--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was in Philadelphia during the…" description: "\"When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a garage. The cars in the garage had been ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/tom-glazer-22578_1930s_when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-de_65362.png" --- # When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930… ![“When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a garage. The cars in the garage had been abandoned by their owners, since they had lost their jobs and couldn't keep up the payments.” quote by Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/tom-glazer-22578_1930s_when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-de_65362.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/tom-glazer-22578_1930s_when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-de_65362.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/tom-glazer-22578_1930s_when-i-was-in-philadelphia-during-the-de_65362.png) > “When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a garage. The cars in the garage had been abandoned by their owners, since they had lost their jobs and couldn't keep up the payments.” [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote illustrates how economic hardship forces people to abandon possessions, leaving them idle and forgotten, highlighting the personal toll of the Great Depression. **In simple terms:** Economic distress leads to abandoned assets. Key Takeaway Hardship can strip away material security. Themes Economic hardship Great Depression Unemployment Asset abandonment Social impact Mood Melancholy Reflective Somber Type Historical anecdote Personal narrative When to use this quote - Historical analysis of the 1930s - Teaching about economic cycles - Documentary on personal stories of the Depression Key Concepts Depression era Personal narrative Socioeconomic consequences Practical Applications - Illustrating the human side of economic collapse - Providing context for discussions on unemployment Questions to Reflect On - What does this personal anecdote reveal about the broader economic climate? - How might similar patterns appear in modern recessions? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Payment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/payment/) [Philadelphia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philadelphia/) ## Related quotes > [The authorities in the United States confiscated private gold holdings in the Depression of the 1930's. They may seek to do so again in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dale-davidson/the-authorities-in-the-united-states-confiscated-private-gold/) [James Dale Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dale-davidson/) > [When Mrs. Clinton ran for office, she promised economic growth across New York state, to bring in more than 200,000 jobs, ... She has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brenner/when-mrs-clinton-ran-for-office-she-promised-economic-growth-across/) [David Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brenner/) > [When I was a deacon, the ominous signs of the Great Depression began to appear. Tens of thousands lost their jobs. Money was scarce.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/when-i-was-a-deacon-the-ominous-signs-of-the-great-depression-began/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Everybody else on the estate we lived in worked in construction, or in shops, and they all lost their jobs. Everybody became unemployed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cmat/everybody-else-on-the-estate-we-lived-in-worked-in-construction-or-in/) [CMAT](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cmat/) > [Look how many millions of people are underemployed or have lost their jobs. The last thing I'm going to do is play politics with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-graham/look-how-many-millions-of-people-are-underemployed-or-have-lost-their/) [Lindsey Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-graham/) > [I've met a lot of people who've lost their jobs and they still have a sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-ve-met-a-lot-of-people-who-ve-lost-their-jobs-and-they-still-have-a/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [As a young man, I lived through the Great Depression, when banks failed and so many lost their jobs and homes and went hungry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/as-a-young-man-i-lived-through-the-great-depression-when-banks-failed/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [So more than 8 million people lost their jobs. It's going to take a significant push on our part and time before that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austan-goolsbee/so-more-than-8-million-people-lost-their-jobs-it-s-going-to-take-a/) [Austan Goolsbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austan-goolsbee/) > [NAFTA stripped us of manufacturing jobs. We lost our jobs. We lost our money. We lost our plants. It is a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/nafta-stripped-us-of-manufacturing-jobs-we-lost-our-jobs-we-lost-our/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I've gotten jobs because I'm a woman, and I've lost jobs because I'm a woman. So just do the best work you can. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gren-wells/i-ve-gotten-jobs-because-i-m-a-woman-and-i-ve-lost-jobs-because-i-m-a/) Gren Wells > [Lots of hardworking, blue-collar people across America have lost their jobs since the 1990s - victims of the globalist policies of the Bushes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/lots-of-hardworking-blue-collar-people-across-america-have-lost-their/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [Therefore 5,000 new video gambling machines costs the economy 5,000 lost jobs each year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/therefore-5-000-new-video-gambling-machines-costs-the-economy-5-000/) [John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/) > [I teach MBAs. And I noticed, starting a few years after China joined the World Trade Organization, that a lot of my students were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/i-teach-mbas-and-i-noticed-starting-a-few-years-after-china-joined/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [The economic crisis really affected my family - 2006 to 2011 were really bad times. Almost everybody in my family lost their jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-badass/the-economic-crisis-really-affected-my-family-2006-to-2011-were/) [Joey Badass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-badass/) > [It is very easy for middle-class people who come from moneyed backgrounds not to understand what it's like for people when they first go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-soubry/it-is-very-easy-for-middle-class-people-who-come-from-moneyed/) [Anna Soubry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-soubry/) ## More by Tom Glazer > [When people ask me what I do, strangers on a plane, perhaps, I tell them that I think. Thinking is excellent exercise, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/when-people-ask-me-what-i-do-strangers-on-a-plane-perhaps-i-tell-them/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Technically, I've been retired for some time now. All I ever do is occasionally write songs for friends, such as one, for a friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/technically-i-ve-been-retired-for-some-time-now-all-i-ever-do-is/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [For hundreds of years people have talked about artists having inspiration, but often, some persons would say, write us a symphony or write us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/for-hundreds-of-years-people-have-talked-about-artists-having/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [As I grew up, I was interested in other areas, too, especially literature. It became a major love of mine. Later, it became a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/as-i-grew-up-i-was-interested-in-other-areas-too-especially/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [They say poets write mostly for themselves; if anyone else likes it, well and good, if not, it doesn't matter; certainly, not to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/they-say-poets-write-mostly-for-themselves-if-anyone-else-likes-it/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [I taught myself to drive. I hope that the child in me never dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/i-taught-myself-to-drive-i-hope-that-the-child-in-me-never-dies/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [I ended up performing on a full time basis and I never got to Julliard at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/i-ended-up-performing-on-a-full-time-basis-and-i-never-got-to/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [I published, privately, a collection of my serious poetry I had written over the years. I only published 50 copies, which I gave to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/i-published-privately-a-collection-of-my-serious-poetry-i-had-written/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [With sincere modesty, if there is such a thing, I have never thought of legacy at all. I am always grateful if people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/with-sincere-modesty-if-there-is-such-a-thing-i-have-never-thought-of/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [I wrote the Brotherhood song for no money out of my deep feelings about humanity, and because I was flattered that whatever talents I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/i-wrote-the-brotherhood-song-for-no-money-out-of-my-deep-feelings/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [I obtained a job at the Library of Congress. I loved books, so I felt at home. I was going to end up, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/i-obtained-a-job-at-the-library-of-congress-i-loved-books-so-i-felt/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Just this morning, out of a large memory for songs, and having been obsessed by them since childhood, suddenly, at the age of 84,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/just-this-morning-out-of-a-large-memory-for-songs-and-having-been/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Participation, I think, or one of the best methods of educating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/participation-i-think-or-one-of-the-best-methods-of-educating/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [Most performers don't admit this, because it sounds negative and performers are not supposed to be negative, but when I was on the road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/most-performers-don-t-admit-this-because-it-sounds-negative-and/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) > [A characteristic of older folksongs, in most cases, is that we don't know their composers or authors. Older folksongs were written often with no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-glazer/a-characteristic-of-older-folksongs-in-most-cases-is-that-we-don-t/) [Tom Glazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) [Explore all 27 Tom Glazer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-glazer/) ## More 1930s quotes > [Physicist Isador Isaac Rabi, who won a Nobel Prize for inventing a technique that permitted scientists to probe the structure of atoms and molecules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-saul-wurman/physicist-isador-isaac-rabi-who-won-a-nobel-prize-for-inventing-a/) [Richard Saul Wurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-saul-wurman/) > [My grandmother was a minister as well, which was not that common in the 1930s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/my-grandmother-was-a-minister-as-well-which-was-not-that-common-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [It reminds me in some ways of the debate taking place in this country and around the world in the late 1930s. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/it-reminds-me-in-some-ways-of-the-debate-taking-place-in-this-country/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [As a result of the efforts of Hayek .. and the many others who share his general outlook, the idea of a centrally planned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-kristol/as-a-result-of-the-efforts-of-hayek-and-the-many-others-who-share-his/) [Irving Kristol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-kristol/) > [Working in 3D I didn't experience much of a difference, except that the cameras are very big so they can't be moved around with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-frain/working-in-3d-i-didn-t-experience-much-of-a-difference-except-that/) [James Frain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-frain/) > [Whatever the reasons may be, I was very much affected by events of the 1930s - the Spanish Civil War, for example, though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/whatever-the-reasons-may-be-i-was-very-much-affected-by-events-of-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [We're a little bit low in the 1970s, right, post-Vietnam, Watergate era, malaise, all that, but this is more like the 1930s where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-fried/we-re-a-little-bit-low-in-the-1970s-right-post-vietnam-watergate-era/) [Daniel Fried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-fried/) > [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/) [Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/) > [I would not say that Harvard possesses any sort of absolute dominance. And I personally do not take the rankings of schools all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/i-would-not-say-that-harvard-possesses-any-sort-of-absolute-dominance/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [In the 1930s one was aware of two great evils - mass unemployment and the threat of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-meade/in-the-1930s-one-was-aware-of-two-great-evils-mass-unemployment-and/) [James Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-meade/) > [When comics came along in the 1930s there was a talent pool waiting. And one reason is so many areas were closed to Jews.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-robinson/when-comics-came-along-in-the-1930s-there-was-a-talent-pool-waiting/) [Jerry Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-robinson/) > [In his 1930 book, Dirac took for granted that measurements could be made, but was very vague about what was actually involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willis-lamb/in-his-1930-book-dirac-took-for-granted-that-measurements-could-be/) [Willis Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willis-lamb/) > [Under the gold standard America had no major financial panics other than in 1873, 1884, 1890, 1893, 1907, 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/under-the-gold-standard-america-had-no-major-financial-panics-other/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [The crucial role communists played in organizing industrial unions in the 1930s and struggling for social reforms, peace, and civil rights strengthened rather then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-crucial-role-communists-played-in-organizing-industrial-unions-in/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [The seminar in economic theory conducted by Hayek at the L.S.E. in the 1930s was attended, it came to seem, by all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-seminar-in-economic-theory-conducted-by-hayek-at-the-l-s-e-in-the/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) Browse all 255 1930s quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was in Philadelphia during the Depression in 1930 or '31, I got a very sad job as a night watchman in a garage. 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