--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If all you have is coal, that's the only…" description: "\"If all you have is coal, that's the only thing that we have. Don't hate the coal miner for trying to get the only decent job that we have in West Virgi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/richard-ojeda-8448_coal_if-all-you-have-is-coal-that-s-the-only_2544452.jpg" --- # If all you have is coal, that's the only thing that we… ![“If all you have is coal, that's the only thing that we have. Don't hate the coal miner for trying to get the only decent job that we have in West Virginia that can allow them to feed their family.” quote by Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/richard-ojeda-8448_coal_if-all-you-have-is-coal-that-s-the-only_2544452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/richard-ojeda-8448_coal_if-all-you-have-is-coal-that-s-the-only_2544452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f81/richard-ojeda-8448_coal_if-all-you-have-is-coal-that-s-the-only_2544452.jpg) > “If all you have is coal, that's the only thing that we have. Don't hate the coal miner for trying to get the only decent job that we have in West Virginia that can allow them to feed their family.” [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic necessity can force people into jobs that are socially stigmatized, and they should be judged on survival, not moral judgment. **In simple terms:** People do stigmatized jobs to survive. Key Takeaway Show empathy for those in limited job markets. Themes economics social stigma labor survival empathy Mood compassionate critical realistic Type social political When to use this quote - rural Appalachia - family support - policy debates Key Concepts structural inequality job market dynamics class Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance dignity with necessity? - What policies could expand job options? A Different Perspective Stigmatization can persist despite economic realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [West virginia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-virginia/) ## Related quotes > [You can't take a coal miner making $95,000 a year, the only work in these parts where you can support a family without having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/you-can-t-take-a-coal-miner-making-95-000-a-year-the-only-work-in/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [The coal miners are working. But there's more than just coal miners in West Virginia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/the-coal-miners-are-working-but-there-s-more-than-just-coal-miners-in/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I came from a very, very small valley in the middle of South Wales. I grew up there with my father, who's a coal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/i-came-from-a-very-very-small-valley-in-the-middle-of-south-wales-i/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [I know I'm not a coal miner, but I do long hours and I never complain, and there is nowhere else I'd rather be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-know-i-m-not-a-coal-miner-but-i-do-long-hours-and-i-never-complain/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Who deserves more credit than the wife of a coal miner? Mother was one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-travis/who-deserves-more-credit-than-the-wife-of-a-coal-miner-mother-was-one/) [Merle Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-travis/) > [I believe the nearest I've come to perfect love was with a young coal-miner when I was about 16.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-believe-the-nearest-i-ve-come-to-perfect-love-was-with-a-young-coal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [I come from a coal-mining, working-class background. My father was a coal miner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/i-come-from-a-coal-mining-working-class-background-my-father-was-a/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [Oh yeah, I would have been a coal miner, I would think, if I hadn't had tuberculosis when I was 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/oh-yeah-i-would-have-been-a-coal-miner-i-would-think-if-i-hadn-t-had/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [Coal is not dear for the coal-miner who can use it there and then, nor is khadi dear for the villager who manufactures his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/coal-is-not-dear-for-the-coal-miner-who-can-use-it-there-and-then-nor/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-romney/i-am-the-granddaughter-of-a-welsh-coal-miner-who-was-determined-that/) [Ann Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-romney/) > [See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner," "A coal miner? Why did she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/see-that-little-girl-i-wanted-to-marry-her-mother-but-she-ran-off/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I, for one, despite being a pretty solid climate hawk, I am extremely sympathetic to West Virginia and its coal-country needs. I lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/i-for-one-despite-being-a-pretty-solid-climate-hawk-i-am-extremely/) [Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/) > [I was born here in West Virginia, though I spent a little time in North Carolina when my step-dad got laid off from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-jean-swearengin/i-was-born-here-in-west-virginia-though-i-spent-a-little-time-in/) [Paula Jean Swearengin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-jean-swearengin/) > [My father was in the coal business in West Virginia. Both dad and mother were, however, originally from Massachusetts; New England, to them, meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/my-father-was-in-the-coal-business-in-west-virginia-both-dad-and/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Imposing excessive new regulations, or closing coal-fired power plants, would produce few health or environmental benefits. But it would exact huge costs on society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-driessen/imposing-excessive-new-regulations-or-closing-coal-fired-power-plants/) [Paul Driessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-driessen/) ## More by Richard Ojeda > [I've got Republican people from all over that have contacted and said, 'Look, we're going to support you,' because I say what needs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-ve-got-republican-people-from-all-over-that-have-contacted-and-said/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [Take care of your working-class citizens, and your working-class citizens will take care of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/take-care-of-your-working-class-citizens-and-your-working-class/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I was raised here in Logan County, where I was blessed to be in a family that had over 200 years of United Mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-was-raised-here-in-logan-county-where-i-was-blessed-to-be-in-a/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [Get rid of Betsy DeVos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/get-rid-of-betsy-devos/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I hate the idea of telling a woman what to do with her body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-hate-the-idea-of-telling-a-woman-what-to-do-with-her-body/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [We must look for leaders who have exhibited a lifetime of service to their communities and have proven that their intention is to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/we-must-look-for-leaders-who-have-exhibited-a-lifetime-of-service-to/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I spent 24 years in the United States Army.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-spent-24-years-in-the-united-states-army/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [If I'm stone-cold crazy because I have a hard time going to sleep at night because we have kids that go to bed hungry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/if-i-m-stone-cold-crazy-because-i-have-a-hard-time-going-to-sleep-at/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [When I hear Ivanka Trump saying how she looks forward to working side by side with Gen. Kelly - a guy who's got 40…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/when-i-hear-ivanka-trump-saying-how-she-looks-forward-to-working-side/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/if-you-don-t-have-a-seat-at-the-table-you-re-on-the-menu/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I'm trying to fight so that people can have better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-m-trying-to-fight-so-that-people-can-have-better/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [Unions have been under attack for quite some time, and I think a lot of the jobs that we need to create in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/unions-have-been-under-attack-for-quite-some-time-and-i-think-a-lot/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I'm a stubborn individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-m-a-stubborn-individual/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [I'm nothing but a ball of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/i-m-nothing-but-a-ball-of-energy/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) > [If all we've got is the dirt poor and the filthy rich, the dirt poor would eat the filthy rich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ojeda/if-all-we-ve-got-is-the-dirt-poor-and-the-filthy-rich-the-dirt-poor/) [Richard Ojeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) [Explore all 80 Richard Ojeda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ojeda/) ## More Coal quotes > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [Coal lay in ledges under the ground since the Flood, until a laborer with pick and windlass brings it to the surface. We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The only difference between black coal and a precious diamond is the amount of pressure it endured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/the-only-difference-between-black-coal-and-a-precious-diamond-is-the/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [In that sense, I became politicized because the people in the coal mining villages who were involved in the struggle knew why they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/in-that-sense-i-became-politicized-because-the-people-in-the-coal/) [Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/) > [Dusty, dark, cold, and hard, coal has no beauty of its own, but when it is consummated by fire it is beautiful and becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederica-mathewes-green/dusty-dark-cold-and-hard-coal-has-no-beauty-of-its-own-but-when-it-is/) [Frederica Mathewes-Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederica-mathewes-green/) > [a TEN-YEAR-OLD lad in Indianapolis who was arrested for picking up coal along the side of railroad tracks is now in jail. If the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-jones/a-ten-year-old-lad-in-indianapolis-who-was-arrested-for-picking-up/) Mother Jones > [Coal is the moral choice, particularly for the developing world... The model for the world right now should be Australia. Australia gets it. Scientifically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morano/coal-is-the-moral-choice-particularly-for-the-developing-world-the/) Marc Morano > [Iron and coal dominated everywhere, from grey to black: the black boots, the black stove-pipe hat, the black coach or carriage, the black iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/iron-and-coal-dominated-everywhere-from-grey-to-black-the-black-boots/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [I remember being very influenced by 'Taxi Driver', and also Tommy Lee Jones in 'Coal Miner's Daughter' a little bit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-rockwell/i-remember-being-very-influenced-by-taxi-driver-and-also-tommy-lee/) [Sam Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-rockwell/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Shakespeare doesn't belong to the past. If his material is valid, it is valid now. It's like coal. The only meaningfulness of a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/shakespeare-doesn-t-belong-to-the-past-if-his-material-is-valid-it-is/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) > [Coal is My Worst Nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-chu/coal-is-my-worst-nightmare/) [Steven Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-chu/) > [America is the Saudi Arabia of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/america-is-the-saudi-arabia-of-coal/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [We're not going to be living in a world of abundant coal power in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-chait/we-re-not-going-to-be-living-in-a-world-of-abundant-coal-power-in-a/) [Jonathan Chait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-chait/) Browse all 720 Coal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If all you have is coal, that's the only thing that we have. 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