--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My great-grandfather was a coal miner…" description: "\"My great-grandfather was a coal miner, who worked in Pennsylvania mines when carts were pulled by mules and mines were lit by candles. Mining was very ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/tim-murphy-27500_candles_my-great-grandfather-was-a-coal-miner-wh_1955321.jpg" --- # My great-grandfather was a coal miner, who worked in… ![“My great-grandfather was a coal miner, who worked in Pennsylvania mines when carts were pulled by mules and mines were lit by candles. Mining was very dangerous work then.” quote by Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/tim-murphy-27500_candles_my-great-grandfather-was-a-coal-miner-wh_1955321.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/tim-murphy-27500_candles_my-great-grandfather-was-a-coal-miner-wh_1955321.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/tim-murphy-27500_candles_my-great-grandfather-was-a-coal-miner-wh_1955321.jpg) > “My great-grandfather was a coal miner, who worked in Pennsylvania mines when carts were pulled by mules and mines were lit by candles. Mining was very dangerous work then.” [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal recollection of dangerous, labor‑intensive mining life in early 20th‑century Pennsylvania. **In simple terms:** Mining was hazardous and relied on primitive tools. Key Takeaway Respect the hardships of past workers. Themes history labor danger family industrialization Mood reflective somber Type historical personal When to use this quote - heritage tours - labor rights discussions - historical documentaries Key Concepts working conditions social class technological change Questions to Reflect On - How did these conditions shape community bonds? - What lessons can we draw for today’s workers? A Different Perspective Modern safety standards make such work rare today. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Candles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candles/) [Coal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal/) [Coal Miner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coal-miner-480717/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Grandfather Coal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather-coal-3197537/) [Great grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-grandfather/) [Lit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lit/) [Miner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miner/) [Miner Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miner-worked-2312867/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [Mining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mining/) [Mining Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mining-dangerous-3165705/) [Pennsylvania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pennsylvania/) [Pennsylvania Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pennsylvania-mines-3197538/) [Pulled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pulled/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked/) ## Related quotes > [My father was a miner and he worked down a mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keegan/my-father-was-a-miner-and-he-worked-down-a-mine/) [Kevin Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keegan/) > [Who deserves more credit than the wife of a coal miner? Mother was one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-travis/who-deserves-more-credit-than-the-wife-of-a-coal-miner-mother-was-one/) [Merle Travis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-travis/) > [I came from a very, very small valley in the middle of South Wales. I grew up there with my father, who's a coal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneurin-barnard/i-came-from-a-very-very-small-valley-in-the-middle-of-south-wales-i/) [Aneurin Barnard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneurin-barnard/) > [“If there is one man to whom I do feel myself inferior, it is a coal-miner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-there-is-one-man-to-whom-i-do-feel-myself-inferior-it-is-a-coal/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I come from a coal-mining, working-class background. My father was a coal miner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/i-come-from-a-coal-mining-working-class-background-my-father-was-a/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [Damnit Derek, I'm a coal miner, not a professional film or television actor. -Larry Zoolander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoolander/damnit-derek-i-m-a-coal-miner-not-a-professional-film-or-television/) [Zoolander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoolander/) > [Oh yeah, I would have been a coal miner, I would think, if I hadn't had tuberculosis when I was 12.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-jones/oh-yeah-i-would-have-been-a-coal-miner-i-would-think-if-i-hadn-t-had/) [Tom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-jones/) > [I've got the body of a model and the face of a coal miner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-flemyng/i-ve-got-the-body-of-a-model-and-the-face-of-a-coal-miner/) [Jason Flemyng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-flemyng/) > [My dad was a coal miner in County Durham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-hill/my-dad-was-a-coal-miner-in-county-durham/) [Fiona Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-hill/) > [I know I'm not a coal miner, but I do long hours and I never complain, and there is nowhere else I'd rather be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-know-i-m-not-a-coal-miner-but-i-do-long-hours-and-i-never-complain/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs out there, and it shapes and crafs a particular type of person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robson-green/mining-is-one-of-the-most-dangerous-jobs-out-there-and-it-shapes-and/) [Robson Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robson-green/) > [“we fought a lot in welch. Not just to fend off our enemies but to fit in. Maybe it was because there was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/we-fought-a-lot-in-welch-not-just-to-fend-off-our-enemies-but-to-fit/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Coal is not dear for the coal-miner who can use it there and then, nor is khadi dear for the villager who manufactures his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/coal-is-not-dear-for-the-coal-miner-who-can-use-it-there-and-then-nor/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I am the granddaughter of a Welsh coal miner who was determined that his kids get out of the mines. My dad got his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-romney/i-am-the-granddaughter-of-a-welsh-coal-miner-who-was-determined-that/) [Ann Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-romney/) > [See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner," "A coal miner? Why did she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/see-that-little-girl-i-wanted-to-marry-her-mother-but-she-ran-off/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) ## More by Tim Murphy > [Today, children are watching more and more television, and are bombarded over and over with images and content that have the potential to dramatically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/today-children-are-watching-more-and-more-television-and-are/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [Over the last two decades, America has increased its demand for oil by nearly 30 percent, yet we have not expanded our ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/over-the-last-two-decades-america-has-increased-its-demand-for-oil-by/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [The Iraqi people are living better lives now than three year ago, no longer living in fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/the-iraqi-people-are-living-better-lives-now-than-three-year-ago-no/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [“Lying in the hotel bed, Hector conceded that, all through ’93, ’94, and ’95, an ever-widening river of good data, mixed with a steady…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/lying-in-the-hotel-bed-hector-conceded-that-all-through-93-94-and-95/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [More than 1.1 million taxpayers in Pennsylvania will enjoy a lower tax rate, more than 1.4 million married couples will benefit from the reduction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/more-than-1-1-million-taxpayers-in-pennsylvania-will-enjoy-a-lower/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [In the span of three years, the Iraqi people participated in three elections, drafted a constitution, and elected a new government. While more work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/in-the-span-of-three-years-the-iraqi-people-participated-in-three/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [Making the tax cuts permanent will continue to grow the economy, create jobs, and put more money in the pockets of the hard-working families…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/making-the-tax-cuts-permanent-will-continue-to-grow-the-economy/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [Al Zarqawi had a long history of terrorism. He was responsible for several bombings and beheadings in Iraq, including Pennsylvania native Nicholas Berg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/al-zarqawi-had-a-long-history-of-terrorism-he-was-responsible-for/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [Tens of billions of dollars could be saved in Medicare and Medicaid alone by eliminate fraud and improving patient care. Not only would this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/tens-of-billions-of-dollars-could-be-saved-in-medicare-and-medicaid/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [The pro-growth policies of Congress have helped created new jobs in the region and across the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/the-pro-growth-policies-of-congress-have-helped-created-new-jobs-in/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [“CouverPrtyBud: Wassup rican? RicanTopStud57: Wassup? CouverPrtyBud: You go out tonight? RicanTopStud57: Just dinner. In town for work. At the Hyatt. CouverPrtyBud: Nice. Want company?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/couverprtybud-wassup-rican-ricantopstud57-wassup-couverprtybud-you-go/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [However, many skilled medical volunteers are turned away because community health centers cannot afford to cover their additional medical liability insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/however-many-skilled-medical-volunteers-are-turned-away-because/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [As we continue to fight the war on terror, we express our gratitude to our troops whose valor over the last three years provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/as-we-continue-to-fight-the-war-on-terror-we-express-our-gratitude-to/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [When it costs $50 to fill up our gas tanks, it impacts every aspect of our daily lives and the community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/when-it-costs-50-to-fill-up-our-gas-tanks-it-impacts-every-aspect-of/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) > [Instead of raising taxes as some would insist, we need to reduce waste and inefficiency in government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-murphy/instead-of-raising-taxes-as-some-would-insist-we-need-to-reduce-waste/) [Tim Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) [Explore all 20 Tim Murphy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-murphy/) ## More Candles quotes > [“With the candles on the table, the space becomes a luminous cocoon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-foley/with-the-candles-on-the-table-the-space-becomes-a-luminous-cocoon/) [Lucy Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-foley/) > [A need for many candles may arise in every nation's history to light up the darkness in the country. Most of the time, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-need-for-many-candles-may-arise-in-every-nation-s-history-to-light/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Ladies, don't be afraid to put out candles, flowers & wine for your men! They may return the favor!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-lachey/ladies-don-t-be-afraid-to-put-out-candles-flowers-wine-for-your-men/) [Vanessa Lachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-lachey/) > [I think people just think I am crazy because they see me doing stand-up, but I am generally not. I am very sad. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-people-just-think-i-am-crazy-because-they-see-me-doing-stand/) [Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/) > [Only a candle that is lit and shining can give light to other candles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/only-a-candle-that-is-lit-and-shining-can-give-light-to-other-candles/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“She would rather light candles than curse the darkness and her glow has warmed the world. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adlai-e-stevenson/she-would-rather-light-candles-than-curse-the-darkness-and-her-glow/) [Adlai E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adlai-e-stevenson/) > [ “He exuded wisdom-even the wisest...were pale, flickering candles next to the nourishing solar illumination of \[his\] insights.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/he-exuded-wisdom-even-the-wisest-were-pale-flickering-candles-next-to/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [Dear, Eyelashes, Wishbones, Dandelions. Pennies, Shooting Stars, 11:11, and Birthday Candles, do your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-eyelashes-wishbones-dandelions-pennies-shooting-stars-11-11-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In case we become candles, I want to have a nice pose”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roronoa-zoro/in-case-we-become-candles-i-want-to-have-a-nice-pose/) [Roronoa Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roronoa-zoro/) > [“It’s the beating of my heart. The way I lie awake, playing with shadows slowly climbing up my wall. The gentle moonlight slipping through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/it-s-the-beating-of-my-heart-the-way-i-lie-awake-playing-with-shadows/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [A million candles have burned themselves out. Still I read on. (Montresor)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/a-million-candles-have-burned-themselves-out-still-i-read-on-montresor/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [A few years ago, I got to a point where I realised that the only way you can tell someone's age is how they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/a-few-years-ago-i-got-to-a-point-where-i-realised-that-the-only-way/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I will light candles this Christmas, Candles of joy, despite all sadness, Candles of hope where despair keeps watch. Candles of courage where fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-thurman/i-will-light-candles-this-christmas-candles-of-joy-despite-all/) [Howard Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-thurman/) > [Every little candle is a great knight fighting against the darkness! Every time you feel yourself tiny, remember these brave candles!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-little-candle-is-a-great-knight-fighting-against-the-darkness/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“What did the candles smell like?” she asked. Was she kidding me? “Like Eau du Zombie. I don't know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/what-did-the-candles-smell-like-she-asked-was-she-kidding-me-like-eau/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) [Browse all 163 Candles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candles/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My great-grandfather was a coal miner, who worked in Pennsylvania mines when carts were pulled by mules and mines were lit by candles. 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