--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a middle-class family back in the…" description: "\"Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV... and it wasn't in your room... so when I was 8 years old, I began developing a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg" --- # Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we… ![“Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV... and it wasn't in your room... so when I was 8 years old, I began developing a passion for reading history, and it's never stopped.” quote by Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg) > “Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV... and it wasn't in your room... so when I was 8 years old, I began developing a passion for reading history, and it's never stopped.” [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early exposure to limited media sparked a lifelong passion for history and reading. **In simple terms:** Limited TV led to reading love. Key Takeaway Encourage curiosity despite constraints. Themes education history media curiosity growth Mood reflective motivational Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - childhood hobbies - educational programming - library visits Key Concepts learning motivation media influence personal development Questions to Reflect On - How can limited resources foster creativity? - What habits sustain lifelong learning? A Different Perspective Modern media may distract from reading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-history/) ## Related quotes > [“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been re-painted, every statue and street and building has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/every-record-has-been-destroyed-or-falsified-every-book-has-been-2/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Neither individuals nor corporations have any right to come into court and ask that the clock of history be stopped, or turned back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/neither-individuals-nor-corporations-have-any-right-to-come-into/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“Already we know almost literally nothing about the Revolution and the years before the Revolution. Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/already-we-know-almost-literally-nothing-about-the-revolution-and-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/every-record-has-been-destroyed-or-falsified-every-book-has-been/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/every-record-has-been-destroyed-or-falsified-every-book-rewritten/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/history-has-stopped-nothing-exists-except-an-endless-present-in-which/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I don't really have a treasured possession, but I do love my family's proper old photo album. We all have hundreds of photos on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-treasured-possession-but-i-do-love-my-family-s/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [Reading history while you make history can teach you a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/reading-history-while-you-make-history-can-teach-you-a-lot/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I'm tired of reading about history, I want to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-savio/i-m-tired-of-reading-about-history-i-want-to-make-it/) [Mario Savio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-savio/) > [My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/my-reading-of-history-convinces-me-that-most-bad-government-results/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I am not a historian, but I find myself being more and more fascinated by history and now I find myself reading more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-am-not-a-historian-but-i-find-myself-being-more-and-more-fascinated/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [After all my years of playing soldiers, and then of reading History, I have almost a mania to be in the East, to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/after-all-my-years-of-playing-soldiers-and-then-of-reading-history-i/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [But really, for me, I tried to find first-person accounts. I tried to read stories from men and women who had survived slavery because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurnee-smollett/but-really-for-me-i-tried-to-find-first-person-accounts-i-tried-to/) [Jurnee Smollett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurnee-smollett/) > [On my reading of history people who want to bring us the best are usually the people we ought to be afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/on-my-reading-of-history-people-who-want-to-bring-us-the-best-are/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [“One of the chief values reading history, this is the author, is its capacity to "provoke renegade thoughts".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-roberts/one-of-the-chief-values-reading-history-this-is-the-author-is-its/) [Andrew Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-roberts/) ## More by Rick Harrison > [You have some cities that are saying that if you have a man who feels like he's a woman, he can use the women's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/you-have-some-cities-that-are-saying-that-if-you-have-a-man-who-feels/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I asked for a horse for Christmas, and I got one! It's an adult horse. I didn't want a 5-year-old, which is a teenager…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-asked-for-a-horse-for-christmas-and-i-got-one-it-s-an-adult-horse-i/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [In the '90s, I went on eBay to buy some paddle tires for my four-wheeler ATV and couldn't find any. When I did find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/in-the-90s-i-went-on-ebay-to-buy-some-paddle-tires-for-my-four/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [My dad had always bought and sold gold and other stuff. In '81, he went broke because of real estate, so he moved us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/my-dad-had-always-bought-and-sold-gold-and-other-stuff-in-81-he-went/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [There are a lot of weird things you might find in your basement or your attic that may have a lot of value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/there-are-a-lot-of-weird-things-you-might-find-in-your-basement-or/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [Never fall in love with something when you're negotiating a price. Never decide you're going to buy something because you can't live without it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/never-fall-in-love-with-something-when-you-re-negotiating-a-price/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [My wife got all freaked out when we started doing the reality show because she said she saw all these reality shows, and everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/my-wife-got-all-freaked-out-when-we-started-doing-the-reality-show/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I realized that I needed to start taking better care of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-realized-that-i-needed-to-start-taking-better-care-of-myself/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [You can have a soda every once in awhile, but don't drink a gallon of it a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/you-can-have-a-soda-every-once-in-awhile-but-don-t-drink-a-gallon-of/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I can't work 12 hours a day, every day for too long before it burns out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-can-t-work-12-hours-a-day-every-day-for-too-long-before-it-burns-out/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [There's a million things wrong with government that need to get fixed, but none of its ever going to get fixed unless we start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/there-s-a-million-things-wrong-with-government-that-need-to-get-fixed/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I tell everyone that works for me not to look down on people. If you're nice to people and take a minute to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-tell-everyone-that-works-for-me-not-to-look-down-on-people-if-you/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I'm just a normal guy and blue-collar historian, and people keep tuning in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-m-just-a-normal-guy-and-blue-collar-historian-and-people-keep/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [My dad was in the Navy; he was in Vietnam. My mom was trying to sell real estate on the side. We didn't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/my-dad-was-in-the-navy-he-was-in-vietnam-my-mom-was-trying-to-sell/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [I'm a nerdy guy who likes to read a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-m-a-nerdy-guy-who-likes-to-read-a-lot/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) [Explore all 99 Rick Harrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) ## More 1970s quotes > [As someone who came to New York in the 1970s, I was, like so many of my friends, a certified member of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/as-someone-who-came-to-new-york-in-the-1970s-i-was-like-so-many-of-my/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [The 1970s, the decade of my teenage years, was a transitional period in American youth culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-1970s-the-decade-of-my-teenage-years-was-a-transitional-period-in/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Back in the 1970s, it was mostly all-black audiences coming into the theaters. So, we presented stories they could relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ray-moore/back-in-the-1970s-it-was-mostly-all-black-audiences-coming-into-the/) [Rudy Ray Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ray-moore/) > [I'm a product of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-rushin/i-m-a-product-of-the-1970s/) [Steve Rushin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-rushin/) > [Once, bit-fetching was the job mainly of children. In the 1970s, if I sat too long looking bored, I'd be dispatched to the shop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-dent/once-bit-fetching-was-the-job-mainly-of-children-in-the-1970s-if-i/) [Grace Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-dent/) > [When I joined Ford, in the late 1970s, I felt strongly we could not forever be a huge user of natural resources without there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-joined-ford-in-the-late-1970s-i-felt-strongly-we-could-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wings was one of the first bands in the 1970s to do stadium tours, as well as Led Zeppelin. We had all the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denny-laine/wings-was-one-of-the-first-bands-in-the-1970s-to-do-stadium-tours-as/) [Denny Laine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denny-laine/) > [The whole idea of making 'James' was to make an action film in the style of the 1970s and '80s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/the-whole-idea-of-making-james-was-to-make-an-action-film-in-the/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [All I know about 1970s New York City is that it's where I grew up, and you always have an umbilical connection to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-sante/all-i-know-about-1970s-new-york-city-is-that-it-s-where-i-grew-up-and/) [Luc Sante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-sante/) > [I have lived my whole life just outside Youngstown, Ohio. We watched the steel mills close and 50,000 jobs disappear in the late 1970s.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ryan/i-have-lived-my-whole-life-just-outside-youngstown-ohio-we-watched/) [Tim Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ryan/) > [When I was growing up in the projects in Philadelphia in the 1970s and 80s, Cadillac was the car to have. But I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-staley/when-i-was-growing-up-in-the-projects-in-philadelphia-in-the-1970s/) [Dawn Staley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-staley/) > [I don't really have a treasured possession, but I do love my family's proper old photo album. We all have hundreds of photos on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-walker/i-don-t-really-have-a-treasured-possession-but-i-do-love-my-family-s/) [Nicola Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-walker/) > [My family had been involved in gangs since the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cabral/my-family-had-been-involved-in-gangs-since-the-1970s/) [Richard Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cabral/) > [When I was in high school in the early 1970s, we knew we were running out of oil; we knew that easy sources were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/when-i-was-in-high-school-in-the-early-1970s-we-knew-we-were-running/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [When I was younger, I remember families like mine who had to deal with the disastrous policies of the 1970s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-scheer/when-i-was-younger-i-remember-families-like-mine-who-had-to-deal-with/) [Andrew Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-scheer/) Browse all 189 1970s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV... and it wasn't in your room... so when I was 8 years old, I began developing a passion for reading history, and it's never stopped.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Harrison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the-1970s-meant-we-only-had-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "1970s" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the-1970s-meant-we-only-had-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2b/rick-harrison-6309_1970s_being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the_1687809.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a middle-class family back in the 1970s meant we only had one TV... and it wasn't in your room... so…” — Rick Harrison", "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": "Rick Harrison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Being a middle-class family back in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the-1970s-meant-we-only-had-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/being-a-middle-class-family-back-in-the-1970s-meant-we-only-had-one/#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 } } ] } ```