---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Survivors learn early on that tears are a…"
description: "\"“Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the protected.”\" — Elizabeth Isaacs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg"
---

#  Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the…

![“Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the protected.” quote by Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg)

> ““Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the protected.””

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Survivors recognize vulnerability is a privilege.

**In simple terms:** Tears are for the protected.

Key Takeaway

Value emotional safety.

Themes

survival emotional resilience privilege

Mood

somber empathetic

Type

reflective philosophical

When to use this quote

- trauma recovery
- support groups
- personal healing

Key Concepts

psychology sociology human experience

Questions to Reflect On

- What does vulnerability mean to you?
- How can you protect the vulnerable?

A Different Perspective

Some may view tears as weakness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Early Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-tears-4146193/) [Survivors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors/) [Survivors Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors-learn-4146192/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tears Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears-luxury-3650786/)

## Related quotes

> [“Tears are a luxury we can’t afford to waste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-manful/tears-are-a-luxury-we-can-t-afford-to-waste/)

[Melody Manful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-manful/)

> [It is only to the happy that tears are a luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/it-is-only-to-the-happy-that-tears-are-a-luxury/)

[Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/)

> [When I was four or five years old, I heard a lot of stories about the Holocaust because both my parents were survivors. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-boltanski/when-i-was-four-or-five-years-old-i-heard-a-lot-of-stories-about-the/)

[Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-boltanski/)

> [In 'The Way Back' survivors were all ordinary people, and that's the whole point, that's who I felt these people should be, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/in-the-way-back-survivors-were-all-ordinary-people-and-that-s-the/)

[Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/)

> [“In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/in-spite-of-the-horror-in-spite-of-the-tragedy-in-spite-of-the-weeks/)

[Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/)

> [“Survivors are damaged to different degrees by their experiences. This does not depend on what happened physically. A Survivor who has been raped will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/survivors-are-damaged-to-different-degrees-by-their-experiences-this/)

[Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/)

> [There are no survivors in my fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/there-are-no-survivors-in-my-fights/)

[Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/)

> [“There are no winners in battle. Just survivors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-knight/there-are-no-winners-in-battle-just-survivors/)

[E.E. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-knight/)

> [“We're all being left out one way or the other. The survivors miss being heroes. The heroes miss being alive. The only ones not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bass/we-re-all-being-left-out-one-way-or-the-other-the-survivors-miss/)

[Cynthia Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bass/)

> [“By the time survivors are compelled to leave their psychologically abusive relationships, they do not see any other viable option but to leave. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-thomas/by-the-time-survivors-are-compelled-to-leave-their-psychologically/)

[Shannon Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-thomas/)

> [When I arrived in America, though I had left the war physically far behind, in my mind, the soldiers were still chasing to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loung-ung/when-i-arrived-in-america-though-i-had-left-the-war-physically-far/)

[Loung Ung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loung-ung/)

> [There was a reason these boys were still alive, though. Something made them stronger than the other kids, the ones who had died in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-higson/there-was-a-reason-these-boys-were-still-alive-though-something-made/)

[Charlie Higson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-higson/)

> [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

> [Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/sometimes-ms-lane-he-said-one-must-break-with-one-s-past-to-embrace/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“You're a survivor. Each one of you. And survivors don't have the luxury of acting like regular people. We do what we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-roy/you-re-a-survivor-each-one-of-you-and-survivors-don-t-have-the-luxury/)

[Deanna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-roy/)

## More by Elizabeth Isaacs

> [“Pity is an emotion that should have never been created. Pity was strong and could break the backs of people fighting for survival and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/pity-is-an-emotion-that-should-have-never-been-created-pity-was/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“You were the light in my dark world that gave me a path different from the one set by my father. I’ll never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/you-were-the-light-in-my-dark-world-that-gave-me-a-path-different/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“Nora, I believe life’s like a good book. Time makes up the pages that will be your story. Every time your life changes, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/nora-i-believe-life-s-like-a-good-book-time-makes-up-the-pages-that/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“I've always believed that you must be able to appreciate the things that people can give you, and forgive them for the things they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/i-ve-always-believed-that-you-must-be-able-to-appreciate-the-things/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“Appreciate what they can give, forgive them for what they cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/appreciate-what-they-can-give-forgive-them-for-what-they-cannot/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“I now understood darker emotions within themselves are not evil. It is the intent of the person who feels them that determines their fate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/i-now-understood-darker-emotions-within-themselves-are-not-evil-it-is/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“...no one has ever doubted you would die for those you love ... the question then becomes would you live?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/no-one-has-ever-doubted-you-would-die-for-those-you-love-the-question/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“The most important factor of art is the love of it; the rest will come. If you enjoy your craft, the end product is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/the-most-important-factor-of-art-is-the-love-of-it-the-rest-will-come/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“We must respect natural energy in a way that not only honors the land, but the kinsmen, and the future as well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/we-must-respect-natural-energy-in-a-way-that-not-only-honors-the-land/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

> [“Artists strive for perfection. But what they often fail to see is that the beauty, the humanity, lies within the flaws.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/artists-strive-for-perfection-but-what-they-often-fail-to-see-is-that/)

[Elizabeth Isaacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

[Explore all 11 Elizabeth Isaacs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/)

## More Survivors quotes

> [“You're a survivor. Each one of you. And survivors don't have the luxury of acting like regular people. We do what we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-roy/you-re-a-survivor-each-one-of-you-and-survivors-don-t-have-the-luxury/)

[Deanna Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-roy/)

> [Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/sometimes-ms-lane-he-said-one-must-break-with-one-s-past-to-embrace/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/)

[Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/)

> [There was a reason these boys were still alive, though. Something made them stronger than the other kids, the ones who had died in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-higson/there-was-a-reason-these-boys-were-still-alive-though-something-made/)

[Charlie Higson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-higson/)

> [When I arrived in America, though I had left the war physically far behind, in my mind, the soldiers were still chasing to kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loung-ung/when-i-arrived-in-america-though-i-had-left-the-war-physically-far/)

[Loung Ung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loung-ung/)

> [“By the time survivors are compelled to leave their psychologically abusive relationships, they do not see any other viable option but to leave. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-thomas/by-the-time-survivors-are-compelled-to-leave-their-psychologically/)

[Shannon Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-thomas/)

> [“We're all being left out one way or the other. The survivors miss being heroes. The heroes miss being alive. The only ones not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bass/we-re-all-being-left-out-one-way-or-the-other-the-survivors-miss/)

[Cynthia Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bass/)

> [“There are no winners in battle. Just survivors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-knight/there-are-no-winners-in-battle-just-survivors/)

[E.E. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-knight/)

> [There are no survivors in my fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennady-golovkin/there-are-no-survivors-in-my-fights/)

[Gennady Golovkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennady-golovkin/)

> [“Survivors are damaged to different degrees by their experiences. This does not depend on what happened physically. A Survivor who has been raped will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ainscough/survivors-are-damaged-to-different-degrees-by-their-experiences-this/)

[Carolyn Ainscough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ainscough/)

> [“In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/in-spite-of-the-horror-in-spite-of-the-tragedy-in-spite-of-the-weeks/)

[Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/)

> [In 'The Way Back' survivors were all ordinary people, and that's the whole point, that's who I felt these people should be, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-weir/in-the-way-back-survivors-were-all-ordinary-people-and-that-s-the/)

[Peter Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-weir/)

> [When I was four or five years old, I heard a lot of stories about the Holocaust because both my parents were survivors. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-boltanski/when-i-was-four-or-five-years-old-i-heard-a-lot-of-stories-about-the/)

[Christian Boltanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-boltanski/)

> [“Being survivors signifies that we have recognized that we have been through a lot that should never have taken place and we now hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/being-survivors-signifies-that-we-have-recognized-that-we-have-been/)

[Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/)

> [You can get used to anything - haven't I already said that? Isn't that what all survivors say?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/you-can-get-used-to-anything-haven-t-i-already-said-that-isn-t-that/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

[Browse all 339 Survivors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the protected.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Isaacs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are-a-luxury-for-the-protected/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Survivors"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are-a-luxury-for-the-protected/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/887/elizabeth-isaacs-40332_survivors_survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are_2904111.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Survivors learn early on that tears are a luxury for the protected.” — Elizabeth Isaacs",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Elizabeth Isaacs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-isaacs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Survivors learn early on that tears...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are-a-luxury-for-the-protected/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-isaacs/survivors-learn-early-on-that-tears-are-a-luxury-for-the-protected/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
