--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are some things that you see that…" description: "\"There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can't talk about it. You just bear witness to them.\" — Aaron Dessner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg" --- # There are some things that you see that are hard to talk… ![“There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can't talk about it. You just bear witness to them.” quote by Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg) > “There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can't talk about it. You just bear witness to them.” [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Some experiences are beyond words; we must simply bear witness without explanation. **In simple terms:** Some things are unspeakable. Key Takeaway Practice silent empathy. Themes empathy silence witness trauma Mood reflective somber Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - counseling - artistic expression - social justice Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is silence appropriate? - How do you bear witness responsibly? A Different Perspective Silence can feel dismissive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bear Witness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bear-witness-698106/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hard Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-talk-635692/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk/) [Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things/) [Things Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-hard/) [Witness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witness/) ## Related quotes > [“The silent bear no witness against themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-silent-bear-no-witness-against-themselves/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [And the truth shall bear witness of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-bordeaux-szekely/and-the-truth-shall-bear-witness-of-itself/) [Edmond Bordeaux Szekely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-bordeaux-szekely/) > [“Bear witness for one who is loved and not loved: we cast the cloak gently around her, an end of great woe for our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/bear-witness-for-one-who-is-loved-and-not-loved-we-cast-the-cloak/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [“If it’s ever within your power to do so, she considered saying aloud to Brian (but didn’t), you have to bear witness to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/if-it-s-ever-within-your-power-to-do-so-she-considered-saying-aloud-2/) [Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/) > [“I've been thinking about what it means to bear witness. The past ten years I've been bearing witness to death, bearing witness to women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-ve-been-thinking-about-what-it-means-to-bear-witness-the-past-ten/) [Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/) > [“And bring her around to bear witness to my beautiful exploded cow and the villainy it represents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/and-bring-her-around-to-bear-witness-to-my-beautiful-exploded-cow-and/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“When you rewire your consciousness to see things for what they really are, rather than seeing them through false lens influenced by outside factors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-leigh-mercree/when-you-rewire-your-consciousness-to-see-things-for-what-they-really/) [Amy Leigh Mercree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-leigh-mercree/) > [If you and I have not seen God, we cannot bear witness to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-abbott/if-you-and-i-have-not-seen-god-we-cannot-bear-witness-to-god/) [Lyman Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyman-abbott/) > [Compassion allows us to bear witness to suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/compassion-allows-us-to-bear-witness-to-suffering-whether-it-is-in/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [“You're just going to bear witness to his life. I think sometimes that's the greatest gift we can give one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-ray/you-re-just-going-to-bear-witness-to-his-life-i-think-sometimes-that/) [Jeanne Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-ray/) > [Ye moon and stars, bear witness to the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/ye-moon-and-stars-bear-witness-to-the-truth/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“We bear witness, and in doing so, we acept responsibility for making change in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-regan/we-bear-witness-and-in-doing-so-we-acept-responsibility-for-making/) [Paulette Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-regan/) > [“A dog’s life is a speeded-up version of your own. After a while, you can hardly bear to be a witness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-dog-s-life-is-a-speeded-up-version-of-your-own-after-a-while-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“There's a darkness in the world, and that sometimes we know that our only real purpose is just to bear witness to it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-dilts/there-s-a-darkness-in-the-world-and-that-sometimes-we-know-that-our/) [Tyler Dilts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-dilts/) > [“Who will bear witness to these small islands and oases of wildness as land is divided and sold to become strip malls, housing developments,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-l-james/who-will-bear-witness-to-these-small-islands-and-oases-of-wildness-as/) [Joni L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-l-james/) ## More by Aaron Dessner > [The Planned Parenthood 7" project is an example of us putting our noses to the grindstone on and trying to make a little difference.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/the-planned-parenthood-7-project-is-an-example-of-us-putting-our/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [My wife is from Copenhagen and her father has been a huge Liverpool supporter since the early 1960s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/my-wife-is-from-copenhagen-and-her-father-has-been-a-huge-liverpool/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [I grew up fly fishing when I was a kid. The feeling of it is fun. I went fly-fishing on Lake Delaware once, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-grew-up-fly-fishing-when-i-was-a-kid-the-feeling-of-it-is-fun-i/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [We've always been trying to climb this ladder that leans so hard on our own idea of what our big songs are. We realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/we-ve-always-been-trying-to-climb-this-ladder-that-leans-so-hard-on/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [And my parents live down in West Virginia, and I have to drive through the Shenandoah Valley pretty often to go visit them. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/and-my-parents-live-down-in-west-virginia-and-i-have-to-drive-through/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [I tried hard not to think about the scope or scale of making a record that would be heard by millions and millions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-tried-hard-not-to-think-about-the-scope-or-scale-of-making-a-record/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [I do have a way of playing piano where it's very melodic and emotional, but then often it's great if whoever's singing doesn't sing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-do-have-a-way-of-playing-piano-where-it-s-very-melodic-and/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [Our recordings, you feel that it's been, not labored, but you feel that it's been constructed in a way where sometimes it's hard for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/our-recordings-you-feel-that-it-s-been-not-labored-but-you-feel-that/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [I think the idea is that every time we perform Big Red Machine music it should be different somehow - like, different people, different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-think-the-idea-is-that-every-time-we-perform-big-red-machine-music/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [One of the hardest things about being a musician is finishing a project and then having to wait three or six months to publish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/one-of-the-hardest-things-about-being-a-musician-is-finishing-a/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [Anyone who's speaking up about anything becomes a target.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/anyone-who-s-speaking-up-about-anything-becomes-a-target/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [After years of touring you experience music festivals that are mostly the same - where you copy and paste the same experience into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/after-years-of-touring-you-experience-music-festivals-that-are-mostly/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [There's no one songwriter in the band. It's collaborative, and we all have different tastes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/there-s-no-one-songwriter-in-the-band-it-s-collaborative-and-we-all/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > ["I'll Still Destroy You" song is lovingly talking about how we change our states of mind, whether it's weed or wine or whatever. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/i-ll-still-destroy-you-song-is-lovingly-talking-about-how-we-change/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) > [For whatever reason, you gravitate to certain subjects, and I read a lot of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/for-whatever-reason-you-gravitate-to-certain-subjects-and-i-read-a/) [Aaron Dessner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) [Explore all 57 Aaron Dessner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/) ## More Hard quotes > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [It is hard to admit to someone that you love him..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misherie/it-is-hard-to-admit-to-someone-that-you-love-him/) [Misherie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misherie/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [There Was Many Time I Had Wanted To Give Up In Life On So Many Things…But Naw F\*\*\* That...I'm Not Going To Never Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/out-spoken/there-was-many-time-i-had-wanted-to-give-up-in-life-on-so-many-things/) [Out Spoken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/out-spoken/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [In our society we have hard nerds and soft nerds. The hard nerds are the ones who used to have the slide rules at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/in-our-society-we-have-hard-nerds-and-soft-nerds-the-hard-nerds-are/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/) [Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [If I had to speak in front of a Korean audience, I would be hard pressed to sound other than a little girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/an-na/if-i-had-to-speak-in-front-of-a-korean-audience-i-would-be-hard/) [An Na](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/an-na/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) [Browse all 29,826 Hard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can't talk about it. You just bear witness to them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aaron Dessner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that-are-hard-to-talk-about-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that-are-hard-to-talk-about-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbd/aaron-dessner-11850_hard_there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that_2553322.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are some things that you see that are hard to talk about. You can't talk about it. You just bear…” — Aaron Dessner", "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": "Aaron Dessner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dessner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are some things that you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that-are-hard-to-talk-about-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dessner/there-are-some-things-that-you-see-that-are-hard-to-talk-about-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 } } ] } ```