--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Only those who are being burned know what…" description: "\"Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.\" — Ethel Waters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg" --- # Only those who are being burned know what fire is like. ![“Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.” quote by Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg) > “Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.” [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People who have endured hardship truly understand its intensity. **In simple terms:** Hardship reveals true experience. Key Takeaway Respect those who have faced adversity. Themes resilience empathy experience hardship Mood reflective somber Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - mental health support - conflict zones - personal recovery - team building Key Concepts pain growth survival Questions to Reflect On - What lessons can we learn from those who have suffered? - How can we translate their insight into action? A Different Perspective Not everyone can relate to suffering; empathy may be limited. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) [Burned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned/) [Burned Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burned-know-3370176/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Know Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-like/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) ## Related quotes > [I already know that u know that I like u, the question is Wat r u going to do with that information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-already-know-that-u-know-that-i-like-u-the-question-is-wat-r-u/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“The lover I am; it befits me to burn; but what is the reason for your weeping and burning? The candle replied: ‘Oh my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lover-i-am-it-befits-me-to-burn-but-what-is-the-reason-for-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It could get them all burned.” Then he adds in a whisper, almost to himself, “But the fire can be tempting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/it-could-get-them-all-burned-then-he-adds-in-a-whisper-almost-to/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [“I've been burned already, and yet here I am again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/i-ve-been-burned-already-and-yet-here-i-am-again/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [I saw greatness in John and he lived up to it. I also saw a tremendous competitor who loved to win. John is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-davis/i-saw-greatness-in-john-and-he-lived-up-to-it-i-also-saw-a-tremendous/) [Al Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-davis/) > [A great sadness welled up in Magnus at the sight of him. It was human to age and die, and Jem stood outside that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/a-great-sadness-welled-up-in-magnus-at-the-sight-of-him-it-was-human/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/and-i-the-former-mystic-was-thinking-yes-man-is-stronger-greater-than/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“To carry a secret is to play with fire. Try to pass it on and you'd risk hurting someone else. Hold on to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/to-carry-a-secret-is-to-play-with-fire-try-to-pass-it-on-and-you-d/) [Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/) > [I know they like their sports in Minnesota.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-rubio/i-know-they-like-their-sports-in-minnesota/) [Ricky Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-rubio/) > [Anyway, he's gone. Which, as you know, is how I like my men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anyway-he-s-gone-which-as-you-know-is-how-i-like-my-men/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not, the habits you are developing now will be with you for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/whether-you-know-it-or-not-whether-you-like-it-or-not-the-habits-you/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [I know that I am very much like everybody else, but not really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/i-know-that-i-am-very-much-like-everybody-else-but-not-really/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I know what it's like to be humiliated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-humiliated/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) > [I know what it's like to have a bunch of material that's working that you don't care about. You want to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-have-a-bunch-of-material-that-s-working-that/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [That was part of her, and you used to know it. It's like now you only care about the Alaska you made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/that-was-part-of-her-and-you-used-to-know-it-it-s-like-now-you-only/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by Ethel Waters > [Whenever I write for hotel reservations, I always enclose a set of rules I have made for the hotels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/whenever-i-write-for-hotel-reservations-i-always-enclose-a-set-of/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Today I blame only certain agents for my long eclipse as a public entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/today-i-blame-only-certain-agents-for-my-long-eclipse-as-a-public/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-had-always-loved-john-ford-s-pictures-and-i-came-to-love-him-too/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [All my life I've been prejudiced against wealthy people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/all-my-life-i-ve-been-prejudiced-against-wealthy-people/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The big compliment came from the beer drinkers who didn't know me. They wouldn't drink or move when I sang. If they had their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-big-compliment-came-from-the-beer-drinkers-who-didn-t-know-me/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I was born out of wedlock. Nobody brought me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-was-born-out-of-wedlock-nobody-brought-me-up/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I dressed plain, but my partners were always spending more money on clothes than I could afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-dressed-plain-but-my-partners-were-always-spending-more-money-on/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [After years in white theaters I dreaded working in colored houses. The noise, the stomping, whistling, and cheering that hadn't annoyed me when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/after-years-in-white-theaters-i-dreaded-working-in-colored-houses-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Many people know how to criticize, but few know how to praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/many-people-know-how-to-criticize-but-few-know-how-to-praise/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Negroes are human beings with exactly the same faults and virtues as members of the other races.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/negroes-are-human-beings-with-exactly-the-same-faults-and-virtues-as/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [There is a great supply of amateur undertakers in show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/there-is-a-great-supply-of-amateur-undertakers-in-show-business/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [My father came back one day and forced my mother to submit to him. He raped her, holding a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/my-father-came-back-one-day-and-forced-my-mother-to-submit-to-him-he/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/though-i-was-excited-about-the-sojourner-truth-play-it-was-not/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I found that a couple of bottles of beer would give me a lift, but the third bottle would sober me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-found-that-a-couple-of-bottles-of-beer-would-give-me-a-lift-but-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I'd have to take off my gloves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-white-audiences-thought-i-was-white-my-features-being-what-they/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) [Explore all 75 Ethel Waters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## More Authenticity quotes > [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/) [Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/) > [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/) [Melanie Hooyenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-hooyenga/) > [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/) [La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/) > [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/) [L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/) > [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/) [Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/) > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/) [Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/) > [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/) [Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/) > [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) [Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ethel Waters" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-what-fire-is-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Authenticity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-what-fire-is-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4fa/ethel-waters-9047_authenticity_only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-wha_1167571.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Only those who are being burned know what fire is like.” — Ethel Waters", "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": "Ethel Waters", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Only those who are being burned...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-what-fire-is-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/only-those-who-are-being-burned-know-what-fire-is-like/#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 } } ] } ```