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Poverty Quotes

On hardship, pretense, and the thin line between struggle and ruin.

These quotes describe poverty as something felt rather than just discussed—its nearness to wealth in some places, the pretense people keep up to hide it, and the social programs built to hold it back. See our poverty slogans for another angle.

I can't solve the poverty problem, but there are things you can do to mitigate its effects on kids.

Quotes by Sal Albanese

During my eleven years as a New York City public school teacher, I saw firsthand the impact that poverty has on the classroom. In low-income neighborhoods like Sunset Park, where I taught, students as young as five years old enter...

Quotes by Sal Albanese

I've experienced poverty and plenty, and there's a lesson to be learned when you're brought up in poverty.

Quotes by S. Truett Cathy

India was a sensation. It was remarkable to see all those parrots flying about, the brilliant foliage and the brilliant sky. It was a tremendous pageant. I never noticed the poverty.

Quotes by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Poverty and the rule of race that is called apartheid drive the Transkeian migrant from security on the land to work in the cities, and then back again.

Quotes by Ruth First

Poverty and lack of knowledge must be challenged.

Quotes by Russell Simmons

I do remember the numbers runners, I do remember the poverty and bread lines. Harlem stays with you forever.

Quotes by Ruby Dee

Economists are coming to acknowledge that measures of national wealth and poverty in terms strictly of average income tell you little that is significant of the health or viability of a society.

Quotes by Rowan Williams

To help the poor to a capacity for action and liberty is something essential for one's own health as well as theirs: there is a needful gift they have to offer which cannot be offered so long as they are...

Quotes by Rowan Williams

When you hear that China is overcrowded, that's an understatement. I was shocked at the number of people. Even in the rural areas. I was also shocked at the poverty and at the living conditions.

Quotes by Rosemary Mahoney

I have seen poverty first hand. My parents were not well-off. They were in Ban'gladesh and I - just a child then - was sent off to live in my uncle's house in Calcutta.

Quotes by Roopa Ganguly

There's a lot of freedom in having nothing. You don't have responsibility. You have nobody to answer to. But I'd rather deal without the poverty.

Quotes by Ron Cooper

You cannot be against a raise in the minimum wage and for cutting government assistance and still say that you are worried about the people living in poverty.

Quotes by Ron Crumpton

Raising the minimum wage would be a positive step in reducing poverty, the humiliation of living in poverty, and dependence on public assistance.

Quotes by Ron Crumpton

The worst part of great poverty is that you become blind to it.

Quotes by Rohinton Mistry

Of course I am frustrated with regard to extreme poverty, to violence that never seems to cease.

Quotes by Roger Moore

I live 50 miles from London and we've got some of the highest levels of teenage and childhood poverty in the country. It's disgusting. Just because it's a rural area, it gets forgotten.

Quotes by Roger Daltrey

I mean, the world has already done a big, big effort to forget debt to countries heavily indebted and with low income. And that has given good chances to countries to get out of poverty.

Quotes by Rodrigo Rato

If you search for poverty, you'll find it, often in the family. Why? Because the family makes this great investment, from which we all benefit, but for which no-one helps. We have to point the spotlight on the family, and...

Quotes by Rocco Buttiglione

I would say that many of the characters in my stories do not live in true poverty - they are not out on the street; they are not wondering if there will be anything to eat in the next week....

Quotes by Robin Hobb

Frequently Asked Questions

What angles on poverty do these quotes cover?
This set covers a personal observation about inequality in Mexico, a stark description of poverty's harshness, a policy view connecting Social Security to reducing poverty, and an older reflection on pretense and a ruined man's pride.
Is there a quote describing wealth and poverty existing side by side?
Yes: "In Mexico, wealth and poverty live next to each other and are cordial with each other - in my experience."
Does a quote connect poverty to a dark, memorable image?
Yes: "There is something about poverty that smells like death."
Is there a quote linking Social Security to reducing poverty?
Yes - one sample post states, "Social Security not only helps Americans enjoy a secure retirement, it has also kept millions of Americans out of poverty." This is presented as that speaker's own stated policy view, not this page's endorsement of any particular policy position.
Where can I find more poverty-related content?
If you liked these, check out our Slogans page for more short lines on poverty, or our Life quotes for broader reflection.

The collection also touches on how poverty shapes children and education, alongside its role in a nation's broader story.