--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course, people who have been severed…" description: "\"“Of course, people who have been severed from their true feelings since early childhood will be dependent on institutions like the church and will let ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/alice-miller-3713_children_of-course-people-who-have-been-severed-f_947258.png" --- # Of course, people who have been severed from their true… ![“Of course, people who have been severed from their true feelings since early childhood will be dependent on institutions like the church and will let themselves be told what they are allowed to feel. In most cases it is very little indeed. But I cannot imagine that it will always be like this…” quote by Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/alice-miller-3713_children_of-course-people-who-have-been-severed-f_947258.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/alice-miller-3713_children_of-course-people-who-have-been-severed-f_947258.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e3d/alice-miller-3713_children_of-course-people-who-have-been-severed-f_947258.png) > ““Of course, people who have been severed from their true feelings since early childhood will be dependent on institutions like the church and will let themselves be told what they are allowed to feel. In most cases it is very little indeed. But I cannot imagine that it will always be like this. Somewhere, sometime, there will be a rebellion, and the process of mutual stultification will be halted. It will be halted with individuals summon up the courage to overcome their understandable fears, to tell, feel, and publish the truth and communicate with others on this basis. Once we realize the immense amount of energy children can summon up in order to survive cruelty and extreme sadism, things suddenly start looking more optimistic. Then it is easy to imagine our world could be a much better one if those children (like Rimbaud, Schiller, Dostoevsky, and Nietzsche) could expend their almost limitless energies on other, more productive ends than merely fighting for their own survival.”” [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early emotional suppression leads to reliance on institutions; eventual rebellion arises when individuals reclaim authentic feeling and truth. **In simple terms:** Suppressing feelings creates dependence; courage restores authenticity. Key Takeaway Encourage emotional honesty and personal truth. Themes psychology freedom rebellion Mood hopeful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - childhood trauma - creative expression - social movements - personal healing Key Concepts authenticity institutional critique Questions to Reflect On - What fears block your true expression? - How can society support emotional authenticity? A Different Perspective Not everyone will rebel; some may remain passive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Early childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-childhood/) [Sadism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadism/) [True feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-feelings/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I love the energy of children. It makes me feel young. I'm just drawn to them. They're like magic to me. And they're drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-love-the-energy-of-children-it-makes-me-feel-young-i-m-just-drawn/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Sadism is not an infectious disease that strikes a person all of a sudden. It has a long prehistory in childhood and always originates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/sadism-is-not-an-infectious-disease-that-strikes-a-person-all-of-a/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“Probably every child who has suffered abuse must assume an attitude like this in order to survive. These children reinterpret their perceptions in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/probably-every-child-who-has-suffered-abuse-must-assume-an-attitude/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“This ability of the body is a source of never-ending wonder to me. 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Without realizing that the past is constantly determining their present actions, they avoid learning anything about their history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/most-people-do-exactly-the-opposite-without-realizing-that-the-past/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [People who, as children, were intellectually far beyond their parents and therefore admired by them, but who also therefore had to solve their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/people-who-as-children-were-intellectually-far-beyond-their-parents/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Parents are indeed capable of routinely torturing their children without anyone interceding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/parents-are-indeed-capable-of-routinely-torturing-their-children/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [Ultimately the body will rebel. Even if it can be temporarily pacified with the help of drugs, cigarettes or medicine, it usually has the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/ultimately-the-body-will-rebel-even-if-it-can-be-temporarily-pacified/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [The child has a primary need to be regarded and respected as the person he really is at any given time, and as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-child-has-a-primary-need-to-be-regarded-and-respected-as-the/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [For some years now, there has been proof that the devastating effects of the traumatization of children take their inevitable tollon society--a fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/for-some-years-now-there-has-been-proof-that-the-devastating-effects/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [“The older we get, the more difficult it is to find other people who can give us the love our parents denied us. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-miller/the-older-we-get-the-more-difficult-it-is-to-find-other-people-who/) [Alice Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-miller/) > [It is very difficult for people to believe the simple fact that every persecutor was once a victim. 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Somewhere, sometime, there will be a rebellion, and the process of mutual stultification will be halted. It will be halted with individuals summon up the courage to overcome their understandable fears, to tell, feel, and publish the truth and communicate with others on this basis. Once we realize the immense amount of energy children can summon up in order to survive cruelty and extreme sadism, things suddenly start looking more optimistic. 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