--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For years and years, I convinced myself…" description: "\"For years and years, I convinced myself that I was unbreakable, an animal with an animal strength or something not human at all. Me, I told people, I t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/dorothy-allison-2041_animal_for-years-and-years-i-convinced-myself-t_1508337.jpg" --- # For years and years, I convinced myself that I was… ![“For years and years, I convinced myself that I was unbreakable, an animal with an animal strength or something not human at all. Me, I told people, I take damage like a wall, a brick wall that never falls down, never feels anything, never flinches or remembers. I am one woman but I carry in my…” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/dorothy-allison-2041_animal_for-years-and-years-i-convinced-myself-t_1508337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/dorothy-allison-2041_animal_for-years-and-years-i-convinced-myself-t_1508337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/dorothy-allison-2041_animal_for-years-and-years-i-convinced-myself-t_1508337.jpg) > “For years and years, I convinced myself that I was unbreakable, an animal with an animal strength or something not human at all. Me, I told people, I take damage like a wall, a brick wall that never falls down, never feels anything, never flinches or remembers. I am one woman but I carry in my body all the stories I have ever been told, women I have known, women who have taken damage until they tell themselves they can feel no pain at all.” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pretending to be unbreakable hides true pain; acknowledging vulnerability is essential for healing. **In simple terms:** Denial of pain prevents healing. Key Takeaway Allow yourself to feel and seek support. Themes vulnerability trauma identity Mood empathetic raw Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - support groups - creative writing - activism Key Concepts psychological resilience emotional labor Questions to Reflect On - What would change if you accepted your pain? - How can you support others in expressing vulnerability? A Different Perspective Societal expectations often glorify stoicism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-strength-3245497/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Brick wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick-wall/) [Bricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bricks/) [Convinced Unbreakable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/convinced-unbreakable-5546299/) [Damage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damage/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Falling down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-down/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [No pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/no-pain/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Strength Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength-human-3075761/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Unbreakable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbreakable/) [Unbreakable Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbreakable-animal-5546300/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years and years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-and-years/) ## Related quotes > [But perhaps he had enough animal strength and detached intelligence that he could make another start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/but-perhaps-he-had-enough-animal-strength-and-detached-intelligence/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“he said, and wondered if the engineers would ever be able to find the breaking strength of the human spirit. He felt very near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poul-anderson/he-said-and-wondered-if-the-engineers-would-ever-be-able-to-find-the/) [Poul Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poul-anderson/) > [“Is it not possible that my activity as an objective observer of nature will weaken my strength as a human being?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-ren-kierkegaard/is-it-not-possible-that-my-activity-as-an-objective-observer-of/) [Søren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-ren-kierkegaard/) > [It's that strength of the human spirit, the strength of what's deep down in you, that's really going to get you anywhere and everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/it-s-that-strength-of-the-human-spirit-the-strength-of-what-s-deep/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [“Now I am more nearly a grown member of the human race..she thought she had never before had a chance to realize the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/now-i-am-more-nearly-a-grown-member-of-the-human-race-she-thought-she/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [Both now and for always, I intend to hold fast to my belief in the hidden strength of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-sakharov/both-now-and-for-always-i-intend-to-hold-fast-to-my-belief-in-the/) [Andrei Sakharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-sakharov/) > [There is pain and sacrifice in everyone's world. That's why, when I was dancing, I had no pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/there-is-pain-and-sacrifice-in-everyone-s-world-that-s-why-when-i-was/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [How can anyone be called human, if being born a human being and growing in a human society, he does not recognise human values?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/how-can-anyone-be-called-human-if-being-born-a-human-being-and/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [Even still, we run. We have not reached our average of 57.92 years without knowing that you run through it, and it hurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/even-still-we-run-we-have-not-reached-our-average-of-57-92-years/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [Some imaginations help to break the bondage of the rest. The whole universe is imagination, but one set of imaginations will cure another set.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/some-imaginations-help-to-break-the-bondage-of-the-rest-the-whole/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The dog writhing in the gutter, its back broken by a passing car, knows what it is to be alive. So too with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-greenstein/the-dog-writhing-in-the-gutter-its-back-broken-by-a-passing-car-knows/) [George Greenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-greenstein/) > [I know, perhaps as well as anyone, what depression means, and what it is to feel myself sinking lower and lower. Yet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-know-perhaps-as-well-as-anyone-what-depression-means-and-what-it-is/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Death,' whispered Tarlar, 'you do not fear it, Fell? By water, or any other way?' 'What is to fear?" answered the black wolf. 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-clement-davies/death-whispered-tarlar-you-do-not-fear-it-fell-by-water-or-any-other/) [David Clement-Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-clement-davies/) > [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. Women who pined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/love-was-something-i-would-not-have-to-worry-about-the-whole-mystery/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/behind-the-story-i-tell-is-the-one-i-don-t-behind-the-story-you-hear/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement. It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For years and years, I convinced myself that I was unbreakable, an animal with an animal strength or something not human at all. Me, I told people, I take damage like a wall, a brick wall that never falls down, never feels anything, never flinches or remembers. 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