--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who work full-time in America…" description: "\"People who work full-time in America should not have to live in poverty - simple as that. Too many jobs don't pay enough to get by, let alone get ahead..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/thomas-perez-18754_ahead_people-who-work-full-time-in-america-sho_2318396.jpg" --- # People who work full-time in America should not have to… ![“People who work full-time in America should not have to live in poverty - simple as that. Too many jobs don't pay enough to get by, let alone get ahead. Too many people are finding the rungs on the ladder of opportunity further and further apart.” quote by Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/thomas-perez-18754_ahead_people-who-work-full-time-in-america-sho_2318396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/thomas-perez-18754_ahead_people-who-work-full-time-in-america-sho_2318396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3eb/thomas-perez-18754_ahead_people-who-work-full-time-in-america-sho_2318396.jpg) > “People who work full-time in America should not have to live in poverty - simple as that. Too many jobs don't pay enough to get by, let alone get ahead. Too many people are finding the rungs on the ladder of opportunity further and further apart.” [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Economic inequality persists when wages lag behind living costs, limiting social mobility and deepening poverty. **In simple terms:** Low wages keep people poor despite full-time work. Key Takeaway Advocate for living wages and stronger labor policies. Themes economic inequality living wages social mobility labor rights policy reform Mood concerned determined hopeful Type political advocacy social commentary When to use this quote - policy debates - legislative hearings - community organizing - union negotiations Key Concepts minimum wage income disparity wealth gap employment standards Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance fair wages with economic growth? - What policies best close the income gap? A Different Perspective Higher wages may increase business costs and affect hiring. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Ladder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ladder/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [No one who works a full-time job should live in poverty. It's that simple. We must stand on the side of hard-working Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-padilla/no-one-who-works-a-full-time-job-should-live-in-poverty-it-s-that/) [Alex Padilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-padilla/) > [“The real ladder of opportunity is ascending levels of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-real-ladder-of-opportunity-is-ascending-levels-of-consciousness/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [What you don't want to do - if you're concerned about poverty, if you're concerned about providing opportunity - you don't want to rip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-johnson/what-you-don-t-want-to-do-if-you-re-concerned-about-poverty-if-you-re/) [Ron Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-johnson/) > [And as we work together, we will build a better America! As we work together, we will bring the middle class to thrive again!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/and-as-we-work-together-we-will-build-a-better-america-as-we-work/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [''we're all borne for a natural reason, discovering your reason for living on earth is the ladder to your opportunity''](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-c/we-re-all-borne-for-a-natural-reason-discovering-your-reason-for/) Jonathan C > [Poverty is a strange and elusive thing. ... I condemn poverty and I advocate it; poverty is simple and complex at once; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/poverty-is-a-strange-and-elusive-thing-i-condemn-poverty-and-i/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [One of the over-riding things for many who grow up in poverty is the simple desire to escape. I think it was sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-over-riding-things-for-many-who-grow-up-in-poverty-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Poverty is not the simple result of bad geography, bad culture, bad history. It's the result of us: of the ways that people choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-davidson/poverty-is-not-the-simple-result-of-bad-geography-bad-culture-bad/) [Adam Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-davidson/) > [“In effect, historians abolished poverty by the simple device of taking it off the agenda.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-g-hopkins/in-effect-historians-abolished-poverty-by-the-simple-device-of-taking/) Antony G. Hopkins > [“Sometimes the grandest of all events are described in the poverty of a few simple words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/sometimes-the-grandest-of-all-events-are-described-in-the-poverty-of/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [The further you get up the corporate ladder, the farther you get from the actual filmmaking process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-platt/the-further-you-get-up-the-corporate-ladder-the-farther-you-get-from/) [Marc Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-platt/) > [In the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/in-the-wealthiest-nation-on-earth-no-one-who-works-full-time-should/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can't help but react to the painful realities of the two-tiered society we live in, where the signs of poverty and inequity are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-yarrow/i-can-t-help-but-react-to-the-painful-realities-of-the-two-tiered/) [Peter Yarrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-yarrow/) > [If you look at the families who live below the poverty line, only 47% of them have internet access at home. And of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-l-cohen/if-you-look-at-the-families-who-live-below-the-poverty-line-only-47/) David L. Cohen > [No person should live in poverty after a life of hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-james/no-person-should-live-in-poverty-after-a-life-of-hard-work/) [Letitia James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-james/) ## More by Thomas Perez > [Protecting the rights of service members was an important part of my work as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/protecting-the-rights-of-service-members-was-an-important-part-of-my/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Every day should be Labor Day. We have to fight for the basic proposition that apprenticeship is a wonderful ticket to the middle class.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/every-day-should-be-labor-day-we-have-to-fight-for-the-basic/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [It was a privilege to serve as the assistant attorney general for civil rights, a role that allowed me to enforce the Civil Rights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/it-was-a-privilege-to-serve-as-the-assistant-attorney-general-for/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Community colleges provide higher education where people live, helping to build strong ladders of opportunity that allow people to secure a foothold in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/community-colleges-provide-higher-education-where-people-live-helping/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Donald Trump is an embarrassment to our nation. I mean, every single day you see something else that is an embarrassment to our nation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/donald-trump-is-an-embarrassment-to-our-nation-i-mean-every-single/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [The typical minimum wage earner is a provider and a breadwinner - most likely a woman - responsible for paying bills, running a household…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/the-typical-minimum-wage-earner-is-a-provider-and-a-breadwinner-most/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [One of the things the Democratic Party is trying to do is take the word off-year out of our lexicon, because we've tended to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/one-of-the-things-the-democratic-party-is-trying-to-do-is-take-the/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [One of the problems that Hillary Clinton had, and one of the problems that Democrats still have is people don't really know what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/one-of-the-problems-that-hillary-clinton-had-and-one-of-the-problems/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Involvement in my kids' sports teams is something I have made time for over the years. I've also been able to coach all three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/involvement-in-my-kids-sports-teams-is-something-i-have-made-time-for/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Every Democrat, like every American, should support a woman's right to make her own choices about her body and her health... At a time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/every-democrat-like-every-american-should-support-a-woman-s-right-to/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [I've had jobs that allow me the flexibility to achieve work-life balance, to be there when one of the kids sinks a jump shot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/i-ve-had-jobs-that-allow-me-the-flexibility-to-achieve-work-life/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [President Obama has made a minimum wage increase a focal point of his economic agenda.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/president-obama-has-made-a-minimum-wage-increase-a-focal-point-of-his/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [I continue to believe that America is better positioned than any country on the planet to lead in the 21st century, but we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/i-continue-to-believe-that-america-is-better-positioned-than-any/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [Donald Trump and Eddie Gillespie and the Republicans in the Commonwealth of Virginia are the No. 1 impediment to Medicaid expansion. Voters understand that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/donald-trump-and-eddie-gillespie-and-the-republicans-in-the/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) > [I firmly believe that the Democrats' message of inclusion and opportunity resonates everywhere. When we talk about health care as a right and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perez/i-firmly-believe-that-the-democrats-message-of-inclusion-and/) [Thomas Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) [Explore all 34 Thomas Perez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perez/) ## More Ahead quotes > [Anybody who thinks that they should lead the country should go ahead and put their hat in the ring. I am not among them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/anybody-who-thinks-that-they-should-lead-the-country-should-go-ahead/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [If I have a problem with somebody, I go ahead and say what's on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/if-i-have-a-problem-with-somebody-i-go-ahead-and-say-what-s-on-my-mind/) [Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/) > [I once invested in a risky business. Quite a few people warned me not to do so, but I still went ahead and invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-once-invested-in-a-risky-business-quite-a-few-people-warned-me-not/) [Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/) > [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [In Life, We May Never Get The Same Opportunity Again, But There's Always Something Better Ahead...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-life-we-may-never-get-the-same-opportunity-again-but-there-s/) Pacifiersucker > [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [There is no such thing as disposable time if you want to stay ahead of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-disposable-time-if-you-want-to-stay-ahead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the kind of guy who comes home and checks scores for everything. I'm a sports fan in general, so I pretty much keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-m-the-kind-of-guy-who-comes-home-and-checks-scores-for-everything-i/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [People are flying you places in business class. Everyone wants to take pictures of you and find out information about you. It's a freak-out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolandi-visser/people-are-flying-you-places-in-business-class-everyone-wants-to-take/) [Yolandi Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolandi-visser/) > [I wasn't putting my all into it and I was still managing to score goals, and that gave me something to dream about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/i-wasn-t-putting-my-all-into-it-and-i-was-still-managing-to-score/) [Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/) > [There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/there-s-no-limit-to-what-you-can-accomplish-but-there-s-always/) [Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [I don't want to look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/i-don-t-want-to-look-too-far-ahead/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [“one who takes the first step always remains one step ahead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabi-shaheen/one-who-takes-the-first-step-always-remains-one-step-ahead/) Rabi Shaheen > [I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-am-not-interested-to-sing-in-bollywood-i-sing-for-only-those-actors/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) Browse all 1,773 Ahead quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People who work full-time in America should not have to live in poverty - simple as that. Too many jobs don't pay enough to get by, let alone get ahead. 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