--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It has struck me that people seldom…" description: "\"“It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning of underlying words.There are only a few people who recognize the silence beyond the scream,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/esther-verhoef-45985_language_it-has-struck-me-that-people-seldom-list_90246.jpg" --- # It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning… ![“It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning of underlying words.There are only a few people who recognize the silence beyond the scream,the gentle weeping that hides beyond tough statements.They hear only the words,the sentences,when there is so much more to take in.People who are…” quote by Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/esther-verhoef-45985_language_it-has-struck-me-that-people-seldom-list_90246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/esther-verhoef-45985_language_it-has-struck-me-that-people-seldom-list_90246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d3/esther-verhoef-45985_language_it-has-struck-me-that-people-seldom-list_90246.jpg) > ““It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning of underlying words.There are only a few people who recognize the silence beyond the scream,the gentle weeping that hides beyond tough statements.They hear only the words,the sentences,when there is so much more to take in.People who are too self-absorbed to notice,really see or fathom others. Often,they don't even know themselves.”” [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Most people hear only the literal words, missing the deeper emotional currents that reveal true feelings. **In simple terms:** Listening beyond words uncovers hidden emotions. Key Takeaway True understanding requires attuning to silence. Themes communication empathy self‑awareness listening psychology Mood reflective introspective thought‑provoking Type philosophical observation psychological insight When to use this quote - counseling sessions - conflict resolution - deep listening workshops Key Concepts silence scream weeping self‑absorption Practical Applications - Therapeutic training - mindfulness coaching Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to hear the silence behind a scream? - How can we cultivate deeper listening in daily life? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [For my part, I confess I seldom listen to the players: one has so much to do, in looking about and finding out one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/for-my-part-i-confess-i-seldom-listen-to-the-players-one-has-so-much/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) > [You seldom listen to me, and when you do you don't hear, and when you do hear you hear wrong, and even when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-kellogg/you-seldom-listen-to-me-and-when-you-do-you-don-t-hear-and-when-you/) Marjorie Kellogg > [Never waste your words on those people in your life who only deserve your silence. Sometimes, the greatest show of strength is to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-waste-your-words-on-those-people-in-your-life-who-only-deserve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's really funny, because if you make up words, then people project their own meanings onto it, which I find interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aphex-twin/it-s-really-funny-because-if-you-make-up-words-then-people-project/) [Aphex Twin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aphex-twin/) > [So much of language is unspoken. So much of language is compromised of looks and gestures and sounds that are not words. People are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/so-much-of-language-is-unspoken-so-much-of-language-is-compromised-of/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [Only With words and people and love you move at ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frederick-nims/only-with-words-and-people-and-love-you-move-at-ease/) John Frederick Nims > [Don't waste words with people who deserve your silence, Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/don-t-waste-words-with-people-who-deserve-your-silence-sometimes-the/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [Words are how people think. When you misuse words, you diminish your ability to think clearly and truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/words-are-how-people-think-when-you-misuse-words-you-diminish-your/) [Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/) > [“The words people don't say are as powerful as the ones they do. Even the broken pieces are worth something to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-e-burg/the-words-people-don-t-say-are-as-powerful-as-the-ones-they-do-even/) [Ann E. Burg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-e-burg/) > [When people embrace character, there's latzie. It's the stuffing of a scene that's not written. It's not in the stage direction and it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-fillion/when-people-embrace-character-there-s-latzie-it-s-the-stuffing-of-a/) [Nathan Fillion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-fillion/) > [Good words will not give my people good health and stop them from dying. Good words will not get my people a home where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chief-joseph/good-words-will-not-give-my-people-good-health-and-stop-them-from/) [Chief Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chief-joseph/) > [“I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people have successfully addressed to God without their getting killed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-often-think-of-the-set-pieces-of-liturgy-as-certain-words-which/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Words matter, in fact. They're not pointless, as you've suggested. If they were pointless, then they couldn't start revolutions and they wouldn't change history.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/words-matter-in-fact-they-re-not-pointless-as-you-ve-suggested-if/) [Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/) > [“as long as your words which are people which are days which are my life, as long as your words survive, then you lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/as-long-as-your-words-which-are-people-which-are-days-which-are-my/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More by Esther Verhoef > [“There is too much pain in the world,in all shapes and forms.That is what these people represent.Pain from losing their homes,the death of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/there-is-too-much-pain-in-the-world-in-all-shapes-and-forms-that-is/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“The western world now obeys the percepts of commerce.A bloody demanding religion,if you ask me.The do's and don'ts change every season and your "everyone"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/the-western-world-now-obeys-the-percepts-of-commerce-a-bloody/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“True freedom only exists in art.The problem is you have to be incredibly good.No,I am putting it wrong:You don't so much have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/true-freedom-only-exists-in-art-the-problem-is-you-have-to-be/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“Wonderful art can spring from misery,I'm the last person to deny that.I'd go even further:the best works of art of all time are probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/wonderful-art-can-spring-from-misery-i-m-the-last-person-to-deny-that/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“Photography is like stealing.You rob someone of a moment that exposes something essential about their character,their soul if you like.there are people who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/photography-is-like-stealing-you-rob-someone-of-a-moment-that-exposes/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“You arrange your life based on what "everyone" thinks of you or what you think they think of you,whoever everyone is...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/you-arrange-your-life-based-on-what-everyone-thinks-of-you-or-what/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) > [“The bottom line is that in this world,you have to learn to set your own limits,because if you leave it to others,you'll only discover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-verhoef/the-bottom-line-is-that-in-this-world-you-have-to-learn-to-set-your/) [Esther Verhoef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) [Explore all 8 Esther Verhoef quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-verhoef/) ## More Language quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I only have two words to say More or Less”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timbur/i-only-have-two-words-to-say-more-or-less/) TimBur > [It's like saying French shouldn't be taught because you don't understand it because it's new. Shakespeare is just like learning a new, exciting language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-barnett/it-s-like-saying-french-shouldn-t-be-taught-because-you-don-t/) [Samuel Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-barnett/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The words for what I want to say right now don't exist. Everything sounds…so cliché.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-crane/the-words-for-what-i-want-to-say-right-now-don-t-exist-everything/) [Shelly Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-crane/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Words can kill you trust towards someone, mind you language people, every reaction had its consequence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-can-kill-you-trust-towards-someone-mind-you-language-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Finxerunt animi, raro et perpauca loquentis. (To action little, less to words inclinded.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/finxerunt-animi-raro-et-perpauca-loquentis-to-action-little-less-to/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) [Browse all 21,951 Language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It has struck me that people seldom listen to the meaning of underlying words.There are only a few people who recognize the silence beyond the scream,the gentle weeping that hides beyond tough statements.They hear only the words,the sentences,when there is so much more to take in.People who are too self-absorbed to notice,really see or fathom others. 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