: "\"I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.\" — Matthew Desmond" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg" --- # I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer. ![“I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.” quote by Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg) > “I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.” [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal aspirations may shift from early expectations as life circumstances change. **In simple terms:** Dreams can change over time. Key Takeaway Stay open to evolving goals. Themes career identity expectations Mood reflective hopeful Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career planning - education choices - personal growth Key Concepts self‑discovery social mobility Questions to Reflect On - What new direction feels authentic now? - How do early dreams influence current decisions? A Different Perspective Changing paths may cause uncertainty or regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [“This is what they mean by 'ghost town', she thought. It truly feels like a place frozen in time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-robinson/this-is-what-they-mean-by-ghost-town-she-thought-it-truly-feels-like/) [Jeremy Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-robinson/) > [When I was little, I thought about becoming a lawyer like my parents, and my mother would always tell me, "You can do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-daddario/when-i-was-little-i-thought-about-becoming-a-lawyer-like-my-parents/) [Alexandra Daddario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-daddario/) > [I became a lawyer for selfish reasons. I thought I could do a lawyer’s job better than any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-became-a-lawyer-for-selfish-reasons-i-thought-i-could-do-a-lawyer-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up in a very small town in Massachusetts, and it goes without saying that there weren't many Nigerian families in that town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzo-aduba/i-grew-up-in-a-very-small-town-in-massachusetts-and-it-goes-without/) [Uzo Aduba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzo-aduba/) > [Maybe it's because I came from a small town, but I always did well for myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/maybe-it-s-because-i-came-from-a-small-town-but-i-always-did-well-for/) [Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/) > [I really understand where Alice is coming from - I've been in exactly the same place coming from a small town and knowing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-parker/i-really-understand-where-alice-is-coming-from-i-ve-been-in-exactly/) [Molly Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-parker/) > [I was born and raised in a small town in Maine, Waterville. I enjoyed living there - still do - and my goal in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/i-was-born-and-raised-in-a-small-town-in-maine-waterville-i-enjoyed/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) > [L.A. feels like a really small town to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lyn-o-keefe/l-a-feels-like-a-really-small-town-to-me/) [Jodi Lyn O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lyn-o-keefe/) > [Though Lexington is not a small town, it sometimes feels like one, with circles of acquaintance overlapping once, then again; the person you meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/though-lexington-is-not-a-small-town-it-sometimes-feels-like-one-with/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [D.C. is a small town with some big-town features.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-brunt/d-c-is-a-small-town-with-some-big-town-features/) [Douglas Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brunt/) > [It's easier for me to write certain character types because of my own life experiences, but I find it too artistically limiting to only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/it-s-easier-for-me-to-write-certain-character-types-because-of-my-own/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [We moved around a bit when I was younger, but I grew up primarily in Rhode Island, in a beautiful seaside community called East…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gagnon/we-moved-around-a-bit-when-i-was-younger-but-i-grew-up-primarily-in/) [Michelle Gagnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gagnon/) > [As a kid, I would always shop for my back-to-school clothes at department stores. I lived in a small town, and department stores were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-robertson/as-a-kid-i-would-always-shop-for-my-back-to-school-clothes-at/) [Britt Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-robertson/) > [I came from a very small town, Rishikesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonu-kakkar/i-came-from-a-very-small-town-rishikesh/) [Sonu Kakkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonu-kakkar/) > [I'm from a small town. I think that's what's going to help me succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-allen/i-m-from-a-small-town-i-think-that-s-what-s-going-to-help-me-succeed/) [Josh Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-allen/) ## More by Matthew Desmond > [I don't think we can fix poverty without fixing housing, and I don't think we can address housing without understanding landlords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-don-t-think-we-can-fix-poverty-without-fixing-housing-and-i-don-t/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [If we continue to tolerate this level of poverty in our cities, and go along with eviction as commonplace in poor neighborhoods, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/if-we-continue-to-tolerate-this-level-of-poverty-in-our-cities-and-go/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [You see one eviction, and you're overcome, but then there's another one and another one and another one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/you-see-one-eviction-and-you-re-overcome-but-then-there-s-another-one/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [When I talk to booksellers, they tell me how hard it is to hand-sell some of my books because I do keep popping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/when-i-talk-to-booksellers-they-tell-me-how-hard-it-is-to-hand-sell/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Housing being a top-order issue for cities is something that's not trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/housing-being-a-top-order-issue-for-cities-is-something-that-s-not/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think that we value fairness in this country. We value equal opportunity. Without a stable home, those ideals really fall apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-that-we-value-fairness-in-this-country-we-value-equal/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Exploitation. Now, there's a word that has been scrubbed out of the poverty debate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/exploitation-now-there-s-a-word-that-has-been-scrubbed-out-of-the/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [I think there are ways that graduate students can fact-check their work. I think there are ways that we can do this that don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-think-there-are-ways-that-graduate-students-can-fact-check-their/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Fire itself is very beautiful, and there's an attachment to fire that firefighters have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/fire-itself-is-very-beautiful-and-there-s-an-attachment-to-fire-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Sherrena nodded reassuringly and said, almost to herself, “I guess I got to stop feeling sorry for these people because nobody is feeling sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/sherrena-nodded-reassuringly-and-said-almost-to-herself-i-guess-i-got/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [Everywhere else, we are someone else, but at home, we remove our masks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/everywhere-else-we-are-someone-else-but-at-home-we-remove-our-masks/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A community that sees so clearly its own disadvantage or its own hardships also has a harder time seeing its potential: its ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-community-that-sees-so-clearly-its-own-disadvantage-or-its-own/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“It was once said that the poor are 'constantly exposed to evidence of their own irrelevance.' Especially for poor African-American families - who live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/it-was-once-said-that-the-poor-are-constantly-exposed-to-evidence-of/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [A universal voucher program would change the face of poverty in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/a-universal-voucher-program-would-change-the-face-of-poverty-in-this/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) > [“Wildland firefighters do not enjoy the cultural prestige that structural firefighters do. They do not wax their fire engines and cruise down the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/wildland-firefighters-do-not-enjoy-the-cultural-prestige-that/) [Matthew Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) [Explore all 230 Matthew Desmond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/) ## More Lawyer quotes > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [Whoa. He had ghouls on speed dial. My lawyer kicks so much ass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-hearne/whoa-he-had-ghouls-on-speed-dial-my-lawyer-kicks-so-much-ass/) [Kevin Hearne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-hearne/) > [If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/if-lawyers-are-disbarred-and-clergymen-defrocked-doesn-t-it-follow/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Laws are not masters but servants, and he rules them who obey them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/laws-are-not-masters-but-servants-and-he-rules-them-who-obey-them/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [If you wish to be a lawyer, attach no consequence to the place you are in, or the person you are with; but get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/if-you-wish-to-be-a-lawyer-attach-no-consequence-to-the-place-you-are/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [The socially redeeming aspect of golf lies in the vast number of lawyers and bankers and managers who play it, and when you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/the-socially-redeeming-aspect-of-golf-lies-in-the-vast-number-of/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-that-i-ve-spent-trying-to/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I was a student of law as my grandmother wanted me to be a lawyer. But my passion has always been movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-r-dhanush/i-was-a-student-of-law-as-my-grandmother-wanted-me-to-be-a-lawyer-but/) [Aishwarya R. Dhanush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-r-dhanush/) > [It is unfortunate to consider all lawyers as natural Satanists many are just dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-maslow/it-is-unfortunate-to-consider-all-lawyers-as-natural-satanists-many/) [Abraham Maslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-maslow/) > [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/) Buck McKeon > [ \[Hazel\] hissed in frustration. 'I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away.' 'Oh...' Frank said, like he'd just had his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hazel-hissed-in-frustration-i-hate-eidolons-i-thought-piper-made-them/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I am a pretty good lawyer, and I decided to close the office and to enter politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tzipi-livni/i-am-a-pretty-good-lawyer-and-i-decided-to-close-the-office-and-to/) [Tzipi Livni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tzipi-livni/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) [Browse all 2,213 Lawyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lawyer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Desmond" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-would-be-a-lawyer/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lawyer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-would-be-a-lawyer/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10a/matthew-desmond-1529_lawyer_i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-wo_581969.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm from a small town, and I thought I would be a lawyer.” — Matthew Desmond", "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": "Matthew Desmond", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-desmond/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm from a small town, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-would-be-a-lawyer/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-desmond/i-m-from-a-small-town-and-i-thought-i-would-be-a-lawyer/#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 } } ] } ```