--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was from this small town, and my…" description: "\"I was from this small town, and my parents were poor.\" — Tina Knowles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg" --- # I was from this small town, and my parents were poor. ![“I was from this small town, and my parents were poor.” quote by Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg) > “I was from this small town, and my parents were poor.” [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) ## 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 modest circumstances shapes perspective and resilience. **In simple terms:** Small-town, poor background influences outlook. Key Takeaway Recognize how origins affect values. Themes background resilience identity Mood reflective determined Type personal narrative inspirational When to use this quote - career choices - personal growth - community involvement Key Concepts socioeconomic status upbringing Questions to Reflect On - How has your upbringing shaped your goals? - What strengths have you gained from modest origins? A Different Perspective Overcoming socioeconomic challenges can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Middle class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents/) [Parents Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parents-poor-789245/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Town Parents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/town-parents-824833/) [Were](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/were/) ## Related quotes > [I hail from a small town. My parents were never apprehensive about my decision to take up acting - they've been a constant support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sriti-jha/i-hail-from-a-small-town-my-parents-were-never-apprehensive-about-my/) [Sriti Jha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sriti-jha/) > [I went to high school in Rockville Center on Long Island. It's this small, soccer-loving town that my parents moved to, from Queens, before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-dunn/i-went-to-high-school-in-rockville-center-on-long-island-it-s-this/) [Crystal Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-dunn/) > [“In those days, at least in my small town, parents didn't seem to worry so much about what their kids were doing as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/in-those-days-at-least-in-my-small-town-parents-didn-t-seem-to-worry/) [K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/) > [my parents ... had decided early on that all of the problems in my family had somehow to do with me. All roads led…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-parents-had-decided-early-on-that-all-of-the-problems-in-my-family/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [When I was young, my family didn't go on outings to the circus or trips to Disneyland. We couldn't afford them. Instead, we stayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/when-i-was-young-my-family-didn-t-go-on-outings-to-the-circus-or/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [I was born in a small town. My parents, my father was a teacher. My mother was a housewife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milos-forman/i-was-born-in-a-small-town-my-parents-my-father-was-a-teacher-my/) [Milos Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milos-forman/) > [Just because a child's parents are poor or uneducated is no reason to deprive the child of basic human rights to health care, education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/just-because-a-child-s-parents-are-poor-or-uneducated-is-no-reason-to/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [My parents were not poor, I mean we were a very average middle-class family of academics, but my grandfather happened to have built house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-banerjee/my-parents-were-not-poor-i-mean-we-were-a-very-average-middle-class/) [Abhijit Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-banerjee/) > [My parents were neither very poor nor conspicuously honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/my-parents-were-neither-very-poor-nor-conspicuously-honest/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I have real good parents. They poor. They have regular, poor jobs and what not. They real good people and what not; I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardi-b/i-have-real-good-parents-they-poor-they-have-regular-poor-jobs-and/) [Cardi B](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardi-b/) > [My parents were so poor when I was a kid, I never went anywhere. I take our youngsters with us because I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ladd/my-parents-were-so-poor-when-i-was-a-kid-i-never-went-anywhere-i-take/) [Alan Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ladd/) > [That was the rule that you never mixed up troubles at home with life at school. When parents were poor or ignorant or mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/that-was-the-rule-that-you-never-mixed-up-troubles-at-home-with-life/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [My parents were very poor, but we never felt any sense of need or want. It was a very close, loving, tightly-knit family growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/my-parents-were-very-poor-but-we-never-felt-any-sense-of-need-or-want/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) > [What makes it all worth-while is what I've been able to do for my parents. They were poor and worked all their lives. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-clark/what-makes-it-all-worth-while-is-what-i-ve-been-able-to-do-for-my/) [Dave Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-clark/) > [I enjoy going on motorcycle trips and stopping in small towns and enjoying drinks with the locals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-enjoy-going-on-motorcycle-trips-and-stopping-in-small-towns-and/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) ## More by Tina Knowles > [As a designer, I believe in the power of fashion. It has the ability to not only change how you look but also how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/as-a-designer-i-believe-in-the-power-of-fashion-it-has-the-ability-to/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [Artists are blessed to travel all over the world. They see the trends before they even come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/artists-are-blessed-to-travel-all-over-the-world-they-see-the-trends/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [I'm always ready for more grandbabies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-m-always-ready-for-more-grandbabies/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [At 58, I knew I had to get a divorce. At that age, it's an almost impossible thing to go through. I had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/at-58-i-knew-i-had-to-get-a-divorce-at-that-age-it-s-an-almost/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [If you're easily overwhelmed when you shop, remember that store employees know what's in stock, and they love to give fashion advice. Working with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/if-you-re-easily-overwhelmed-when-you-shop-remember-that-store/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [Everybody has their pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/everybody-has-their-pain/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [When I went through my divorce, I decided that I was going to pray this time for someone. Then, God sent me someone. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/when-i-went-through-my-divorce-i-decided-that-i-was-going-to-pray/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [I never asked my children to do something I didn't show them that I could also do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-never-asked-my-children-to-do-something-i-didn-t-show-them-that-i/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [I always have Trident gum with me because I talk to people all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-always-have-trident-gum-with-me-because-i-talk-to-people-all-the/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [When Beyonce began singing in earnest, she was 10 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/when-beyonce-began-singing-in-earnest-she-was-10-years-old/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [Take the time to get your clothes to fit. It makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/take-the-time-to-get-your-clothes-to-fit-it-makes-a-difference/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [It's easy to make clothes for a model, but when you can put them on real women and real curves, that's the test.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/it-s-easy-to-make-clothes-for-a-model-but-when-you-can-put-them-on/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [My grandkids are amazing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/my-grandkids-are-amazing/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [When we say, 'We are starving,' we have to remember that there are people who are literally starving. If everyone fed one person, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/when-we-say-we-are-starving-we-have-to-remember-that-there-are-people/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) > [Sometimes people hear that you help somebody or you said something that really resonated with them that they really needed to hear. Sometimes people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/sometimes-people-hear-that-you-help-somebody-or-you-said-something/) [Tina Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) [Explore all 82 Tina Knowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/) ## More Middle class quotes > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/) [Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/) > [The Democrats have been there for working people in our country. That's who we are, trickle-down vs. middle-class economics. That's the major difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/the-democrats-have-been-there-for-working-people-in-our-country-that/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [If you read the 'Daily Mail,' you would imagine that the British middle classes lead lives of unremitting misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hoggart/if-you-read-the-daily-mail-you-would-imagine-that-the-british-middle/) [Simon Hoggart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hoggart/) > [“They had tried to reproduce their own attitude to life upon the stage, and to dress up as the middle-class English people they actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/they-had-tried-to-reproduce-their-own-attitude-to-life-upon-the-stage/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [I wasn't the smartest in school - I was always sort of middle of the class - but when it came to football, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-wilson/i-wasn-t-the-smartest-in-school-i-was-always-sort-of-middle-of-the/) [Harry Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-wilson/) > [The family of my mother had a lot of money; the family of my father, nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charo/the-family-of-my-mother-had-a-lot-of-money-the-family-of-my-father/) [Charo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charo/) > [Now that I'm more middle class, I have access to consumer goods. I do enjoy feminine frippery, feminine doo-da, stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/now-that-i-m-more-middle-class-i-have-access-to-consumer-goods-i-do/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [Poor and most middle-class people believe "If I have a lot of money, I could do what I want and I'd be a success."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/poor-and-most-middle-class-people-believe-if-i-have-a-lot-of-money-i/) [T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/) > [My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a maid and a stock clerk at K-Mart. They never made it big. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/my-dad-was-a-bartender-my-mom-was-a-cashier-a-maid-and-a-stock-clerk/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [My father was in real estate, banking, and land management. As family life, it was very conventional, happy, and comfortable. We weren't wealthy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/my-father-was-in-real-estate-banking-and-land-management-as-family/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [When in one area of the world the standard of living and the size of the middle class increases, it is going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lagarde/when-in-one-area-of-the-world-the-standard-of-living-and-the-size-of/) [Christine Lagarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lagarde/) > [The benefit of living in a free society is that we all have the choice to be rich, poor, or middle class. The decision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/the-benefit-of-living-in-a-free-society-is-that-we-all-have-the/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) [Browse all 2,050 Middle class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was from this small town, and my parents were poor.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tina Knowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parents-were-poor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Middle class" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parents-were-poor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/008/tina-knowles-8228_parenting_i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parent_1882019.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was from this small town, and my parents were poor.” — Tina Knowles", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Tina Knowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-knowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was from this small town,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parents-were-poor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-knowles/i-was-from-this-small-town-and-my-parents-were-poor/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```