--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that we are here and that I…" description: "\"The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/audre-lorde-758_break_the-fact-that-we-are-here-and-that-i-spe_1429148.jpg" --- # The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is… ![“The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.” quote by Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/audre-lorde-758_break_the-fact-that-we-are-here-and-that-i-spe_1429148.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/audre-lorde-758_break_the-fact-that-we-are-here-and-that-i-spe_1429148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/audre-lorde-758_break_the-fact-that-we-are-here-and-that-i-spe_1429148.jpg) > “The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.” [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Silence, not differences, holds people back; speaking up bridges gaps and creates change. **In simple terms:** Speaking up breaks barriers created by silence. Key Takeaway Speak out to connect and transform. Themes communication social justice activism identity courage Mood determined hopeful urgent Type inspirational activist When to use this quote - community meetings - public protests - personal conversations - media interviews Key Concepts intersectionality empowerment dialogue Questions to Reflect On - What silence in your life needs breaking? - How can you safely voice differences? A Different Perspective Silence can be protective; speaking may expose one to risk or backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [... it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/it-is-not-difference-which-immobilizes-us-but-silence/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The losses of the natural world are our loss, their silence silences something within the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/the-losses-of-the-natural-world-are-our-loss-their-silence-silences/) [Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/) > [“Then we lapse into silence. It's these silences that do damage, that reveal glimpses of the distressed foundation struggling under the weight of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-norman/then-we-lapse-into-silence-it-s-these-silences-that-do-damage-that/) [Matthew Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-norman/) > [When one writer tries to silence another, he silences every writer-and in the end he also silences himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leavitt/when-one-writer-tries-to-silence-another-he-silences-every-writer-and/) [David Leavitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leavitt/) > [“She shivered in silence but those silences made a thousand conversations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquib-ali/she-shivered-in-silence-but-those-silences-made-a-thousand/) [Aquib Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquib-ali/) > [I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-have-come-to-believe-over-and-over-again-that-what-is-most/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. But for every real word spoken, for every attempt I had ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/my-silences-had-not-protected-me-your-silence-will-not-protect-you/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [What I most regretted were my silences. Of what had I ever been afraid?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/what-i-most-regretted-were-my-silences-of-what-had-i-ever-been-afraid/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us today... ...some of us who have already begun to break the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-time-comes-when-silence-is-betrayal-that-time-has-come-for-us/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Usually they are quick to discover that I cannot see or hear… It is not training but love which impels them to break their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/usually-they-are-quick-to-discover-that-i-cannot-see-or-hear-it-is/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [When I break My Silence, the impact of My Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/when-i-break-my-silence-the-impact-of-my-love-will-be-universal-and/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [Often, when I later listened to the tapes of the interview I would hear that I would rush in to break the silence. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rosenbaum/often-when-i-later-listened-to-the-tapes-of-the-interview-i-would/) [Ron Rosenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rosenbaum/) > [“Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/some-of-us-who-have-already-begun-to-break-the-silence-of-the-night/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [Stories break silence and nourish those who work, feel, and dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-naranjo/stories-break-silence-and-nourish-those-who-work-feel-and-dream/) Carmen Naranjo > [Strong efforts may be made to deny the place, to silence the authentic, but the spirit of things will break through that silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-haynes/strong-efforts-may-be-made-to-deny-the-place-to-silence-the-authentic/) John Haynes ## More by Audre Lorde > [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [There are many kinds of open. . . Love is a word, another kind of open. . . Take my word for jewel in your open light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-are-many-kinds-of-open-love-is-a-word-another-kind-of-open-take/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Your silence will not protect you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/your-silence-will-not-protect-you/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I can't really define it in sexual terms alone although our sexuality is so energizing why not enjoy it too?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-can-t-really-define-it-in-sexual-terms-alone-although-our-sexuality/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“For once we begin to feel deeply all the aspects of our lives, we begin to demand from ourselves and from our life-pursuits that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/for-once-we-begin-to-feel-deeply-all-the-aspects-of-our-lives-we/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [the fear of death is that you are dying too soon. Nobody wants to, but at the point that you die you can pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-fear-of-death-is-that-you-are-dying-too-soon-nobody-wants-to-but/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“There is an important difference between openness and naïveté. Not everyone has good intentions nor means me well. I remind myself I do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/there-is-an-important-difference-between-openness-and-na-vet-not/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [What are the words you do not yet have? What do you need to say? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/what-are-the-words-you-do-not-yet-have-what-do-you-need-to-say-what/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [I learned to read from Mrs. Augusta Baker, the children's librarian. ... If that was the only good deed that lady ever did in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-learned-to-read-from-mrs-augusta-baker-the-children-s-librarian-if/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/poetry-is-not-only-dream-and-vision-it-is-the-skeleton-architecture/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I think that in America there are certain kinds of problems and in Russia there are certain kinds of problems, but basically, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-think-that-in-america-there-are-certain-kinds-of-problems-and-in/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Institutionalized rejection of differences is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people. As members of such an economy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/institutionalized-rejection-of-differences-is-an-absolute-necessity/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/the-sharing-of-joy-whether-physical-emotional-psychic-or-intellectual/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I forgot what we were celebrating. Because we were always celebrating something, a new job, a new poem, a new love, a new dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-forgot-what-we-were-celebrating-because-we-were-always-celebrating/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [How a diamond comes into a knot of flame How a sound comes into a word, coloured By who pays what for speaking. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/how-a-diamond-comes-into-a-knot-of-flame-how-a-sound-comes-into-a/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) [Explore all 377 Audre Lorde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [Things are going well in Germany because the economy is booming and as an export-driven nation, we are profiting from the fact that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/things-are-going-well-in-germany-because-the-economy-is-booming-and/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [There were songs that we cut out after we chose the name, because 'Praise Break' turned out to be an underlying concept that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-caesar/there-were-songs-that-we-cut-out-after-we-chose-the-name-because/) [Daniel Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-caesar/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) Peter Dunne > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. Live with applied consciousness, prosperity will break through the walls, flood you with it. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/the-purpose-is-to-be-in-gratitude-forever-live-with-applied/) [Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/) > [Never break another man's rice bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akio-morita/never-break-another-man-s-rice-bowl/) [Akio Morita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akio-morita/) Browse all 8,188 Break quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. 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