--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I feel that every word spoken…" description: "\"Sometimes I feel that every word spoken and every gesture made merely serve to exacerbate misunderstandings. Then what I would really like is to escape..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/etty-hillesum-9002_feels_sometimes-i-feel-that-every-word-spoken_1871178.jpg" --- # Sometimes I feel that every word spoken and every gesture… ![“Sometimes I feel that every word spoken and every gesture made merely serve to exacerbate misunderstandings. Then what I would really like is to escape into a great silence and impose that silence on everyone else.” quote by Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/etty-hillesum-9002_feels_sometimes-i-feel-that-every-word-spoken_1871178.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/etty-hillesum-9002_feels_sometimes-i-feel-that-every-word-spoken_1871178.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/744/etty-hillesum-9002_feels_sometimes-i-feel-that-every-word-spoken_1871178.jpg) > “Sometimes I feel that every word spoken and every gesture made merely serve to exacerbate misunderstandings. Then what I would really like is to escape into a great silence and impose that silence on everyone else.” [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words and gestures often deepen misunderstanding; silence can be a refuge and a means to reset communication. **In simple terms:** Talk can cause confusion; silence can help. Key Takeaway Seek quiet moments to clarify thoughts. Themes communication misunderstanding silence Mood reflective introspective somber Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - conflict resolution - personal reflection - meditation - team meetings Key Concepts psychology social dynamics mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - When is silence constructive versus dismissive? - How can we balance speaking and listening? A Different Perspective Silence may alienate others if imposed forcefully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [The misunderstandings - or, what really bothers me are the intentional misrepresentations of the facts, which take place on a fairly regular basis. 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Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-brennan/) > [You may impose silence upon me, but you can not prevent me from thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/you-may-impose-silence-upon-me-but-you-can-not-prevent-me-from/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [One can impose silence on sentiment, but one can not give it limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-curchod/one-can-impose-silence-on-sentiment-but-one-can-not-give-it-limits/) [Suzanne Curchod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-curchod/) > [The one who understands you even after so much misunderstandings, is really the person who is truly in love with you...Â¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-one-who-understands-you-even-after-so-much-misunderstandings-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acknowledged differences may create mutual respect, but hazy misunderstandings bring forth nothing but prejudice and rejection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/acknowledged-differences-may-create-mutual-respect-but-hazy/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I refer to the misunderstanding of Soviet Russia as an aggressive power, militaristically and ideologically bent upon world domination 'seeing', to quote a recent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enoch-powell/i-refer-to-the-misunderstanding-of-soviet-russia-as-an-aggressive/) [Enoch Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enoch-powell/) > [I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-ve-been-racking-my-brain-i-ve-been-trying-to-figure-out-how-bob/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I was born to love - but none of you wanted to believe it, and that misunderstanding was crucial in forming my character. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/i-was-born-to-love-but-none-of-you-wanted-to-believe-it-and-that/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Kali yuga is so much saturated with vicious habits that there is a great fight at the slightest of misunderstanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/kali-yuga-is-so-much-saturated-with-vicious-habits-that-there-is-a/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [“When we are feeling low, we don’t even feel like taking bath. 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Instead, commit your time to explaining who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/don-t-waste-your-time-trying-to-explain-yourself-to-people-that-are/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## More by Etty Hillesum > [A large group of us were crowded into the Gestapo hall, and at that moment the circumstances of all our lives were the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/a-large-group-of-us-were-crowded-into-the-gestapo-hall-and-at-that/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Every word born of an inner necessity - writing must never be anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/every-word-born-of-an-inner-necessity-writing-must-never-be-anything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [That fear of missing out on things makes you miss out on everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/that-fear-of-missing-out-on-things-makes-you-miss-out-on-everything/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [There are moments when I feel like giving up or giving in, but I soon rally again and do my duty as I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/there-are-moments-when-i-feel-like-giving-up-or-giving-in-but-i-soon/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Here, beside this great black surface that is my desk, I feel as though I am on a desert island.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/here-beside-this-great-black-surface-that-is-my-desk-i-feel-as-though/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [The externals are simply so many props; everything we need is within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/the-externals-are-simply-so-many-props-everything-we-need-is-within-us/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one finds the strength to deal with small things, one finds it to deal with the large ones as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-finds-the-strength-to-deal-with-small-things-one-finds-it-to/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [All disasters stem from us. Why is there a war? Perhaps because now and then I might be inclined to snap at my neighbour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/all-disasters-stem-from-us-why-is-there-a-war-perhaps-because-now-and/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-the-most-important-thing-in-a-whole-day-is-the-rest-we-take/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We human beings cause monstrous conditions, but precisely because we cause them we soon learn to adapt ourselves to them. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/sometimes-my-day-is-crammed-full-of-people-and-talk-and-yet-i-have/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [To live fully, outwardly and inwardly, not to ignore the external reality for the sake of the inner life, or the reverse, that's quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/to-live-fully-outwardly-and-inwardly-not-to-ignore-the-external/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [If one burdens the future with one's worries, it cannot grow organically. I am filled with confidence, not that I shall succeed in worldly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/if-one-burdens-the-future-with-one-s-worries-it-cannot-grow/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) > [We have to fight them daily, like fleas, those many small worries about the morrow, for they sap our energies. We make mental provisions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etty-hillesum/we-have-to-fight-them-daily-like-fleas-those-many-small-worries-about/) [Etty Hillesum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) [Explore all 62 Etty Hillesum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etty-hillesum/) ## More Feels quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. 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