--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have been down and out, living in…" description: "\"I have been down and out, living in Brooklyn, no money even for a subway, no food whatsoever. Like, I remember just sitting in my room all day - even m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/viola-davis-1174_brooklyn_i-have-been-down-and-out-living-in-brook_1665284.png" --- # I have been down and out, living in Brooklyn, no money… ![“I have been down and out, living in Brooklyn, no money even for a subway, no food whatsoever. Like, I remember just sitting in my room all day - even my television wasn't working!” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/viola-davis-1174_brooklyn_i-have-been-down-and-out-living-in-brook_1665284.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/viola-davis-1174_brooklyn_i-have-been-down-and-out-living-in-brook_1665284.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/viola-davis-1174_brooklyn_i-have-been-down-and-out-living-in-brook_1665284.png) > “I have been down and out, living in Brooklyn, no money even for a subway, no food whatsoever. Like, I remember just sitting in my room all day - even my television wasn't working!” [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes extreme poverty and isolation in Brooklyn, highlighting daily struggles without basic resources. **In simple terms:** She faced severe poverty and loneliness. Key Takeaway Seek support and resources. Themes poverty isolation urban struggle resilience Mood somber hopeful Type personal social commentary When to use this quote - social services - community aid - employment programs Key Concepts economic hardship housing insecurity mental health Questions to Reflect On - What resources could help? - How can communities prevent such hardship? A Different Perspective May not capture systemic causes of poverty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [There's a certain type of character that you can't help but come in contact with growing up and living in Brooklyn and Long Island.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buscemi/there-s-a-certain-type-of-character-that-you-can-t-help-but-come-in/) [Steve Buscemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buscemi/) > [I love living in Brooklyn. Originally I moved there because I could enjoy a bigger space for less money than I would ever get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-zimmermann/i-love-living-in-brooklyn-originally-i-moved-there-because-i-could/) [Raquel Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-zimmermann/) > [I can go years without going to Los Angeles, but I think my living in Brooklyn is critical to my continuing to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-can-go-years-without-going-to-los-angeles-but-i-think-my-living-in/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [The major perk of living in Brooklyn is that everything is there. If I did not want to leave Brooklyn, I could stay there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-erivo/the-major-perk-of-living-in-brooklyn-is-that-everything-is-there-if-i/) [Cynthia Erivo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-erivo/) > [Living in Brooklyn it's a very fend-for-yourself place. Maybe it's made me a little bit harsh but I don't consider that to be pejorative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-torres/living-in-brooklyn-it-s-a-very-fend-for-yourself-place-maybe-it-s/) [Fernando Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-torres/) > [It's much tougher to be a restaurant critic now. You have to take a subway out to Brooklyn. I wouldn't want to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-sheraton/it-s-much-tougher-to-be-a-restaurant-critic-now-you-have-to-take-a/) [Mimi Sheraton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-sheraton/) > [I seen her in the subway, on my way to Brooklyn. "Hello, good lookin, is this seat tooken?" On the A Train, pickin at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/i-seen-her-in-the-subway-on-my-way-to-brooklyn-hello-good-lookin-is/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [I was raised by a single mother who made a way for me. She used to scrub floors as a domestic worker, put a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-was-raised-by-a-single-mother-who-made-a-way-for-me-she-used-to/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I wish I had an invisible plane to take me home to Brooklyn, and I wouldn't have to ride the subway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-russell/i-wish-i-had-an-invisible-plane-to-take-me-home-to-brooklyn-and-i/) [Keri Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-russell/) > [You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pitbull/you-see-the-old-way-wasn-t-working-so-it-s-on-us-to-do-what-we-gotta/) [Pitbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pitbull/) > [I had a job to take care of my parents, to take care of some bills at the house, because my daddy wasn't working.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-pierre-paul/i-had-a-job-to-take-care-of-my-parents-to-take-care-of-some-bills-at/) [Jason Pierre-Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-pierre-paul/) > [When I left I knew I was gonna go back to WWE. But I needed to go because whatever I was doing wasn't working.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-cage/when-i-left-i-knew-i-was-gonna-go-back-to-wwe-but-i-needed-to-go/) [Christian Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-cage/) > [I was very blessed always to find work; even when people thought I wasn't working, I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/i-was-very-blessed-always-to-find-work-even-when-people-thought-i/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [There was a time when I wasn't working a lot. It ebbs and flows. Mostly I was just living my life and playing 'Fallout…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/there-was-a-time-when-i-wasn-t-working-a-lot-it-ebbs-and-flows-mostly/) [Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/) > [Whenever I wasn't working, I had my butt back in normal school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahj-mowry/whenever-i-wasn-t-working-i-had-my-butt-back-in-normal-school/) [Tahj Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahj-mowry/) ## More by Viola Davis > [I look back at pictures of myself and I remember thinking, "I was so fat when I was growing up. I was 165 pounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-look-back-at-pictures-of-myself-and-i-remember-thinking-i-was-so/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am not a glam woman - this definitely is a mask I put on for the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-not-a-glam-woman-this-definitely-is-a-mask-i-put-on-for-the/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I was bullied at school. The black girl in Central Falls, Rhode Island, in 1973. There'd be 8 or 10 boys; I would count…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-was-bullied-at-school-the-black-girl-in-central-falls-rhode-island/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's why there's so much bad acting out there, because you could see actors watching themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-why-there-s-so-much-bad-acting-out-there-because-you-could-see/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I want my work to reflect my level of gifts and talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-want-my-work-to-reflect-my-level-of-gifts-and-talent/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I don’t want anyone putting any limits on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-don-t-want-anyone-putting-any-limits-on-me/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ I think that's why August \[Wilson\] named her Rose \[in "Fences"\]; I really do. She's a rose in her sweetness and her kindness and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-think-that-s-why-august-wilson-named-her-rose-in-fences-i-really-do/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I suffered from low self-esteem for much of my life. And now to feel like maybe something that I'm projecting or saying could mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-suffered-from-low-self-esteem-for-much-of-my-life-and-now-to-feel/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I tell my daughter every morning, 'Now, what are the two most important parts of you?' And she says, 'My head and my heart.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-tell-my-daughter-every-morning-now-what-are-the-two-most-important/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I started a production company out of necessity, the need for great narratives for actors of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-started-a-production-company-out-of-necessity-the-need-for-great/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [That's always the biggest surprise when people meet me: how buoyant I am and how fun and light I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/that-s-always-the-biggest-surprise-when-people-meet-me-how-buoyant-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [When you're working as an actor, you don't think that when you get out of school, it's going to be so hard to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-working-as-an-actor-you-don-t-think-that-when-you-get-out-2/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [ It was hard, that confrontation scene \[in "Fences"\], that was a hard one. I felt like it was relentless, I never felt like I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/it-was-hard-that-confrontation-scene-in-fences-that-was-a-hard-one-i/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) > [I am addicted to any facial product that's anti-aging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/i-am-addicted-to-any-facial-product-that-s-anti-aging/) [Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) [Explore all 279 Viola Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/) ## More Brooklyn quotes > [Mike Tyson is the most complex person I've ever met in my life. I've known Mike since 1986. We're both from Brooklyn. I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-lee/mike-tyson-is-the-most-complex-person-i-ve-ever-met-in-my-life-i-ve/) [Spike Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-lee/) > [Brooklyn is a very weird borough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keeth-smart/brooklyn-is-a-very-weird-borough/) [Keeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keeth-smart/) > [Compton is this amazing place with a rich history. I see it as a new Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aja-brown/compton-is-this-amazing-place-with-a-rich-history-i-see-it-as-a-new/) [Aja Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aja-brown/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [Coming from Haiti and growing up in Brooklyn, there's a lot of European influence when I get dressed up. I wear a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyclef-jean/coming-from-haiti-and-growing-up-in-brooklyn-there-s-a-lot-of/) [Wyclef Jean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyclef-jean/) > [No, I ain't a star - I'm just a kid from Brooklyn, living his dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/astro/no-i-ain-t-a-star-i-m-just-a-kid-from-brooklyn-living-his-dream/) [Astro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/astro/) > [Brooklyn is not the easiest place to grow up in, although I wouldn't change that experience for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/brooklyn-is-not-the-easiest-place-to-grow-up-in-although-i-wouldn-t/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [My father grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., with my grandparents. In Norwegian my name is pronounced 'Yoo' but my father used to call me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/my-father-grew-up-in-brooklyn-n-y-with-my-grandparents-in-norwegian/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [Comparing the Brooklyn that I know with Manhattan is like comparing a comfortable and complacent duenna to her more brilliant and neurotic sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/comparing-the-brooklyn-that-i-know-with-manhattan-is-like-comparing-a/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [We wept, Brooklyn was a lovely place to hit. If you got a ball in the air, you had a chance to get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duke-snider/we-wept-brooklyn-was-a-lovely-place-to-hit-if-you-got-a-ball-in-the/) [Duke Snider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duke-snider/) > [Bob Smith from Brooklyn is a guy who sometimes gets hung with problems and fears. Wolfman Jack is a happy-go-lucky guy who knows how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfman-jack/bob-smith-from-brooklyn-is-a-guy-who-sometimes-gets-hung-with/) [Wolfman Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfman-jack/) > [I don't think that you can say by any stretch of the imagination that all Wisconsin or Brooklyn-based poets write in a particular way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthea-harvey/i-don-t-think-that-you-can-say-by-any-stretch-of-the-imagination-that/) [Matthea Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthea-harvey/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Browse all 556 Brooklyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have been down and out, living in Brooklyn, no money even for a subway, no food whatsoever. 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