--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up in Brooklyn, in what I now know…" description: "\"I grew up in Brooklyn, in what I now know was poverty. Sharing a tiny bedroom with my two brothers, eating government cheese and passing down sneakers ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/theodore-melfi-19341_bedroom_i-grew-up-in-brooklyn-in-what-i-now-know_2855425.jpg" --- # I grew up in Brooklyn, in what I now know was poverty… ![“I grew up in Brooklyn, in what I now know was poverty. Sharing a tiny bedroom with my two brothers, eating government cheese and passing down sneakers until they were unpassable... I simply thought the whole world lived as such, especially in pre-gentrified Williamsburg of the 1980s.” quote by Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/theodore-melfi-19341_bedroom_i-grew-up-in-brooklyn-in-what-i-now-know_2855425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/theodore-melfi-19341_bedroom_i-grew-up-in-brooklyn-in-what-i-now-know_2855425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/296/theodore-melfi-19341_bedroom_i-grew-up-in-brooklyn-in-what-i-now-know_2855425.jpg) > “I grew up in Brooklyn, in what I now know was poverty. Sharing a tiny bedroom with my two brothers, eating government cheese and passing down sneakers until they were unpassable... I simply thought the whole world lived as such, especially in pre-gentrified Williamsburg of the 1980s.” [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Growing up in poverty shaped a worldview that assumed scarcity was universal. **In simple terms:** Childhood poverty skews perception of normalcy. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge limiting assumptions. Themes socio‑economic identity perspective Mood reflective hopeful Type memoir inspirational When to use this quote - education reform - community mentorship - policy advocacy Key Concepts poverty cycle social mobility Questions to Reflect On - How did your background influence your expectations? - What steps can you take to broaden your view? A Different Perspective Assumptions may not reflect current reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Two brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-brothers/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Where I grew up in Brooklyn, nobody committed suicide. Everyone was too unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/where-i-grew-up-in-brooklyn-nobody-committed-suicide-everyone-was-too/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [As with all the other rappers I've worked with, Biggie and I shared common ground. Even though Biggie grew up in Brooklyn and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-kelly/as-with-all-the-other-rappers-i-ve-worked-with-biggie-and-i-shared/) [R. Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-kelly/) > [My mom grew up in Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-barrett/my-mom-grew-up-in-brooklyn/) [RJ Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-barrett/) > [I grew up in Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-kelly/i-grew-up-in-brooklyn/) [Johnny Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-kelly/) > [Churches know more about poverty than any government will ever know, because we're dealing with the poor every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/churches-know-more-about-poverty-than-any-government-will-ever-know/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I know the streets, I know the system, I know poverty, and I know how it feels to be 15 and not have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lateefah-simon/i-know-the-streets-i-know-the-system-i-know-poverty-and-i-know-how-it/) Lateefah Simon > [I know what it means to go to the stream to fetch water... what it means when people are poor and don't have enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/i-know-what-it-means-to-go-to-the-stream-to-fetch-water-what-it-means/) [Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngozi-okonjo-iweala/) > [“Why, European visitors tell us, we don’t know what poverty is.” “Neither do we,” answered Zava. “Won’t you tell us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/why-european-visitors-tell-us-we-don-t-know-what-poverty-is-neither/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [We know what war means, and we know what poverty means. We need to develop a better model for reaching out to the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-griswold/we-know-what-war-means-and-we-know-what-poverty-means-we-need-to/) [Eliza Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-griswold/) > [“They don't know what poor is. They don't know that poverty is a sharp knife carving away at you. They don't know what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/they-don-t-know-what-poor-is-they-don-t-know-that-poverty-is-a-sharp/) [Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/) > [“God's friendship is with people who know their poverty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/god-s-friendship-is-with-people-who-know-their-poverty/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I know what poverty is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-know-what-poverty-is/) [Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/) > [To be able to proclaim the Good News to the poor we must know what is poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/to-be-able-to-proclaim-the-good-news-to-the-poor-we-must-know-what-is/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“We know that poverty is unpleasant; in fact, since it is so remote, we rather enjoy harrowing ourselves with the thought of its unpleasantness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/we-know-that-poverty-is-unpleasant-in-fact-since-it-is-so-remote-we/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I would love 'Aankhen 2' to happen. I would have Govinda and I play these two brothers and having kids who can take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chunky-pandey/i-would-love-aankhen-2-to-happen-i-would-have-govinda-and-i-play/) [Chunky Pandey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chunky-pandey/) ## More by Theodore Melfi > [I think if characters change too much, it's unrealistic; their whole fabric of who they are as a person doesn't just disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/i-think-if-characters-change-too-much-it-s-unrealistic-their-whole/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [The fact is this: NASA was desegregated by a white male. NASA was not desegregated by a black male. NASA was not desegregated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/the-fact-is-this-nasa-was-desegregated-by-a-white-male-nasa-was-not/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [I think the commercial world is a lateral step from features. Some people see it as a step down, but I've never understood that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/i-think-the-commercial-world-is-a-lateral-step-from-features-some/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [The journey of making 'Hidden Figures' has shown me the automatic privilege that all white men are afforded in America in 2017 and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/the-journey-of-making-hidden-figures-has-shown-me-the-automatic/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [I can't stand toe-to-toe with Bill Murray. It's very hard, because just looking at Bill - he's 6'3", and he just stares at you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/i-can-t-stand-toe-to-toe-with-bill-murray-it-s-very-hard-because-just/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [If you don't have comedy in a movie, you don't have a movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/if-you-don-t-have-comedy-in-a-movie-you-don-t-have-a-movie/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [Change is incremental. Change is small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/change-is-incremental-change-is-small/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [You have a responsibility to make inclusion a daily thought, so we can get rid of the word 'inclusion.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/you-have-a-responsibility-to-make-inclusion-a-daily-thought-so-we-can/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [After a tumultuous 20-year marriage, my father up and left one day, leaving my mother to raise three boys without the means to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/after-a-tumultuous-20-year-marriage-my-father-up-and-left-one-day/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [NASA didn't give a crap what gender you were or what race you were. If you could do the math, you were valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/nasa-didn-t-give-a-crap-what-gender-you-were-or-what-race-you-were-if/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [We're all humans. Any human can tell any human's story. I don't want to have this conversation about black film or white film anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/we-re-all-humans-any-human-can-tell-any-human-s-story-i-don-t-want-to/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [Life is laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/life-is-laughter/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [To me, there are saints every day. They stand up and help others and live for others and do things for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/to-me-there-are-saints-every-day-they-stand-up-and-help-others-and/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [I think math is exciting, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/i-think-math-is-exciting-you-know/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [By the time I got to 'St Vincent,' I had shot so many scenarios I was ready for anything - I've shot kangaroos, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/by-the-time-i-got-to-st-vincent-i-had-shot-so-many-scenarios-i-was/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) [Explore all 33 Theodore Melfi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) ## More Bedroom quotes > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. 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I lock them in a bedroom; otherwis,e he will just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-walker/my-boy-always-wants-to-play-football-but-i-have-to-hide-the-balls-i/) [Kyle Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-walker/) > [There was this one time in Vegas when I took four Victoria's Secret models and did one gram off each of their bodies within,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/there-was-this-one-time-in-vegas-when-i-took-four-victoria-s-secret/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [“You know," he said, "under normal circumstances, you inviting me to the bedroom would be the highlight of my day." I crossed my arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/you-know-he-said-under-normal-circumstances-you-inviting-me-to-the/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Miami Beach - that's where I grew up, in a middle-class Jewish family led by my maternal grandfather. 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