--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were moments when we could not…" description: "\"There were moments when we could not afford to have three meals a day. My mother would lurch from one low-wage job to the next. And so, our income vari..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/ritchie-torres-6334_day_there-were-moments-when-we-could-not-aff_2479932.jpg" --- # There were moments when we could not afford to have three… ![“There were moments when we could not afford to have three meals a day. My mother would lurch from one low-wage job to the next. And so, our income varied widely.” quote by Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/ritchie-torres-6334_day_there-were-moments-when-we-could-not-aff_2479932.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/ritchie-torres-6334_day_there-were-moments-when-we-could-not-aff_2479932.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09d/ritchie-torres-6334_day_there-were-moments-when-we-could-not-aff_2479932.jpg) > “There were moments when we could not afford to have three meals a day. My mother would lurch from one low-wage job to the next. And so, our income varied widely.” [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic hardship forces families to juggle low‑wage jobs and unpredictable income, highlighting systemic poverty. **In simple terms:** Poverty makes steady meals hard. Key Takeaway Plan for financial stability. Themes poverty employment income volatility Mood determined empathetic Type personal social When to use this quote - budgeting - job training - community assistance - policy advocacy Key Concepts economic inequality social safety nets Questions to Reflect On - How can families build resilience during income gaps? - What policies could reduce wage instability? A Different Perspective Limited resources may restrict long‑term planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afford Meals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afford-meals-852018/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Income](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income/) [Income Varied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income-varied-852017/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Low Wage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/low-wage-690757/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Varied Widely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/varied-widely-852019/) ## Related quotes > [“Though people in all cultures and eras have felt the same type of pleasures and pains, the meaning they have ascribed to their experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/though-people-in-all-cultures-and-eras-have-felt-the-same-type-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Yet laying the blame on a lack of personal responsibility obscures the fact that there are powerful and ever-changing structural forces at play here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-edin/yet-laying-the-blame-on-a-lack-of-personal-responsibility-obscures/) [Kathryn Edin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-edin/) > [“...Maybe it's low-wage work in general that has the effect of making feel like a pariah. 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You merely deprive him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hazlitt/you-cannot-make-a-man-worth-a-given-amount-by-making-it-illegal-for/) [Henry Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hazlitt/) > [A low wage business is always insecure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/a-low-wage-business-is-always-insecure/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [The overtime threshold is to the middle class as the minimum wage is to low-wage workers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hanauer/the-overtime-threshold-is-to-the-middle-class-as-the-minimum-wage-is/) [Nick Hanauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hanauer/) > [Low-wage individuals barely get anything. I think we have to reward work, and I do think that we need to bump up the earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/low-wage-individuals-barely-get-anything-i-think-we-have-to-reward/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [We will always be a fair wage nation in a low wage region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/we-will-always-be-a-fair-wage-nation-in-a-low-wage-region/) [Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/) > [The rapid growth in many of our suburbs has spawned a booming construction industry eager to hire low wage immigrants who gladly fill these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-bachus/the-rapid-growth-in-many-of-our-suburbs-has-spawned-a-booming/) [Spencer Bachus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-bachus/) > [“Parents like Jennifer, Susan, and Rae express desires that are quite modest. Full-time hours come first. 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It's not going anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/with-a-multi-billion-dollar-market-capitalization-crypto-is-here-to/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [I spent almost all my life in poverty, raised by a single mother who had to raise three children on minimum wage, which in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/i-spent-almost-all-my-life-in-poverty-raised-by-a-single-mother-who/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [I'm grateful for the blessing and burden of public service; I promised my constituents that I would work my heart out for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritchie-torres/i-m-grateful-for-the-blessing-and-burden-of-public-service-i-promised/) [Ritchie Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritchie-torres/) > [I take an expansive view of infrastructure. For me, infrastructure is more than roads and bridges. 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We talked regularly through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/i-had-developed-a-relationship-with-one-of-the-anti-abortion-sidewalk/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I want to make my music and be a happy woman, a good wife, a good mom and one day hopefully have a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leann-rimes/i-want-to-make-my-music-and-be-a-happy-woman-a-good-wife-a-good-mom/) [LeAnn Rimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leann-rimes/) > [Valentine's Day: Rubbing singles' noses in their lack of a mate and the noses of couples in their lack of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/valentine-s-day-rubbing-singles-noses-in-their-lack-of-a-mate-and-the/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [One day I woke up and Juventus wanted me, another Manchester United and what I know is that there were approaches made. 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