--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can one not speak about war, poverty…" description: "\"How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't have a voice to speak?\" — Isabel Allende" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg" --- # How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality… ![“How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't have a voice to speak?” quote by Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg) > “How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't have a voice to speak?” [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Calls attention to the moral duty to speak for the voiceless suffering from systemic injustice. **In simple terms:** Speak for the unheard. Key Takeaway Raise awareness for injustice. Themes social justice voice responsibility Mood urgent empathetic Type activist inspirational When to use this quote - humanitarian campaigns - policy advocacy - community organizing Key Concepts advocacy empathy human rights Questions to Reflect On - Who are the silenced in your community? - How can you amplify their stories responsibly? A Different Perspective Speaking without knowledge can misrepresent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affliction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Diversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diversity/) [Inequality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inequality/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Peace and justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace-and-justice/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Ubuntu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ubuntu/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [“Conscience can be painful but so can the cock-rot. A grown-up should suffer his afflictions privately and not allow them to become an inconvenience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/conscience-can-be-painful-but-so-can-the-cock-rot-a-grown-up-should/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [If I were to speak of war, it would not be to show you the glories of conquering armies but the mischief and misery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-barton/if-i-were-to-speak-of-war-it-would-not-be-to-show-you-the-glories-of/) [Clara Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-barton/) > [I can't speak for a war that I believe is immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/i-can-t-speak-for-a-war-that-i-believe-is-immoral/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [“We can speak of war as vehemently as some others do, but because we believe otherwise as Muslims, we prefer to speak of peace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum/we-can-speak-of-war-as-vehemently-as-some-others-do-but-because-we/) [Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-bin-rashid-al-maktoum/) > [“The poets, when they speak of war, talk of the shield wall, they talk of the spears and arrows flying, of the blade beating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/the-poets-when-they-speak-of-war-talk-of-the-shield-wall-they-talk-of/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [If the dead could speak there would be no more war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/if-the-dead-could-speak-there-would-be-no-more-war/) [Heinrich Böll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [For me to speak out against the war in Iraq, you know - most of my fans are lefties anyway, so I don't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/for-me-to-speak-out-against-the-war-in-iraq-you-know-most-of-my-fans/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [You speak as if a war were raging." "To the remains of the human race, one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/you-speak-as-if-a-war-were-raging-to-the-remains-of-the-human-race/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“Poem against War Bonfires burn brightly ”I see what you don’t see” Deathly pale rattles the sky. The children have grown old; Their voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/poem-against-war-bonfires-burn-brightly-i-see-what-you-don-t-see/) sir kristian goldmund aumann > [When I find too many puzzles about the way explanations are given about why there is inequality - why people who work the hardest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vandana-shiva/when-i-find-too-many-puzzles-about-the-way-explanations-are-given/) [Vandana Shiva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vandana-shiva/) > [Probably the most extreme form of inequality is between people who are alive and people who are dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-thiel/probably-the-most-extreme-form-of-inequality-is-between-people-who/) [Peter Thiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-thiel/) > [People on left have to better understand what are the benefits of inequality, and people on right have to understand better what the dangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-deaton/people-on-left-have-to-better-understand-what-are-the-benefits-of/) [Angus Deaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-deaton/) > [There is no off-roading to solve income inequality for people of color. They must have broadband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-wiley/there-is-no-off-roading-to-solve-income-inequality-for-people-of/) [Maya Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-wiley/) > [Becoming involved in sports and traveling the world and seeing how people of color were treated around the world, and America being such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/becoming-involved-in-sports-and-traveling-the-world-and-seeing-how/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [Some people say we have this inequality because some people have been contributing much more to our society, and so it's fair that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stiglitz/some-people-say-we-have-this-inequality-because-some-people-have-been/) [Joseph Stiglitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stiglitz/) ## More by Isabel Allende > [“I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, and my grandchildren, my mother, my dog,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-am-happier-when-i-love-than-when-i-am-loved-i-adore-my-husband-my/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Music is a wind that blows away the years, memories, and fear, that crouching animal I carry inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/music-is-a-wind-that-blows-away-the-years-memories-and-fear-that/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [Everybody has losses - it's unavoidable in life. Sharing our pain is very healing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/everybody-has-losses-it-s-unavoidable-in-life-sharing-our-pain-is/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“The writer and the dreamer have so much in common: They can't control the plot, they are always part of the story or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-writer-and-the-dreamer-have-so-much-in-common-they-can-t-control/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [People think that they will sit down and produce the great American novel in one sitting. It doesn't work that way. This is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/people-think-that-they-will-sit-down-and-produce-the-great-american/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“He had a principle: if you lend money and never see the person again, that's money well spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/he-had-a-principle-if-you-lend-money-and-never-see-the-person-again/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Catholics form a majority in Chile, although there are more and more Evangelicals and Pentacostals who irritate everyone because they have a direct understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/catholics-form-a-majority-in-chile-although-there-are-more-and-more/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“At times I feel as if I had lived all this before and that I have already written these very words, but I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/at-times-i-feel-as-if-i-had-lived-all-this-before-and-that-i-have/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-have-lived-with-passion-and-in-a-hurry-trying-to-accomplish-too/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I'm surrounded by the scene of aging. I myself am in my 70s and not getting any younger. Although I'm very healthy, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-m-surrounded-by-the-scene-of-aging-i-myself-am-in-my-70s-and-not/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I try to write the kind of books I like to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/i-try-to-write-the-kind-of-books-i-like-to-read/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Intimacy needs time to mature—a shared history, tears shed, obstacles overcome, photographs in an album. It’s a slow-growing plant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/intimacy-needs-time-to-mature-a-shared-history-tears-shed-obstacles/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [ The idea of the book \["The Japanese Lover"\] came in a conversation that I had with a friend walking in the streets of New… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/the-idea-of-the-book-the-japanese-lover-came-in-a-conversation-that-i/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) [Explore all 552 Isabel Allende quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## More Affliction quotes > [I don't feel insecure about any of this work anymore. Maybe I don't have what I had when I was younger. I'm not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-norton/i-don-t-feel-insecure-about-any-of-this-work-anymore-maybe-i-don-t/) [Edward Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-norton/) > [Every man will have his own criterion in forming his judgment of others. I depend very much on the effect of affliction. I consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-cecil/every-man-will-have-his-own-criterion-in-forming-his-judgment-of/) [Richard Cecil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-cecil/) > [WHANGDEPOOTENAWAH, n. In the Ojibwa tongue, disaster; an unexpected affliction that strikes hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/whangdepootenawah-n-in-the-ojibwa-tongue-disaster-an-unexpected/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Come, then, affliction, if my Father wills, and be my frowning friend. A friend that frowns is better than a smiling enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/come-then-affliction-if-my-father-wills-and-be-my-frowning-friend-a/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Henceforth, I'll bear Affliction till it do cry out itself, 'Enough, enough, and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/henceforth-i-ll-bear-affliction-till-it-do-cry-out-itself-enough/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [New materials are one of the great afflictions of contemporary art. Some artists confuse new materials with new ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-lewitt/new-materials-are-one-of-the-great-afflictions-of-contemporary-art/) [Sol LeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-lewitt/) > [Aimee Parkison offers a distinct new voice to contemporary fiction. Her seductive stories explore childhood as a realm of sorrows, and reveal the afflictions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-anshaw/aimee-parkison-offers-a-distinct-new-voice-to-contemporary-fiction/) [Carol Anshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-anshaw/) > [May I strike my heart's keys clearly, and may none fail because of slack, uncertain, or fraying strings. May the tears that stream down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/may-i-strike-my-heart-s-keys-clearly-and-may-none-fail-because-of/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [God measures out affliction to our need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/god-measures-out-affliction-to-our-need/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [Afflictions make the heart more deep, more experimental, more knowing and profound, and so, more able to hold, to contain, and beat more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/afflictions-make-the-heart-more-deep-more-experimental-more-knowing/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Religion prescribes to every miserable man the means of bettering his condition; nay, it shows him that the bearing of his afflictions as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/religion-prescribes-to-every-miserable-man-the-means-of-bettering-his/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [Revolution will free society of its afflictions, while science will free the individual of his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/revolution-will-free-society-of-its-afflictions-while-science-will/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) [Browse all 598 Affliction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affliction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't have a voice to speak?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isabel Allende" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty-and-inequality-when-people/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affliction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty-and-inequality-when-people/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c4/isabel-allende-266_affliction_how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty_1509517.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How can one not speak about war, poverty, and inequality when people who suffer from these afflictions don't…” — Isabel Allende", "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": "Isabel Allende", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How can one not speak about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty-and-inequality-when-people/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/how-can-one-not-speak-about-war-poverty-and-inequality-when-people/#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 } } ] } ```