“I hated poverty. Poverty is more of a choice than anything else. And i can change that (poverty). It depends upon how hard i want to work, and i decided that I would change it.”

This quote by Ben Carson is magnificent. The quote is telling us that if we work hard enough we can always pull through. Similar to the American Dream, where if your work hard you will prosper. Ben Carson actually lived his quote and made it out. Poverty is only temporary and it will go away through hard work and pursuing your goals. Another point that the quote is making is that we always have a choice. No matter how dire the situation we are may be, or how cornered we are, we always have a choice to choose our path. The decisions we make now will determine our destiny in our future. An example of this quote can be seen in real life across various american cities. Most cities that are poverty ridden or that has negative influence on its residence, such as Detroit, Michigan, Carson's hometown, or other cities such as Brooklyn, New York and Compton California, often have people who start off in harsh condition and most of them fall under the pressure. Most of those people didn't put in the hard work that they need to succeed and that is the reason for their demise. While there are a selected few that put in hard work, and despite the gang influences, the drugs, the poverty, growing up with only one parent, watching their own family members die, and many other obstacles, they still make it out and prosper all because of their hard work and dedication.