--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are part of what society can't bear to…" description: "\"“We are part of what society can't bear to remember. Because if they really think about it, if they really look at us and realize the cost we've paid t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/barbara-nickless-21577_cost_we-are-part-of-what-society-can-t-bear-t_1041100.jpg" --- # We are part of what society can't bear to remember… ![“We are part of what society can't bear to remember. Because if they really think about it, if they really look at us and realize the cost we've paid to keep them safe. They can't live with the guilt.” quote by Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/barbara-nickless-21577_cost_we-are-part-of-what-society-can-t-bear-t_1041100.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/barbara-nickless-21577_cost_we-are-part-of-what-society-can-t-bear-t_1041100.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93b/barbara-nickless-21577_cost_we-are-part-of-what-society-can-t-bear-t_1041100.jpg) > ““We are part of what society can't bear to remember. Because if they really think about it, if they really look at us and realize the cost we've paid to keep them safe. They can't live with the guilt.”” [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society avoids confronting the sacrifices made by those who protect it, leading to collective guilt. **In simple terms:** People hide the cost of safety, causing guilt. Key Takeaway Acknowledge hidden sacrifices. Themes guilt memory societal denial sacrifice responsibility Mood somber reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - military families - public policy debates - memorial events - education curricula Key Concepts collective trauma ethical responsibility historical amnesia Questions to Reflect On - Who benefits from this denial? - How can we honor unseen sacrifices? A Different Perspective Ignoring these sacrifices can perpetuate injustice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Veterans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veterans/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Just like freedom, Truth is not cheap. Yet both are worth more than all the gold in the world. But what is freedom, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/just-like-freedom-truth-is-not-cheap-yet-both-are-worth-more-than-all/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“When your freedom depends on the death of an innocent, it haunts you forever,' Red thought empathetically. 'Even if you couldn’t save them anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-r-frie/when-your-freedom-depends-on-the-death-of-an-innocent-it-haunts-you/) [Emory R. 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Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-peck/) > [I've acted for as long as I can remember, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-purnell/i-ve-acted-for-as-long-as-i-can-remember-really/) [Ella Purnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-purnell/) > [remembering is a great invention of the mind, and if you try hard enough you can remember anything, whether it really happened or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodman-philbrick/remembering-is-a-great-invention-of-the-mind-and-if-you-try-hard/) [Rodman Philbrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodman-philbrick/) ## More by Barbara Nickless > [“There's so much pain in the house it's like being wrapped in plastic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/there-s-so-much-pain-in-the-house-it-s-like-being-wrapped-in-plastic/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“We’ve all been at least a little broken by the world. But the world only notices when we try to hurt it back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/we-ve-all-been-at-least-a-little-broken-by-the-world-but-the-world/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“Those who are the least guilty are the ones who feel most at fault.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/those-who-are-the-least-guilty-are-the-ones-who-feel-most-at-fault/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“Ask most people in America what “normal” is, and they’ll tell you it’s a roof and three squares a day. It’s a decent job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-nickless/ask-most-people-in-america-what-normal-is-and-they-ll-tell-you-it-s-a/) [Barbara Nickless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-nickless/) > [“You could throw everything you had at a problem—firepower, manpower, logistical support. 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