Explore the raw realities of Appalachia and the Rust Belt through J.D. Vance’s powerful memoir.
These Hillbilly Elegy quotes with page numbers delve into family, poverty, cultural identity, and the complex journey of upward mobility.
From a tumultuous Ohio childhood shaped by addiction and instability to the halls of Yale Law, Vance’s story offers a personal lens on the struggles and resilience of the white working class.
Discover key insights through these 37 essential quotes from Hillbilly Elegy, verified with page numbers (Harper Paperbacks 2018 edition) and paired with analysis exploring the book’s themes.
Vance frames his story not as an extraordinary achievement but as escaping a grim future, highlighting the cultural identity and challenges specific to his Appalachian roots.
Memoir, Identity & Hillbilly Culture
Defining himself against stereotypes while acknowledging his roots, Vance explores the contradictions of his Scots-Irish, working-class background and the cultural forces that shape perception and reality.
“Today people look at me, at my job and my Ivy League credentials, and assume that I’m some sort of genius, that only a truly extraordinary person could have made it to where I am today. With all due respect to those people, I think that theory is a load of bullshit.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Introduction, Page 2)
Vance immediately challenges external perceptions, rejecting that his success stems from innate genius and instead framing his journey as overcoming adversity rather than possessing extraordinary talent.
“That is the real story of my life, and that is why I wrote this book. I want people to know what it feels like to nearly give up on yourself and why you might do it. I want people to understand what happens in the lives of the poor and the psychological impact that spiritual and material poverty has on their children. I want people to understand the American Dream as my family and I encountered it. I want people to understand how upward mobility really feels. And I want people to understand something I learned only recently: that for those of us lucky enough to live the American Dream, the demons of the life we left behind continue to chase us.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Introduction, Page 2)
Vance outlines the core purpose of his memoir: to provide an empathetic, experiential understanding of poverty, the complex reality of the American Dream for the working class, the psychological toll of upward mobility, and the enduring impact of one’s past.
“Nearly every person you will read about is deeply flawed. Some have tried to murder other people, and a few were successful. Some have abused their children, physically or emotionally. Many abused (and still abuse) drugs. But I love these people, even those to whom I avoid speaking for my own sanity. And if I leave you with the impression that there are bad people in my life, then I am sorry, both to you and to the people so portrayed. For there are no villains in this story. There’s just a ragtag band of hillbillies struggling to find their way – both for their sake and, by the grace of God, for mine.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Introduction, Page 9)
Acknowledging his family’s deep flaws, Vance rejects simplistic labels of “villain,” instead portraying them with complex love as struggling individuals shaped by their environment, setting a tone of empathetic yet unvarnished realism.
“There is nothing lower than the poor stealing from the poor. It’s hard enough as it is. We sure as hell don’t need to make it even harder on each other.”
(Speaker: Mamaw, quoted by J.D. Vance, Chapter 1, Page 16)
Mamaw articulates a fierce code of intra-class loyalty, condemning actions that exacerbate the hardships already faced by the poor and emphasizing a shared struggle over individual desperation.
“So, to Papaw and Mamaw, not all rich people were bad, but all bad people were rich.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 2, Page 34)
Vance describes his grandparents’ simplistic, class-based worldview, where negative traits were often attributed to wealth, reflecting a common suspicion or resentment towards those perceived as economically privileged.
“Mamaw and Papaw believed that hard work mattered more. They knew that life was a struggle, and though the odds were a bit longer for people like them, that fact didn’t excuse failure. “Never be like these f****** losers who think the deck is stacked against them,” my grandma often told me. “You can do anything you want to.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance quoting Mamaw, Chapter 2, Page 36)
Despite acknowledging systemic disadvantages, Mamaw instilled a fierce belief in personal agency and hard work, rejecting victimhood narratives and emphasizing individual potential over perceived limitations.
The transition from the close-knit, often volatile, culture of Appalachia to the industrial Midwest created both opportunity and profound cultural friction for families like Vance’s.
Leaving the Holler: Migration, Culture Shock & Adaptation
The migration north brought economic hope but also culture shock, isolation from extended family networks, and judgment from established Northern communities, forcing hillbilly transplants to navigate unfamiliar social landscapes.
“But yeah, like everyone else in our family, they could go from zero to murderous in a f****** heartbeat.”
(Speaker: Uncle Jimmy, Chapter 3, Page 40)
Uncle Jimmy bluntly characterizes the family’s volatile temper, acknowledging a shared cultural trait of rapid escalation from calm to intense, potentially violent anger.
“Efforts to reinvent downtown Middletown always struck me as futile. People didn’t leave because our downtown lacked trendy cultural amenities. The trendy cultural amenities left because there weren’t enough consumers in Middletown to support them.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 4, Page 52)
Vance critiques superficial revitalization efforts, arguing they ignore the root economic problems (lack of jobs and consumer base) that cause urban decay in post-industrial towns like Middletown.
“People talk about hard work all the time in places like Middletown. You can walk through a town where 30 percent of the young men work fewer than twenty hours a week and find not a single person aware of his own laziness.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 4, Page 57)
Vance highlights a perceived disconnect between the rhetoric of hard work prevalent in his community and the reality of widespread underemployment and lack of self-awareness regarding individual effort.
“Religious folks are much happier. Regular church attendees commit fewer crimes, are in better health, live longer, make more money, drop out of high school less frequently, and finish college more frequently than those who don’t attend church at all.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance referencing social science, Chapter 6, Page 92)
Citing research, Vance points to the positive correlations between regular church attendance and various measures of well-being, contrasting this with the low actual attendance in his Appalachian-rooted community.
“Despite its reputation, Appalachia—especially northern Alabama and Georgia to southern Ohio—has far lower church attendance than the Midwest, parts of the Mountain West, and much of the space between Michigan and Montana. Oddly enough, we think we attend church more than we actually do. In a recent Gallup poll, Southerners and Midwesterners reported the highest rates of church attendance in the country. Yet actual church attendance is much lower in the South.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance referencing social science, Chapter 6, Pages 95-96)
Vance highlights the disparity between the perception of religiosity (often associated with Appalachia/the South) and the actual rates of church attendance, suggesting a cultural tendency towards claiming religious identity without active participation.
Family life is marked by intense loyalty but also instability, addiction, and violence, creating a chaotic environment where survival often depends on resilience and the unwavering presence of figures like Mamaw.
Family Chaos: Trauma, Addiction & Resilience
Vance details the profound impact of his mother’s addiction, his grandparents’ volatile relationship, and the constant presence of instability, alongside the fierce loyalty and unexpected moments of grace that define his family bonds.
“Mamaw and Papaw ensured that I knew the basic rules of fighting: You never start a fight; you always end the fight if someone else starts it; and even though you never start a fight, it’s maybe okay to start one if a man insults your family. This last rule was unspoken but clear.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 5, Page 66)
Vance outlines the complex, unwritten “rules of fighting” learned from his grandparents, reflecting a cultural emphasis on honor, defense, and the absolute imperative to protect family reputation.
“To this day, being able to “take advantage” of someone is the measure in my mind of having a parent. For me and Lindsay, the fear of imposing stalked our minds, infecting even the food we ate. We recognized instinctively that many of the people we depended on weren’t supposed to play that role in our lives, so much so that it was one of the first things Lindsay thought of when she learned of Papaw’s death. We were conditioned to feel that we couldn’t really depend on people—that, even as children, asking someone for a meal or for help with a broken-down automobile was a luxury that we shouldn’t indulge in too much lest we fully tap the reservoir of goodwill serving as a safety valve in our lives.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 7, Page 104)
Vance describes the psychological burden of growing up with instability, where relying on others felt like a precarious imposition, conditioning him and his sister to mistrust dependency and fear depleting limited reservoirs of support.
“We don’t study as children, and we don’t make our kids study when we’re parents. Our kids perform poorly in school. We might get angry with them, but we never give them the tools—like peace and quiet at home—to succeed.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 9, Page 147)
Vance critiques a perceived cycle within his community where a lack of emphasis on education and providing a stable learning environment perpetuates poor academic outcomes across generations.
“We talk about the value of hard work but tell ourselves that the reason we’re not working is some perceived unfairness: Obama shut down the coal mines, or all the jobs went to the Chinese. These are the lies we tell ourselves to solve the cognitive dissonance—the broken connection between the world we see and the values we preach.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 9, Page 147)
Vance identifies a tendency within his community to reconcile the conflict between espoused values (hard work) and lived reality (underemployment) by resorting to external blame and convenient, often untrue, narratives.
“Not all of the white working class struggles. I knew even as a child that there were two separate sets of mores and social pressures. My grandparents embodied one type: old-fashioned, quietly faithful, self-reliant, hardworking. My mother and, increasingly, the entire neighborhood embodied another: consumerist, isolated, angry, distrustful.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 9, Page 148)
Vance observes a critical distinction within his community, contrasting the traditional values of his grandparents (self-reliance, faith) with the more prevalent modern characteristics he saw (consumerism, anger, distrust).
Vance’s experiences in the Marines and later at Yale highlight the stark contrasts between the expectations and realities of his background and those of mainstream or elite American society.
Escaping & Navigating: Social Mobility & Class
The journey toward upward mobility involves not just academic or professional achievement but navigating unfamiliar social codes, confronting internal conflicts about identity, and recognizing social capital’s pervasive influence.
“Psychologists call it “learned helplessness” when a person believes, as I did during my youth, that the choices I made had no effect on the outcomes in my life. From Middletown’s world of small expectations to the constant chaos of our home, life had taught me that I had no control. Mamaw and Papaw had saved me from succumbing entirely to that notion, and the Marine Corps broke new ground. If I had learned helplessness at home, the Marines were teaching learned willfulness.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 10, Page 163)
Vance identifies “learned helplessness” fostered by his chaotic upbringing and contrasts it with the “learned willfulness” instilled by the Marines, highlighting the military’s role in teaching him agency and control over his outcomes.
“I don’t believe in epiphanies. I don’t believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment. I’ve seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change only to lose their mettle when they realized just how difficult change actually is.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 10, Page 173)
Vance expresses skepticism about sudden transformations, emphasizing that genuine change requires sustained effort and resilience, acknowledging the difficulty many face in maintaining the drive to overcome ingrained habits or circumstances.
“But there’s something powerful about realizing that you’ve undersold yourself—that somehow your mind confused lack of effort for inability. This is why, whenever people ask me what I’d most like to change about the white working class, I say, “The feeling that our choices don’t matter.” The Marine Corps excised that feeling like a surgeon does a tumor.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 10, Page 177)
Vance pinpoints a core psychological barrier—mistaking lack of effort for lack of ability, leading to a feeling that choices are meaningless—and credits the Marine Corps with surgically removing this debilitating mindset.
“Mamaw always had two gods: Jesus Christ and the United States of America. I was no different, and neither was anyone else I knew.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 11, Page 189)
Vance identifies the dual pillars of faith and patriotism that defined his grandmother’s worldview, suggesting these were deeply ingrained, almost inseparable, cultural touchstones in his community.
“If you believe that hard work pays off, then you work hard; if you think it’s hard to get ahead even when you try, then why try at all? Similarly, when people do fail, this mind-set allows them to look outward. I once ran into an old acquaintance at a Middletown bar who told me that he had recently quit his job because he was sick of waking up early. I later saw him complaining on Facebook about the “Obama economy” and how it had affected his life. I don’t doubt that the Obama economy has affected many, but this man is assuredly not among them. His status in life is directly attributable to the choices he’s made, and his life will improve only through better decisions. But for him to make better choices, he needs to live in an environment that forces him to ask tough questions about himself. There is a cultural movement in the white working class to blame problems on society or the government, and that movement gains adherents by the day.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 11, Page 193)
Vance connects belief systems to action, arguing that a perception of futility discourages effort, while failure reinforces external blame narratives (like blaming the economy or government), preventing necessary self-reflection and better choices.
“What separates the successful from the unsuccessful are the expectations that they had for their own lives. Yet the message of the right is increasingly: It’s not your fault that you’re a loser; it’s the government’s fault.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 11, Page 194)
Vance posits that internal expectations are a key differentiator for success, while critiquing political rhetoric that fosters external blame (“it’s the government’s fault”) instead of promoting personal responsibility and ambition.
“There is no group of Americans more pessimistic than working-class whites. Well over half of blacks, Latinos, and college-educated whites expect that their children will fare better economically than they have. Among working-class whites, only 44 percent share that expectation.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance citing Pew Research, Chapter 11, Page 194)
Highlighting statistical data, Vance underscores the profound pessimism regarding future economic prospects prevalent among working-class whites compared to other demographic groups, suggesting a deep-seated lack of optimism.
“Our large group left an awful mess…I couldn’t imagine leaving it all for some poor guy to clean up, so I stayed behind. Of a dozen classmates, only one person helped me: my buddy Jamil…I told Jamil that we were probably the only people in the school who’d ever had to clean up someone else’s mess.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 12, Page 203)
This anecdote starkly illustrates the class divide Vance experienced at Yale, highlighting a difference in lived experience and sense of responsibility regarding manual labor and cleaning up after oneself.
“At Yale Law School, I felt like my spaceship had crashed in Oz. People would say with a straight face that a surgeon mother and engineer father were middle-class. In Middletown, $160,000 is an unfathomable salary; at Yale Law School, students expect to earn that amount in the first year after law school. Many of them are already worried that it won’t be enough.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 12, Page 205)
Vance uses the “crashed in Oz” metaphor to convey his profound sense of cultural and economic alienation at Yale, where definitions of “middle-class” and financial expectations were vastly different from his background.
“We do know that working-class Americans aren’t just less likely to climb the economic ladder, they’re also more likely to fall off even after they’ve reached the top. I imagine that the discomfort they feel at leaving behind much of their identity plays at least a small role in this problem. One way our upper class can promote upward mobility, then, is not only by pushing wise public policies but by opening their hearts and minds to the newcomers who don’t quite belong.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 12, Page 206)
Vance links the statistical precarity of upward mobility for the working class to the psychological discomfort of cultural alienation, suggesting that greater empathy and acceptance from the upper class can aid integration.
“interviews showed me that successful people are playing an entirely different game. They don’t flood the job market with résumés, hoping that some employer will grace them with an interview. They network. They email a friend of a friend to make sure their name gets the look it deserves. They have their uncles call old college buddies. They have their school’s career service office set up interviews months in advance on their behalf. They have parents tell them how to dress, what to say, and whom to schmooze.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance reflecting on Yale interviews, Chapter 13, Page 214)
Vance contrasts the standard job application process with the strategic networking and leveraging of social capital his elite peers employ, revealing the hidden rules and advantages inherent in established networks.
“Nothing compares to the fear that you’re becoming the monster in your closet.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 14, Page 224)
Vance expresses the deep psychological terror of recognizing negative, inherited family patterns (like his mother’s volatile behavior) manifesting in oneself, fearing the inability to escape a destructive legacy.
“You can’t just cast aside family members because they seem uninterested in you. You’ve got to make the effort, because they’re family.”
(Speaker: Usha’s Father, quoted by J.D. Vance, Chapter 14, Page 226)
Usha’s father articulates a principle of unwavering familial duty, emphasizing proactive effort and connection even with difficult or distant relatives, contrasting with the more fractured relationships in Vance’s own background.
“Children with multiple ACEs are more likely to struggle with anxiety and depression, to suffer from heart disease and obesity, and to contract certain types of cancers. They’re also more likely to underperform in school and suffer from relationship instability as adults. Even excessive shouting can damage a kid’s sense of security and contribute to mental health and behavioral issues down the road.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance referencing ACEs research, Chapter 14, Page 227)
Vance introduces the concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), linking specific traumatic events common in his upbringing to long-term negative outcomes in health, education, and relationships, providing a scientific framework for understanding the impact of his past.
“For kids like me, the part of the brain that deals with stress and conflict is always activated… We are constantly ready to fight or flee, because there is a constant exposure to the bear, whether that bear is an alcoholic dad or an unhinged mom… I see conflict and I run away or prepare for battle.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance reflecting on ACEs/Trauma, Chapter 14, Page 228)
Vance connects the psychological theory of ACEs to his personal experience, explaining how constant childhood exposure to conflict (“the bear”) creates a state of hypervigilance and a default “fight or flee” response that persists into adulthood.
“A good friend…once told me, “The best way to look at this might be to recognize that you probably can’t fix these things. They’ll always be around. But maybe you can put your thumb on the scale a little for the people at the margins.”
(Speaker: Unnamed friend, quoted by J.D. Vance, Chapter 14, Page 228)
Vance recalls advice suggesting that while systemic problems may be intractable, individuals can still make a meaningful difference by offering targeted support (“put your thumb on the scale”) for those struggling at the margins.
“How much of our lives, good and bad, should we credit to our personal decisions, and how much is just the inheritance of our culture, our families, and our parents who have failed their children? How much is Mom’s life her own fault? Where does blame stop and sympathy begin?”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Chapter 14, Page 231)
Vance explicitly poses the central, complex question of the memoir: the difficulty of disentangling personal agency and responsibility from the powerful, often damaging, inheritance of culture, family trauma, and environment.
“Pajamas? Poor people don’t wear pajamas. We fall asleep in our underwear or blue jeans. To this day, I find the very notion of pajamas an unnecessary elite indulgence, like caviar or electric ice cube makers.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Conclusion, Page 249)
Using the seemingly mundane example of pajamas, Vance illustrates the deep-seated cultural and class-based differences in norms and perceptions, highlighting how everyday items can signify “elite indulgence” from a working-class perspective.
“As a cultural emigrant from one group to the other, I am acutely aware of their differences. Sometimes I view members of the elite with an almost primal scorn—recently, an acquaintance used the word “confabulate” in a sentence, and I just wanted to scream. But I have to give it to them: Their children are happier and healthier, their divorce rates lower, their church attendance higher, their lives longer. These people are beating us at our own damned game.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Conclusion, Pages 252-253)
Vance acknowledges his position as a “cultural emigrant,” feeling scorn for elite mannerisms (“confabulate”) while simultaneously recognizing the measurable advantages (health, stability, longevity) enjoyed by that class, admitting they succeed by different metrics.
“People like Brian and me don’t lose contact with our parents because we don’t care; we lose contact with them to survive. We never stop loving, and we never lose hope that our loved ones will change. Rather, we are forced, either by wisdom or by the law, to take the path of self-preservation.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Conclusion, Page 254)
Vance explains the painful necessity behind distancing oneself from toxic family members, framing it not as a lack of love or hope, but as an essential act of self-preservation forced by circumstance or wisdom.
“I don’t know what the answer is, precisely, but I know it starts when we stop blaming Obama or Bush or faceless companies and ask ourselves what we can do to make things better.”
(Speaker: J.D. Vance, Conclusion, Page 256)
Vance rejects external blame (political figures, corporations) as the solution, arguing that meaningful change begins with introspection and taking personal and community responsibility for improvement.
Through his personal story, J.D. Vance provides a complex, often uncomfortable, but deeply human look at the struggles and resilience of the American white working class, urging empathy alongside accountability.
Conclusion: An Elegy for Hope & Responsibility
These 37 quotes from Hillbilly Elegy offer a glimpse into J.D. Vance’s tumultuous journey from the hills of Appalachia and the Rust Belt of Ohio to Yale Law School.
His memoir is a raw exploration of poverty, family trauma, cultural identity, and the complex interplay of personal choice and societal forces. Vance confronts the difficult realities of addiction, instability, and learned helplessness within his community, while also celebrating the fierce loyalty and resilience embodied by figures like his Mamaw.
Hillbilly Elegy is not just one man’s story, but a broader meditation on the struggles of the white working class, the challenges of upward mobility, and the enduring question of how much our past defines our future. It’s a call for introspection, empathy, and a renewed focus on personal responsibility within communities facing crisis.
A Note on Page Numbers & Edition:
Just as J.D. navigated different worlds, page numbers can vary across editions! These page numbers reference the specific Harper Paperbacks Reprint edition (May 1, 2018) of Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance, ISBN-13: 978-0062300553. Always consult your copy to ensure the passages align with your journey through the text.
Jeremy Mortis, founder of Ageless Investing, applies a rigorous analytical approach (the AAM framework) to distill timeless wisdom and contextualized quotes from classic literature, saving you time while deepening understanding. Learn more about Jeremy’s unique background and methodology on his author bio page.