--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's the problem with people who are…" description: "\"“That's the problem with people who are not human. You can't tell how badly they're hurt, or how much they need your help, and until you ask, they don'..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hurt_that-s-the-problem-with-people-who-are-n_3169999.png" --- # That's the problem with people who are not human. You… ![“That's the problem with people who are not human. You can't tell how badly they're hurt, or how much they need your help, and until you ask, they don't always know how to tell you.” quote by Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hurt_that-s-the-problem-with-people-who-are-n_3169999.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hurt_that-s-the-problem-with-people-who-are-n_3169999.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50d/jeff-vandermeer-1366_hurt_that-s-the-problem-with-people-who-are-n_3169999.png) > ““That's the problem with people who are not human. You can't tell how badly they're hurt, or how much they need your help, and until you ask, they don't always know how to tell you.”” [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human empathy often fails because we cannot see others' pain, and they may not express it without being asked. **In simple terms:** You must ask to understand others' suffering. Key Takeaway Ask before assuming. Themes empathy communication vulnerability Mood thoughtful concerned Type reflective advisory When to use this quote - healthcare - friendship - workplace - family counseling Key Concepts psychology social perception compassion Questions to Reflect On - How can you create safe spaces for others to share? - What signs indicate hidden distress? A Different Perspective People may hide pain even when asked, limiting help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [We're all humans. Any human can tell any human's story. I don't want to have this conversation about black film or white film anymore.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-melfi/we-re-all-humans-any-human-can-tell-any-human-s-story-i-don-t-want-to/) [Theodore Melfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-melfi/) > [The problem with people is that they're only human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/the-problem-with-people-is-that-they-re-only-human/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [“Children don't have hearts yet, not really. They haven't been hurt into the need for one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-logan/children-don-t-have-hearts-yet-not-really-they-haven-t-been-hurt-into/) [John Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-logan/) > [“She could not leave him hanging like this. “If you were hurt, I need to know.” It was a rule somewhere, in the good-guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-janzen/she-could-not-leave-him-hanging-like-this-if-you-were-hurt-i-need-to/) [Tara Janzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-janzen/) > [If any of you have been hurt and need someone to talk to, I'm pretty good at taking advantage of vulnerable women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-any-of-you-have-been-hurt-and-need-someone-to-talk-to-i-m-pretty/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [It doesn't pay to hurt someone, but if need be, let it be with the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/it-doesn-t-pay-to-hurt-someone-but-if-need-be-let-it-be-with-the-truth/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [...Some people hurt so much they can't take what they need, even when someone wants to give it to them. (106)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/some-people-hurt-so-much-they-can-t-take-what-they-need-even-when/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [You hurt me somehow, but I need you. You're the poisson and the cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ely/you-hurt-me-somehow-but-i-need-you-you-re-the-poisson-and-the-cure/) [Ely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ely/) > [Sometimes the person that hurt you the most, is the one you need the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-person-that-hurt-you-the-most-is-the-one-you-need-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“While I may not take away every hurt, I will always give you what you need to live joyfully—in spite of the hurts. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-young/while-i-may-not-take-away-every-hurt-i-will-always-give-you-what-you/) [Sarah Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-young/) > [“If you're in trouble or hurt or need–go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help–the only ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-you-re-in-trouble-or-hurt-or-need-go-to-poor-people-they-re-the/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Always can find someone who have more pain, more hurt than you. Always can find someone who need help. And you always have something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-cantrell/always-can-find-someone-who-have-more-pain-more-hurt-than-you-always/) [Julie Cantrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-cantrell/) > [I would never mind if you don't miss me or you don't need me. But you will really hurt me when you need me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norden/i-would-never-mind-if-you-don-t-miss-me-or-you-don-t-need-me-but-you/) [Norden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norden/) > [People often change for two reasons: either you've learned enough that you want to change or you've been hurt enough that you need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/people-often-change-for-two-reasons-either-you-ve-learned-enough-that/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [The two things that can hurt you are if you need money or if you need fame. Those are the things that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/the-two-things-that-can-hurt-you-are-if-you-need-money-or-if-you-need/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) ## More by Jeff VanderMeer > [“Perhaps only I could truly make Wick a person, by forgiving him, and if I forgave him, if I showed I forgave him, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/perhaps-only-i-could-truly-make-wick-a-person-by-forgiving-him-and-if/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“I knew these elements were intended for me and me alone. There were no endearments, but I understood in part because of this restraint.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-knew-these-elements-were-intended-for-me-and-me-alone-there-were-no/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“What if an infection was a message, a brightness a kind of symphony? As a defense? An odd form of communication? If so, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-if-an-infection-was-a-message-a-brightness-a-kind-of-symphony-as/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [That's how the madness of the world tries to colonize you: from the outside in, forcing you to live in its reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/that-s-how-the-madness-of-the-world-tries-to-colonize-you-from-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [What I envy about musicians is, they have this more direct relationship with the audience. They don't have to go through words. Sure, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/what-i-envy-about-musicians-is-they-have-this-more-direct/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“In college, what had always stuck with him in Astronomy 101 was that the first astronomers to think of points of light not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/in-college-what-had-always-stuck-with-him-in-astronomy-101-was-that/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“But I was not a domesticated animals...The dirt and grit of a city, the unending wakefulness of it, the crowdedness, the constant light obscuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/but-i-was-not-a-domesticated-animals-the-dirt-and-grit-of-a-city-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Dreams, though, are just one kind of inspiration - no more or less special than something in a newspaper article or from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/dreams-though-are-just-one-kind-of-inspiration-no-more-or-less/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“All of the things that wore you down, even as that was balanced by the electric feeling of being on the side of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/all-of-the-things-that-wore-you-down-even-as-that-was-balanced-by-the/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There simply aren't enough constitutional safeguards in place to protect against a rogue president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-simply-aren-t-enough-constitutional-safeguards-in-place-to/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [There are some beautiful creatures in the ocean that seem very alien at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/there-are-some-beautiful-creatures-in-the-ocean-that-seem-very-alien/) [Jeff Vandermeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [Even a dream as inspiration doesn't mean anything unless you then find that it's sparked an actual story with a plot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/even-a-dream-as-inspiration-doesn-t-mean-anything-unless-you-then/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [I had learned so much about the world that I had decided to withdraw from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/i-had-learned-so-much-about-the-world-that-i-had-decided-to-withdraw/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“Do you think Area X builds spaceships, too? Do you think Area X traverses interstellar space? Wormholes? Think of something more subtle, something peering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/do-you-think-area-x-builds-spaceships-too-do-you-think-area-x/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [“A sudden flash of his partner Wyte, telling him he was compromised, him replying, "I don't have an opinion on that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/a-sudden-flash-of-his-partner-wyte-telling-him-he-was-compromised-him/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) [Explore all 247 Jeff VanderMeer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) ## More Hurt quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [A HURTED HEART IS LIKE SMALL BABY WHICH CAN ONLY CRY BT IT WONT B ABLE 2 EXPRESS ITS FEELINGS.SO DONT HURT ANYBODY IN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/a-hurted-heart-is-like-small-baby-which-can-only-cry-bt-it-wont-b/) Butterfly\_Kisses > [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey > [Some things hurt, you know, and there's pain. But we magnify the suffering of it often, I think, by our reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/some-things-hurt-you-know-and-there-s-pain-but-we-magnify-the/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [You can't force any one to love you, and fighting it, you just gonna hurt yourself badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mongotleng/you-can-t-force-any-one-to-love-you-and-fighting-it-you-just-gonna/) Edward Mongotleng > [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/) Aviation > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) Browse all 13,577 Hurt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That's the problem with people who are not human. 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