--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And if we do speak out, we risk rejection…" description: "\"“And if we do speak out, we risk rejection and ridicule. I had a best friend once, the kind that you go shopping with and watch films with, the kind yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/carolyn-spring-37395_abandonment_and-if-we-do-speak-out-we-risk-rejection_2792485.jpg" --- # And if we do speak out, we risk rejection and ridicule. I… ![“And if we do speak out, we risk rejection and ridicule. I had a best friend once, the kind that you go shopping with and watch films with, the kind you go on holiday with and rescue when her car breaks down on the A1. Shortly after my diagnosis, I told her I had DID. I haven't seen her since. The…” quote by Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/carolyn-spring-37395_abandonment_and-if-we-do-speak-out-we-risk-rejection_2792485.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/carolyn-spring-37395_abandonment_and-if-we-do-speak-out-we-risk-rejection_2792485.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/751/carolyn-spring-37395_abandonment_and-if-we-do-speak-out-we-risk-rejection_2792485.jpg) > ““And if we do speak out, we risk rejection and ridicule. I had a best friend once, the kind that you go shopping with and watch films with, the kind you go on holiday with and rescue when her car breaks down on the A1. Shortly after my diagnosis, I told her I had DID. I haven't seen her since. The stench and rankness of a socially unacceptable mental health disorder seems to have driven her away.”” [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speaking openly about a stigmatized mental illness can lead to social rejection and isolation, as illustrated by the loss of a close friendship after disclosure. **In simple terms:** Opening up may cause others to distance themselves. Key Takeaway Consider how to share responsibly and seek supportive networks. Themes stigma mental health relationships Mood sad reflective cautious Type personal narrative cautionary When to use this quote - seeking therapy - building new friendships - educating peers - support groups Key Concepts social rejection identity trust Questions to Reflect On - How can you protect yourself while being honest? - What support systems can you create before sharing? A Different Perspective Not all relationships survive disclosure; some may need time to adjust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandonment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/) [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Diagnosis Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diagnosis-told-3390071/) [Dissociation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociation/) [Dissociative-disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociative-disorder/) [Dissociative-identity-disorder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociative-identity-disorder/) [Fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fake-friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness/) [Mental-health-stigma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health-stigma/) [Mental-illness-stigma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-illness-stigma/) [Mentally ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mentally-ill/) [Prejudice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prejudice/) [Psychiatric disorders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychiatric-disorders/) [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Rejection Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection-ridicule-1685577/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Socially-unacceptable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socially-unacceptable-173373/) [Society-denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-denial/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told/) [Told Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-did-488114/) ## Related quotes > [“Some people, who never engaged in any research about DID, claim that there is no connection between child abuse and DID. 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I did not know when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-thomas-greenfield/you-know-i-wish-someone-had-told-me-i-could-be-anything-that-i-could/) [Linda Thomas-Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-thomas-greenfield/) > [Why do I love you like I do? Like I always do. You should've told me...Why did you have to be untrue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-i-love-you-like-i-do-like-i-always-do-you-should-ve-told-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[Chorus:\] Did you ever hear what I told you? Did you ever read what I wrote you? Did you ever listen to what we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nightwish/chorus-did-you-ever-hear-what-i-told-you-did-you-ever-read-what-i/) [Nightwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nightwish/) > [“What if even if I had told, or did tell, nobody believed me? Or even worse, blamed me for it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/what-if-even-if-i-had-told-or-did-tell-nobody-believed-me-or-even/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“I should have told you? I did tell you. I said, 'I can't do this anymore.' I said "I love you, but I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-should-have-told-you-i-did-tell-you-i-said-i-can-t-do-this-anymore/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“When we asked for permission, we were told no, but we did it anyway, because we knew we needed it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-we-asked-for-permission-we-were-told-no-but-we-did-it-anyway/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [If you meant everything you told me, why did you let me go?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-meant-everything-you-told-me-why-did-you-let-me-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am not going to say I told you so, but I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouriel-roubini/i-am-not-going-to-say-i-told-you-so-but-i-did/) [Nouriel Roubini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouriel-roubini/) > [Never tell your friends, "I told you so" - even when you did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-jean-smith/never-tell-your-friends-i-told-you-so-even-when-you-did/) [Wendy Jean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-jean-smith/) > [Faint hearts are encouraged when they read about others who, despite amputation, spinal cord injury, or psychiatric disorders have a vibrant trust and confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/faint-hearts-are-encouraged-when-they-read-about-others-who-despite/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) ## More by Carolyn Spring > [“I can no longer deny that bad things happened to me. I can’t be absolutely sure what happened to me, or who did them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/i-can-no-longer-deny-that-bad-things-happened-to-me-i-can-t-be/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“society has an embarrassing history of denial”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/society-has-an-embarrassing-history-of-denial/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“It was that culture of denial that allowed my abuse to take place to start with. Did you know that it wasn't until 1984…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/it-was-that-culture-of-denial-that-allowed-my-abuse-to-take-place-to/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“Bemoaning my existence wasn’t changing my existence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/bemoaning-my-existence-wasn-t-changing-my-existence/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“No, my GP hadn’t ever heard of dissociative disorders and just wanted to prescribe medication, but I could still build a good, supportive relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/no-my-gp-hadn-t-ever-heard-of-dissociative-disorders-and-just-wanted/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“The happy family is a myth for many.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/the-happy-family-is-a-myth-for-many/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“I have met many, many severely distressed people whose daily lives are filled with the agony of both remembered and unremembered trauma, who try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/i-have-met-many-many-severely-distressed-people-whose-daily-lives-are/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“There is a slave trade still in this country—yes, the real and horrific sex and human trafficking trade run by organised criminal gangs, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/there-is-a-slave-trade-still-in-this-country-yes-the-real-and/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“As a child, the best way to survive was to be still, to submit—to do nothing that might incur further harm. That belief had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/as-a-child-the-best-way-to-survive-was-to-be-still-to-submit-to-do/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“Denial is our very real, personal response to our own trauma. But denial is the normative response to trauma—by everyone. Society may deny that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/denial-is-our-very-real-personal-response-to-our-own-trauma-but/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) > [“In the same way that the women's movement of the seventies and eighties brought rape and incest into public consciousness, we can do the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-spring/in-the-same-way-that-the-women-s-movement-of-the-seventies-and/) [Carolyn Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) [Explore all 12 Carolyn Spring quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-spring/) ## More Abandonment quotes > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [I don't believe in fate or destiny. I believe in various degrees of hatred, paranoia, and abandonment. However much of that gets heaped upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-or-destiny-i-believe-in-various-degrees-of/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [In the eyes of those lovers of perfection, a work is never finished a word that for them has no sense but abandoned; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/in-the-eyes-of-those-lovers-of-perfection-a-work-is-never-finished-a/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [“Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them. Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-brown/sometimes-people-walk-away-from-love-because-it-is-so-beautiful-that/) [Jeff Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-brown/) > [Modern societies accepted the treasures and the power offered them by science. But they have not accepted - they have scarcely even heard -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-monod/modern-societies-accepted-the-treasures-and-the-power-offered-them-by/) [Jacques Monod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-monod/) > [Judaism is absolutely incompatible with the abandonment of the Torah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-schechter/judaism-is-absolutely-incompatible-with-the-abandonment-of-the-torah/) [Solomon Schechter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-schechter/) > [“Abandonment is ugly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-moore/abandonment-is-ugly/) [Michelle Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-moore/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [“When you give everything, you have nothing to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/when-you-give-everything-you-have-nothing-to-lose/) [Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/) > [The only thing worse than being abandoned, is not being worthy of an explanation. It hurts to let go... but the feeling you're falling..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joryneville/the-only-thing-worse-than-being-abandoned-is-not-being-worthy-of-an/) [JoryNeville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joryneville/) > [“I am not so different in my history of abandonment from anyone else after all. 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The balcony ache with longings.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iqra-iqbal/lonely-balcony-the-deterioration-brought-by-weariness-was-visible-its/) [iqra iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iqra-iqbal/) > [God causes us to promise in time of peace what He exacts from us in time of war; He enables us to make our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/god-causes-us-to-promise-in-time-of-peace-what-he-exacts-from-us-in/) [Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/) [Browse all 348 Abandonment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And if we do speak out, we risk rejection and ridicule. I had a best friend once, the kind that you go shopping with and watch films with, the kind you go on holiday with and rescue when her car breaks down on the A1. 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