--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Strange to relate, these simple folk were…" description: "\"“Strange to relate, these simple folk were perfectly happy without money and without silver watches. Abject poverty was practically unknown; they had n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/sol-t-plaatje-18648_quote_strange-to-relate-these-simple-folk-were_1827344.jpg" --- # Strange to relate, these simple folk were perfectly happy… ![“Strange to relate, these simple folk were perfectly happy without money and without silver watches. Abject poverty was practically unknown; they had no orphanages because there were no nameless babies. [3]” quote by Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/sol-t-plaatje-18648_quote_strange-to-relate-these-simple-folk-were_1827344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/sol-t-plaatje-18648_quote_strange-to-relate-these-simple-folk-were_1827344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d0/sol-t-plaatje-18648_quote_strange-to-relate-these-simple-folk-were_1827344.jpg) > ““Strange to relate, these simple folk were perfectly happy without money and without silver watches. Abject poverty was practically unknown; they had no orphanages because there were no nameless babies. \[3\]”” [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The community thrives on simplicity and mutual support, lacking material excess and social institutions for the vulnerable. **In simple terms:** Simple living fosters happiness and community care. Key Takeaway Embrace modesty and community bonds. Themes simplicity community contentment Mood reflective nostalgic Type cultural sociological When to use this quote - rural villages - communal living - social welfare - economic policy Key Concepts social cohesion poverty perception Questions to Reflect On - How does material scarcity shape social values? - Can modern societies learn from such simplicity? A Different Perspective Idealizing poverty may overlook hidden hardships and systemic needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [I have an idea I want to test, for combining old peoples' homes and orphanages. Old people are lonely without children, children are lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhou-xun/i-have-an-idea-i-want-to-test-for-combining-old-peoples-homes-and/) [Zhou Xun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhou-xun/) > [I grew up in different orphanages in Israel, and if they gave me a pair of shoes, a shirt, and pair of pants every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-tahari/i-grew-up-in-different-orphanages-in-israel-and-if-they-gave-me-a/) [Elie Tahari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-tahari/) > [Children, we should visit homes of the poor, orphanages and hospitals from time to time. We should take our family members along and offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/children-we-should-visit-homes-of-the-poor-orphanages-and-hospitals/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [“It was ‘discovered’ in the 1940s that babies in orphanages who received all their supposed nutritional requirements, did not grow because they were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/it-was-discovered-in-the-1940s-that-babies-in-orphanages-who-received/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [Some of our most successful businessmen in US grew up in orphanages. They were well treated, and they learned discipline. They learned right or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/some-of-our-most-successful-businessmen-in-us-grew-up-in-orphanages/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [When I was young, my brother David and I were farmed off to foster homes, and I spent time in orphanages. My father abandoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-i-was-young-my-brother-david-and-i-were-farmed-off-to-foster/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Can anyone seriously imagine a society without stable families? Maybe we should raise all the kids in state orphanages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/can-anyone-seriously-imagine-a-society-without-stable-families-maybe/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [If those civil rights groups are going into those orphanages and offering to look after those children, then they have every right to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/if-those-civil-rights-groups-are-going-into-those-orphanages-and/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Why can't we build orphanages next to homes for the elderly? If someone were sitting in a rocker, it wouldn't be long before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cloris-leachman/why-can-t-we-build-orphanages-next-to-homes-for-the-elderly-if/) [Cloris Leachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cloris-leachman/) > [Better to build orphanages than prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/better-to-build-orphanages-than-prisons/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [“Those institutions—the so-called “industrial schools,” orphanages and “Magdalene” laundries—were run by certain religious orders in Ireland for the better part of a century, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-mckenna/those-institutions-the-so-called-industrial-schools-orphanages-and/) [Christina McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-mckenna/) > [“Orphanages are the only places that ever left me feeling empty and full at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-simmons/orphanages-are-the-only-places-that-ever-left-me-feeling-empty-and/) John M. Simmons > [Our ministry also supports orphanages in the U.S. and overseas, thousands of poor children in Latin America, drug centers for addicted men, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/our-ministry-also-supports-orphanages-in-the-u-s-and-overseas/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [“There are orphanages," he exclaimed to himself, "for children who have lost their parents--oh! why, why, why, are there no harbours of refuge for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/there-are-orphanages-he-exclaimed-to-himself-for-children-who-have/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) ## More by Sol T. Plaatje > [ “A hasty dog always burns his mouth. \[192\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/a-hasty-dog-always-burns-his-mouth-192/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “The viewpoint of the ruler is not always the viewpoint of the ruled. \[70\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/the-viewpoint-of-the-ruler-is-not-always-the-viewpoint-of-the-ruled-70/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “There’s always a return to the ruins, only to the womb there is no return. \[191\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/there-s-always-a-return-to-the-ruins-only-to-the-womb-there-is-no/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“The forests shook with the awful thunder of the guns, which stirred a wild agitation among the denizens of the day. Terrified game of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/the-forests-shook-with-the-awful-thunder-of-the-guns-which-stirred-a/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “Never be led by a female lest thou fall over a precipice. \[57\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/never-be-led-by-a-female-lest-thou-fall-over-a-precipice-57/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “I am going to leave this place while the leaving is good. \[139\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/i-am-going-to-leave-this-place-while-the-leaving-is-good-139/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “Lightening fire is quenched by other fire. \[102\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/lightening-fire-is-quenched-by-other-fire-102/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“He noticed further that no Boer ever interceded when a Hottentot was flogged; that in punishing Hottentots the Boers used dangerous weapons, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/he-noticed-further-that-no-boer-ever-interceded-when-a-hottentot-was/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, As the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/i-am-black-but-comely-o-ye-daughters-of-jerusalem-as-the-tents-of/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “Man, Ra-Thaga, I always told you that you had a brown skin over a white heart, but you wouldn’t believe me. \[161\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/man-ra-thaga-i-always-told-you-that-you-had-a-brown-skin-over-a-white/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “So long as there are two men left on earth there will be war. \[169\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/so-long-as-there-are-two-men-left-on-earth-there-will-be-war-169/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“That exactly is how my father and mother met and became man and wife. There were no home ceremonials, such as the seeking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/that-exactly-is-how-my-father-and-mother-met-and-became-man-and-wife/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “Let the enemy try conclusions with me and the vultures shall gorge themselves with his flesh and the ants shall fatten on his blood. \[137\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/let-the-enemy-try-conclusions-with-me-and-the-vultures-shall-gorge/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [“Umnandi would willingly have given up her beauty and stately mien and forgotten her skill in cookery, in return for the birth of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/umnandi-would-willingly-have-given-up-her-beauty-and-stately-mien-and/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [ “The quarry of two dogs is never too strong. \[106\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/the-quarry-of-two-dogs-is-never-too-strong-106/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) [Explore all 34 Sol T. Plaatje quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) ## More Orphanages quotes > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [Our ministry also supports orphanages in the U.S. and overseas, thousands of poor children in Latin America, drug centers for addicted men, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/our-ministry-also-supports-orphanages-in-the-u-s-and-overseas/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [“Orphanages are the only places that ever left me feeling empty and full at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-simmons/orphanages-are-the-only-places-that-ever-left-me-feeling-empty-and/) John M. Simmons > [“Those institutions—the so-called “industrial schools,” orphanages and “Magdalene” laundries—were run by certain religious orders in Ireland for the better part of a century, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-mckenna/those-institutions-the-so-called-industrial-schools-orphanages-and/) [Christina McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-mckenna/) > [Better to build orphanages than prisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/better-to-build-orphanages-than-prisons/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [Why can't we build orphanages next to homes for the elderly? If someone were sitting in a rocker, it wouldn't be long before a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cloris-leachman/why-can-t-we-build-orphanages-next-to-homes-for-the-elderly-if/) [Cloris Leachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cloris-leachman/) > [If those civil rights groups are going into those orphanages and offering to look after those children, then they have every right to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/if-those-civil-rights-groups-are-going-into-those-orphanages-and/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Can anyone seriously imagine a society without stable families? Maybe we should raise all the kids in state orphanages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/can-anyone-seriously-imagine-a-society-without-stable-families-maybe/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [When I was young, my brother David and I were farmed off to foster homes, and I spent time in orphanages. My father abandoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/when-i-was-young-my-brother-david-and-i-were-farmed-off-to-foster/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Some of our most successful businessmen in US grew up in orphanages. They were well treated, and they learned discipline. They learned right or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/some-of-our-most-successful-businessmen-in-us-grew-up-in-orphanages/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [“It was ‘discovered’ in the 1940s that babies in orphanages who received all their supposed nutritional requirements, did not grow because they were not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/it-was-discovered-in-the-1940s-that-babies-in-orphanages-who-received/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [Children, we should visit homes of the poor, orphanages and hospitals from time to time. We should take our family members along and offer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/children-we-should-visit-homes-of-the-poor-orphanages-and-hospitals/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [I grew up in different orphanages in Israel, and if they gave me a pair of shoes, a shirt, and pair of pants every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-tahari/i-grew-up-in-different-orphanages-in-israel-and-if-they-gave-me-a/) [Elie Tahari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-tahari/) > [I have an idea I want to test, for combining old peoples' homes and orphanages. Old people are lonely without children, children are lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhou-xun/i-have-an-idea-i-want-to-test-for-combining-old-peoples-homes-and/) [Zhou Xun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhou-xun/) > [“There are orphanages," he exclaimed to himself, "for children who have lost their parents--oh! why, why, why, are there no harbours of refuge for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/there-are-orphanages-he-exclaimed-to-himself-for-children-who-have/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) Browse all 19 Orphanages quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Strange to relate, these simple folk were perfectly happy without money and without silver watches. Abject poverty was practically unknown; they had no orphanages because there were no nameless babies. [3]”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sol T. 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