--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In a shelter meant for battered women…" description: "\"“In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. One, she had decided to launch out on her own and b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/deborah-bedford-a-morning-like_battered-women_in-a-shelter-meant-for-battered-women-th_104985.jpg" --- # In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two… ![“In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. One, she had decided to launch out on her own and begin a new life. Or two, she had decided to go back to the one who had hurt her. It happened all the time. Some women came here seven or eight times…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/deborah-bedford-a-morning-like_battered-women_in-a-shelter-meant-for-battered-women-th_104985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/deborah-bedford-a-morning-like_battered-women_in-a-shelter-meant-for-battered-women-th_104985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05b/deborah-bedford-a-morning-like_battered-women_in-a-shelter-meant-for-battered-women-th_104985.jpg) > ““In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. One, she had decided to launch out on her own and begin a new life. Or two, she had decided to go back to the one who had hurt her. It happened all the time. Some women came here seven or eight times before they made the choice to give up on their marriages and refuse to live in a dangerous place.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the cyclical dilemma faced by abused women: leaving a shelter often leads to returning to the abusive relationship, underscoring the complexity of trauma and dependency. **In simple terms:** Leaving abuse is hard; many return to harm. Key Takeaway Trauma can trap victims in repeated cycles. Themes gender studies psychology social work Mood somber empathetic Type testimonial social commentary When to use this quote - domestic violence support services - rehabilitation programs - legal custody battles Key Concepts learn dependency learn of control Practical Applications - Provide long‑term counseling - Create safe, sustainable housing options Questions to Reflect On - What systemic changes reduce repeat returns? - How can we empower autonomy without pressure? A Different Perspective Some survivors successfully break the cycle with appropriate support and empowerment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Battered women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battered-women/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [New life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-life/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Shelter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelter/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. 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Violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-woolsey/i-represent-an-affluent-district-but-when-i-worked-to-form-my-county/) Lynn Woolsey > [My niece was a sexual-assault victim. My sister is a survivor of domestic violence. We have more shelters for animals than for battered women.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-solis/my-niece-was-a-sexual-assault-victim-my-sister-is-a-survivor-of/) [Hilda Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-solis/) > [If law school were a boyfriend, I'd claim battered women's syndrome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-law-school-were-a-boyfriend-i-d-claim-battered-women-s-syndrome/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I appreciate and love women for many reasons, tall and small, plump and skinny, and crazy and demure. I see beauty in all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-appreciate-and-love-women-for-many-reasons-tall-and-small-plump-and/) [Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/) > [The great tragedy in the new feminist theory in America is the loss of a sense of public commitment… Hungry women are not fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/the-great-tragedy-in-the-new-feminist-theory-in-america-is-the-loss/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [“As she breaks the silence, the upscale abused wife begins to feel affirmed and validated. The rationalizations she once relied on to sustain her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-weitzman/as-she-breaks-the-silence-the-upscale-abused-wife-begins-to-feel/) [Susan Weitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-weitzman/) > [When I went kayak surfing in Cornwall, I got a really deep gash on my hand - it looked like I had a slug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/when-i-went-kayak-surfing-in-cornwall-i-got-a-really-deep-gash-on-my/) [Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/) > [The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator, no matter how heartfelt. Rather, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-guarantee-of-safety-in-a-battering-relationship-can-never-be/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Battered Women: sounds delicious. Doesn’t make it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-novak-2/battered-women-sounds-delicious-doesn-t-make-it-right/) [B. J. Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-novak-2/) > [“We live in a world in which women are battered and are unable to flee from the men who beat them, although their door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-kampusch/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-women-are-battered-and-are-unable-to-flee/) [Natascha Kampusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-kampusch/) > [There's no battered woman alive who didn't know in advance that the man was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/there-s-no-battered-woman-alive-who-didn-t-know-in-advance-that-the/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Battered women quotes > [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [There's no battered woman alive who didn't know in advance that the man was bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/there-s-no-battered-woman-alive-who-didn-t-know-in-advance-that-the/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [“We live in a world in which women are battered and are unable to flee from the men who beat them, although their door…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-kampusch/we-live-in-a-world-in-which-women-are-battered-and-are-unable-to-flee/) [Natascha Kampusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-kampusch/) > [I represent an affluent district, but when I worked to form my county's first battered-women's shelter, some nights there were no beds left. Violence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-woolsey/i-represent-an-affluent-district-but-when-i-worked-to-form-my-county/) Lynn Woolsey > [Battered Women: sounds delicious. Doesn’t make it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-novak-2/battered-women-sounds-delicious-doesn-t-make-it-right/) [B. J. Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-novak-2/) > [The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator, no matter how heartfelt. Rather, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-guarantee-of-safety-in-a-battering-relationship-can-never-be/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [When I went kayak surfing in Cornwall, I got a really deep gash on my hand - it looked like I had a slug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konnie-huq/when-i-went-kayak-surfing-in-cornwall-i-got-a-really-deep-gash-on-my/) [Konnie Huq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konnie-huq/) > [My niece was a sexual-assault victim. My sister is a survivor of domestic violence. We have more shelters for animals than for battered women.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-solis/my-niece-was-a-sexual-assault-victim-my-sister-is-a-survivor-of/) [Hilda Solis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-solis/) > [“As she breaks the silence, the upscale abused wife begins to feel affirmed and validated. The rationalizations she once relied on to sustain her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-weitzman/as-she-breaks-the-silence-the-upscale-abused-wife-begins-to-feel/) [Susan Weitzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-weitzman/) > [“In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. One, she had decided to launch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-shelter-meant-for-battered-women-there-were-only-two-reasons-a-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The great tragedy in the new feminist theory in America is the loss of a sense of public commitment… Hungry women are not fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-c-nussbaum/the-great-tragedy-in-the-new-feminist-theory-in-america-is-the-loss/) [Martha C. Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-c-nussbaum/) > [Every woman who has come to consciousness can recall an almost endless series of oppressive, violating, insulting, assaulting acts against her Self. Every woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-daly/every-woman-who-has-come-to-consciousness-can-recall-an-almost/) [Mary Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-daly/) > [“Many women say that verbal violence causes more harm than physical violence because it damages self-esteem so deeply. Women have not wanted to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pharr/many-women-say-that-verbal-violence-causes-more-harm-than-physical/) Suzanne Pharr > [I want to warn potential victims. Many of them are women, and many of them are battered women. It's a cause for me. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rule/i-want-to-warn-potential-victims-many-of-them-are-women-and-many-of/) [Ann Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rule/) > [The Bobbit case, which brought to life the ancient mythic archetype of woman as castrator, demonstrated that women are as aggressive as men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-bobbit-case-which-brought-to-life-the-ancient-mythic-archetype-of/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) [Browse all 19 Battered women quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battered-women/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In a shelter meant for battered women, there were only two reasons a person would decide to leave. One, she had decided to launch out on her own and begin a new life. Or two, she had decided to go back to the one who had hurt her. It happened all the time. 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