--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you're poor, you are invisible…" description: "\"When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you nobody sees you. So being famous was me just wanting to be seen.\" — Viola Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png" --- # When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person… ![“When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you nobody sees you. So being famous was me just wanting to be seen.” quote by Viola Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png) > “When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you nobody sees you. So being famous was me just wanting to be seen.” [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. Poverty renders people unseen, driving a desire for visibility and recognition. **In simple terms:** Being poor makes you feel invisible, craving attention. Key Takeaway Seek platforms that amplify marginalized voices. Themes poverty visibility recognition Mood empathetic critical Type social motivational When to use this quote - social services - activism - career advancement - mental health Key Concepts sociology psychology media Questions to Reflect On - What ways can society make the invisible visible? - How does fame affect personal identity? A Different Perspective Desire for fame may not address underlying systemic invisibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Famous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/famous/) [Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible/) [Invisible Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible-poor-2360214/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Poor Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-invisible-5373559/) [Poor Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor-person/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Sees Famous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sees-famous-6043080/) [Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [Everything in life is not without reason, many invisible - Poor conditions also play a role](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/everything-in-life-is-not-without-reason-many-invisible-poor/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [That the poor are invisible is one of the most important things about them. They are not simply neglected and forgotten as in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-harrington/that-the-poor-are-invisible-is-one-of-the-most-important-things-about/) [Michael Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-harrington/) > [“To many an upright poor person, it seems needless to invent a god who will wash the feet of beggars and exalt those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/to-many-an-upright-poor-person-it-seems-needless-to-invent-a-god-who/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [As a poor person and someone who now writes extensively about social and economic justice, I've often noticed a lack of a focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/as-a-poor-person-and-someone-who-now-writes-extensively-about-social/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [I would like to live like a poor person with a lot of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/i-would-like-to-live-like-a-poor-person-with-a-lot-of-money/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“You are then like an apparently poor person who does not know he has a bank account with $100 million in it and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/you-are-then-like-an-apparently-poor-person-who-does-not-know-he-has/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Let us remember there is not a poor person in the United States who was not made poor by his own shortcomings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-conwell/let-us-remember-there-is-not-a-poor-person-in-the-united-states-who/) [Russell Conwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-conwell/) > [But the poor person does not exist as an inescapable fact of destiny. His or her existence is not politically neutral, and it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustavo-gutierrez/but-the-poor-person-does-not-exist-as-an-inescapable-fact-of-destiny/) [Gustavo Gutiérrez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustavo-gutierrez/) > [“When I see a poor person I think of me, and then I think, maybe I should pay my clones for all the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/when-i-see-a-poor-person-i-think-of-me-and-then-i-think-maybe-i/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Whenever I travel to a poor country, I try to help at least one person. Usually, that person helps me just as much -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/whenever-i-travel-to-a-poor-country-i-try-to-help-at-least-one-person/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [If there are people who feel that God wants them to change the structures of society, that is something between them and their God.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/if-there-are-people-who-feel-that-god-wants-them-to-change-the/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [I've had my share of problems along the way. Don't get me wrong, because there is no school for this. You go from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/i-ve-had-my-share-of-problems-along-the-way-don-t-get-me-wrong/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [I went to university with no money. I can't understand a society that wouldn't give a poor person the same opportunity as a rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-went-to-university-with-no-money-i-can-t-understand-a-society-that/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I'm a big game show fan. When you're a poor person, you watch game shows. I don't think people realize that. Maybe everybody watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-anderson/i-m-a-big-game-show-fan-when-you-re-a-poor-person-you-watch-game/) [Louie Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-anderson/) ## 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 Fame quotes > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [The News of the World made me more famous than being in Atomic Kitten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/the-news-of-the-world-made-me-more-famous-than-being-in-atomic-kitten/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/) [Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/) > [Don't crave fame, do what you do and just apply. I don't think many of them here today are that interested in fashion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/don-t-crave-fame-do-what-you-do-and-just-apply-i-don-t-think-many-of/) [Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/) > [If I had never gotten famous or rich, I think I'd be equally neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/if-i-had-never-gotten-famous-or-rich-i-think-i-d-be-equally-neurotic/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/) [David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/) > [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [I am uninterested in Jennifer Aniston's take on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dillon/i-am-uninterested-in-jennifer-aniston-s-take-on-anything/) [Tim Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dillon/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [I don't want to have anything to do with that: just the fame without personal respect for your privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-don-t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-that-just-the-fame-without/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) [Browse all 6,971 Fame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you nobody sees you. So being famous was me just wanting to be seen.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Viola Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every-poor-person-will-tell-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every-poor-person-will-tell-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26b/viola-davis-1174_fame_when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every_785396.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you're poor, you are invisible. Every poor person will tell you nobody sees you. So being famous was me…” — Viola Davis", "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": "Viola Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you're poor, you are invisible....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every-poor-person-will-tell-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-davis/when-you-re-poor-you-are-invisible-every-poor-person-will-tell-you/#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 } } ] } ```