--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and…" description: "\"The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and thosewho could afford, Rather than send their folks to such a place, Kept them at home; and it does seem more hu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/robert-frost-371_asylum_the-only-asylum-was-the-poorhouse-and-th_3013004.jpg" --- # The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and thosewho could… ![“The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and thosewho could afford, Rather than send their folks to such a place, Kept them at home; and it does seem more human. But it's not so: the place is theasylum. There they have every means proper to do with, And you aren't darkening other people's lives…” quote by Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/robert-frost-371_asylum_the-only-asylum-was-the-poorhouse-and-th_3013004.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/robert-frost-371_asylum_the-only-asylum-was-the-poorhouse-and-th_3013004.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b4/robert-frost-371_asylum_the-only-asylum-was-the-poorhouse-and-th_3013004.jpg) > “The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and thosewho could afford, Rather than send their folks to such a place, Kept them at home; and it does seem more human. But it's not so: the place is theasylum. There they have every means proper to do with, And you aren't darkening other people's lives…” [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poorhouse served as an asylum; families kept relatives at home for humane reasons, though the institution itself was an asylum. **In simple terms:** Poorhouses were asylums; families kept loved ones home. Key Takeaway Consider humane care alternatives. Themes poverty care humanity institution family Mood reflective critical Type social ethical When to use this quote - elder care - mental health services - family decisions Key Concepts social welfare historical context ethical care Questions to Reflect On - What are modern humane alternatives to poorhouses? - How does family care impact wellbeing? A Different Perspective Institutional care may be dehumanizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Asylum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) [Asylum Poorhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum-poorhouse-4840241/) [Human Place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-place-879481/) [Poorhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poorhouse-1988711/) [Poorhouse Thosewho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poorhouse-thosewho-4840242/) [Things happen for a reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen-for-a-reason/) ## Related quotes > [“Neither one nor the other, not a demon, but not a human either, no place no belong... I thought the only way was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inuyasha/neither-one-nor-the-other-not-a-demon-but-not-a-human-either-no-place/) [Inuyasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inuyasha/) > [My art recognizes the human place, the human context - especially in Britain, which is a landscape so worked by people for thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-goldsworthy/my-art-recognizes-the-human-place-the-human-context-especially-in/) [Andy Goldsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-goldsworthy/) > [“On my solemn oath, Edmund, I'd gladly face not having an acre of land to call my own, nor a penny in the bank,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/on-my-solemn-oath-edmund-i-d-gladly-face-not-having-an-acre-of-land/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [They who refuse education to a black man would turn the South into a vast poorhouse, and labor into a pendulum, necessity vibrating between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/they-who-refuse-education-to-a-black-man-would-turn-the-south-into-a/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [My dad thought I'd end up in the poorhouse or in doughnut shops with a bag full of reviews.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-czerny/my-dad-thought-i-d-end-up-in-the-poorhouse-or-in-doughnut-shops-with/) [Henry Czerny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-czerny/) > [I never weep over lost money, for I figure I'd rather go to the poorhouse once than go there every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-dressler/i-never-weep-over-lost-money-for-i-figure-i-d-rather-go-to-the/) [Marie Dressler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-dressler/) > [We are the first nation in the history of the world to go to the poorhouse in an automobile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/we-are-the-first-nation-in-the-history-of-the-world-to-go-to-the/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [“However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/however-mean-your-life-is-meet-it-and-live-it-do-not-shun-it-and-call-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Inside the brain, Two memories that long had lain, Now quivered toward each other, lipped Together, and together slipped; And for a moment all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/inside-the-brain-two-memories-that-long-had-lain-now-quivered-toward/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [This is called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'; it is called the 'asylum of the oppressed,' and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/this-is-called-the-land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave-it-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/i-would-not-invest-in-a-trump-hate-wall-we-don-t-need-to-be-protected/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [“congress - that great, benevolent asylum for the helpless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/congress-that-great-benevolent-asylum-for-the-helpless/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Sometimes I think they should set up an asylum for people like that... a whole slew of paparazzi defending their positions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-they-should-set-up-an-asylum-for-people-like-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) ## More by Robert Frost > [The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working when you get up in the morning, and doesn't stop until you get to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-brain-is-a-wonderful-organ-it-starts-working-when-you-get-up-in/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [When I see birches bend to left and right... I like to think some boy's been swinging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/when-i-see-birches-bend-to-left-and-right-i-like-to-think-some-boy-s/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [“The promising young poets, the hopefuls? I'd name Richard Wilbur, Peter Viereck, Karl Shapiro, Elizabeth Bishop, Robert Lowell, John Ciardi...Leonard Bacon...but it is still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-promising-young-poets-the-hopefuls-i-d-name-richard-wilbur-peter/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Lord, I have loved Your sky, Be it said against or for me, Have loved it clear and high, Or low and stormy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/lord-i-have-loved-your-sky-be-it-said-against-or-for-me-have-loved-it/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Let him that is without stone among you cast the first thing he can lay his hands on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/let-him-that-is-without-stone-among-you-cast-the-first-thing-he-can/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It is only a moment here and a moment there that the greatest writer has. Some cognizance of the fact must be taken in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-is-only-a-moment-here-and-a-moment-there-that-the-greatest-writer/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [And of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/and-of-course-there-must-be-something-wrong-in-wanting-to-silence-any/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-are-two-kinds-of-teachers-the-kind-that-fill-you-with-so-much/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The rose is a rose, And was always a rose. But now the theory goes That the apple's a rose, And the pear is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-rose-is-a-rose-and-was-always-a-rose-but-now-the-theory-goes-that/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I'll forgive Thy great big joke on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/forgive-o-lord-my-little-jokes-on-thee-and-i-ll-forgive-thy-great-big/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [What an exciting age it is we live in With all this talk about the hope of youth And nothing made of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/what-an-exciting-age-it-is-we-live-in-with-all-this-talk-about-the/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [The footpath down to the well is healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-footpath-down-to-the-well-is-healed/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [There is the fear that we shan't prove worthy in the eyes of someone who knows us at least as well as we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/there-is-the-fear-that-we-shan-t-prove-worthy-in-the-eyes-of-someone/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [It's God - I recognised him from Blake's picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/it-s-god-i-recognised-him-from-blake-s-picture/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [Create and stir other people to create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/create-and-stir-other-people-to-create/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) [Explore all 624 Robert Frost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More Asylum quotes > [Any country that grants asylum to Snowden risks retaliation from the United States, including diplomatic isolation and costly trade sanctions. Several don't seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/any-country-that-grants-asylum-to-snowden-risks-retaliation-from-the/) [Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/) > [Sometimes I think they should set up an asylum for people like that... a whole slew of paparazzi defending their positions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-think-they-should-set-up-an-asylum-for-people-like-that-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“congress - that great, benevolent asylum for the helpless”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/congress-that-great-benevolent-asylum-for-the-helpless/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I would not invest in a Trump hate wall. We don't need to be protected from immigrants that are coming here seeking asylum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/i-would-not-invest-in-a-trump-hate-wall-we-don-t-need-to-be-protected/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) > [This is called 'the land of the free and the home of the brave'; it is called the 'asylum of the oppressed,' and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wells-brown/this-is-called-the-land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave-it-is/) [William Wells Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wells-brown/) > [The lunatics have taken over the asylum and we can do anything we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-lunatics-have-taken-over-the-asylum-and-we-can-do-anything-we-want/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [Individuals whose asylum claims have been accepted have gone on to become professors, soldiers in our military, artists, and more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pramila-jayapal/individuals-whose-asylum-claims-have-been-accepted-have-gone-on-to/) [Pramila Jayapal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pramila-jayapal/) > [I shouldn't make movies anymore. I should go to a lunatic asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-shouldn-t-make-movies-anymore-i-should-go-to-a-lunatic-asylum/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-petigru/south-carolina-is-too-small-for-a-republic-and-too-large-for-an/) [James L. Petigru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-petigru/) > [I had, toward the last, been shut off from all visitors, and so when the lawyer, Peter A. Hendricks, came and told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-bly/i-had-toward-the-last-been-shut-off-from-all-visitors-and-so-when-the/) [Nellie Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-bly/) > [“I was in a mental asylum? When the fuck did that happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-was-in-a-mental-asylum-when-the-fuck-did-that-happen/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [The United States should be an asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-united-states-should-be-an-asylum-for-the-persecuted-lovers-of/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“Asylum. The word always made me smile. Such a pretty name for a hellhole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/asylum-the-word-always-made-me-smile-such-a-pretty-name-for-a-hellhole/) [jennifer estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [“Insane asylums are deliberate and premeditated receptacles of black magic, and it is not only that doctors encourage magic with their untimely and hybrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/insane-asylums-are-deliberate-and-premeditated-receptacles-of-black/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [Instead of turning loose these bogus asylum applicants onto the American streets never to be seen again, let's put them into mobile homes. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kobach/instead-of-turning-loose-these-bogus-asylum-applicants-onto-the/) [Kris Kobach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kobach/) [Browse all 166 Asylum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asylum/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only asylum Was the poorhouse, and thosewho could afford, Rather than send their folks to such a place, Kept them at home; and it does seem more human. But it's not so: the place is theasylum. 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