--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life really went backwards. My parents…" description: "\"Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the Nigerian side to the Biafran side. We were Ig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png" --- # Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything… ![“Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the Nigerian side to the Biafran side. We were Igbos,” quote by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png) > “Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the Nigerian side to the Biafran side. We were Igbos,” [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes the reversal of fortunes during war, losing all savings while fleeing conflict zones. **In simple terms:** War caused loss of wealth and forced migration. Key Takeaway Prepare for sudden upheaval. Themes war displacement loss resilience Mood sad reflective hopeful Type historical personal When to use this quote - humanitarian aid planning - financial contingency planning - psychological support for refugees Key Concepts economic collapse refugee experience family survival Questions to Reflect On - How did your family rebuild after displacement? - What resources helped you most during the crisis? A Different Perspective Personal narratives may overlook broader political causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lost everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-everything/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Saving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saving/) [Savings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/savings/) ## Related quotes > [My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the Nigerian side to the Biafran side. We were Igbos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/my-parents-lost-everything-all-their-savings-because-we-had-to-run/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [I went backwards and forwards over it until I was 22. And then in the past few years I began to say to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/i-went-backwards-and-forwards-over-it-until-i-was-22-and-then-in-the/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [When a child loses his parent, they are called an orphan. When a spouse loses her or his partner, they are called a widow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/when-a-child-loses-his-parent-they-are-called-an-orphan-when-a-spouse/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [My heart goes out to the grieving parents who lost their two-year-old or their newborn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/my-heart-goes-out-to-the-grieving-parents-who-lost-their-two-year-old/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I have met with many of the great parents who lost their children to sanctuary cities and open borders. So many people, so many,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-met-with-many-of-the-great-parents-who-lost-their-children-to/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [My father made false teeth. Unfortunately, during the Depression, not many people could afford them, and my parents lost their home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-feldstein/my-father-made-false-teeth-unfortunately-during-the-depression-not/) [Al Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-feldstein/) > [I am certainly vulnerable when I sit down with parents who have lost their children to gun violence. The emotion that they experience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/i-am-certainly-vulnerable-when-i-sit-down-with-parents-who-have-lost/) [Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/) > [I want to do something to help those who lost their parents, who lost their mothers and their fathers. Those are our people. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/i-want-to-do-something-to-help-those-who-lost-their-parents-who-lost/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [“Parents who have lost a child should be told that they will never heal from their loss. They will always have a terrible, wide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/parents-who-have-lost-a-child-should-be-told-that-they-will-never/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I lost everything in the post-natal depression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/i-lost-everything-in-the-post-natal-depression/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [If a worker is deprived of hope to acquire some personal property, what other natural stimulus can be offered him that will inspire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xii/if-a-worker-is-deprived-of-hope-to-acquire-some-personal-property/) [Pope Pius XII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xii/) > [So many of you have lost everything. I do not know what to tell you. But surely he knows what to tell you! So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/so-many-of-you-have-lost-everything-i-do-not-know-what-to-tell-you/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I think I am in my last days, but it doesn't really matter because I have had such a beautiful life. I have lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-herz-sommer/i-think-i-am-in-my-last-days-but-it-doesn-t-really-matter-because-i/) [Alice Herz-Sommer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-herz-sommer/) > [I had done a sitcom and a movie and hosted the Emmys, and all of a sudden, I lost everything. As someone put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-had-done-a-sitcom-and-a-movie-and-hosted-the-emmys-and-all-of-a/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) ## More by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala > [ The idea \[the government's 'You Win' campaign\] is that instead of young people in Nigeria waiting to get employment, they should create their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/the-idea-the-government-s-you-win-campaign-is-that-instead-of-young/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [If we save people from HIV/AIDS, if we save them from malaria, it means they can form the base of production for our economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/if-we-save-people-from-hiv-aids-if-we-save-them-from-malaria-it-means/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [When you save the life of anyone, a farmer, a teacher, a mother, they are contributing productively into the economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/when-you-save-the-life-of-anyone-a-farmer-a-teacher-a-mother-they-are/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Investing in women is smart economics, and investing in girls, catching them upstream, is even smarter economics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/investing-in-women-is-smart-economics-and-investing-in-girls-catching/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Nigeria, with the oil sector, had the reputation of being corrupt and not managing its own public finances well. So what did we try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/nigeria-with-the-oil-sector-had-the-reputation-of-being-corrupt-and/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [The U.K. and the U.S. could not have been built today without Africa's aid. It is all the resources that were taken from Africa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/the-u-k-and-the-u-s-could-not-have-been-built-today-without-africa-s/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Today, the European Union is busy transferring aid. If they can build infrastructure in Spain, roads, highways ... why do they refuse to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/today-the-european-union-is-busy-transferring-aid-if-they-can-build/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Educating our young girls is the foundation for Nigerias growth and development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/educating-our-young-girls-is-the-foundation-for-nigerias-growth-and/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [I'm trying to tell you that there's a new wave on the continent. A new wave of openness and democratization in which, since 2000,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/i-m-trying-to-tell-you-that-there-s-a-new-wave-on-the-continent-a-new/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [I believe that when you find problems, you should also find solutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/i-believe-that-when-you-find-problems-you-should-also-find-solutions/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [I can take hardship. I can sleep on the cold floor anytime. I can also sleep on a feather bed,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/i-can-take-hardship-i-can-sleep-on-the-cold-floor-anytime-i-can-also/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Educating our young girls is the foundation for Nigeria's growth and development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/educating-our-young-girls-is-the-foundation-for-nigeria-s-growth-and/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [I know what it means to go to the stream to fetch water... what it means when people are poor and don't have enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/i-know-what-it-means-to-go-to-the-stream-to-fetch-water-what-it-means/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Mobile phone technology can help to bring financial services to the 80 percent of African women who do not have a bank account and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/mobile-phone-technology-can-help-to-bring-financial-services-to-the/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [Africans… their tired. They’re tired of being the subject of everybody’s charity and care. We are grateful, but we know that we can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/africans-their-tired-they-re-tired-of-being-the-subject-of-everybody/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) [Explore all 29 Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) ## More Backwards quotes > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [I wear T-shirts and backwards hats and buy my shoes at Payless!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-wear-t-shirts-and-backwards-hats-and-buy-my-shoes-at-payless/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [A historian is not always a prophet facing backwards, but a journalist is always someone who afterwards knew everything beforehand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/a-historian-is-not-always-a-prophet-facing-backwards-but-a-journalist/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Why don't you just imagine it never happened..??](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effy-stonem/why-don-t-you-just-imagine-it-never-happened/) [Effy Stonem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effy-stonem/) > [“It would seem no matter how progressive we get there are always those few who are backwards in their ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-nicole/it-would-seem-no-matter-how-progressive-we-get-there-are-always-those/) [Solange nicole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-nicole/) > [In the spiritual life, he who does not advance goes backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/in-the-spiritual-life-he-who-does-not-advance-goes-backwards/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Now, success is not the result of making money; making money is the result of success - and success is in direct proportion to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/now-success-is-not-the-result-of-making-money-making-money-is-the/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Can anyone be so foolish as to believe that there are men whose feet are higher than their heads, or places where things may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lactantius/can-anyone-be-so-foolish-as-to-believe-that-there-are-men-whose-feet/) [Lactantius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lactantius/) > [I took a little break - I was coming back to work and the last thing I was going to do was take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-took-a-little-break-i-was-coming-back-to-work-and-the-last-thing-i/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Only a fool walks into the future backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/only-a-fool-walks-into-the-future-backwards/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [We have different expectations for different groups of people. We tend to modulate the degree with which we're forgiving or punitive depending on how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/we-have-different-expectations-for-different-groups-of-people-we-tend/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [You know what, if you play 'She Looks So Perfect' backwards... you just listen to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/you-know-what-if-you-play-she-looks-so-perfect-backwards-you-just/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [Nursing is a progressive art such that to stand still is to go backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-nightingale/nursing-is-a-progressive-art-such-that-to-stand-still-is-to-go/) [Florence Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-nightingale/) > [“Just like backing out of the driveway… If the driveway was ten miles long, full of rocks and pits, with lethal radiation hovering above,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-thorman/just-like-backing-out-of-the-driveway-if-the-driveway-was-ten-miles/) [Daniel Thorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-thorman/) > [We're not competitor obsessed, we're customer obsessed. We start with the customer and we work backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/we-re-not-competitor-obsessed-we-re-customer-obsessed-we-start-with/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) Browse all 837 Backwards quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the Nigerian side to the Biafran side. We were Igbos,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lost-everything-all-their/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backwards" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lost-everything-all-their/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd7/ngozi-okonjo-iweala-21371_backwards_life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lo_494108.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life really went backwards. My parents lost everything, all their savings, because we had to run from the…” — Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala", "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": "Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life really went backwards. My parents...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lost-everything-all-their/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/life-really-went-backwards-my-parents-lost-everything-all-their/#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 } } ] } ```