---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was ashamed for people to see me…"
description: "\"I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.\" — John Stossel"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png"
---

#  I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.

![“I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.” quote by John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png)

> “I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.”

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker felt shame exposing personal struggles, highlighting societal stigma around vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** Shame hides struggle.

Key Takeaway

Embrace openness to reduce stigma.

Themes

vulnerability shame social stigma self-acceptance

Mood

empathetic encouraging

Type

social psychological

When to use this quote

- support groups
- public speaking
- mental health advocacy

Key Concepts

Sociology of stigma psychology of self

Questions to Reflect On

- What would help you share struggles?
- How does society shape shame?

A Different Perspective

Fear of judgment can prevent seeking help.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Ashamed People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed-people-971209/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-struggle-263314/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/)

## Related quotes

> [“She felt puzzled and ashamed, as always when people attributed to her emotions and motives they possessed and thought she shared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-felt-puzzled-and-ashamed-as-always-when-people-attributed-to-her/)

[Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/)

> [“Never be ashamed of madness, instead be ashamed of people that are ashamed of madness. Without a little bit of insanity, we would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/never-be-ashamed-of-madness-instead-be-ashamed-of-people-that-are/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [Most people struggle with life balance simply because they haven't paid the price to decide what is really important to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/most-people-struggle-with-life-balance-simply-because-they-haven-t/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [Today in Ukraine, many people struggle to survive, older ones often see the breakdown of the Soviet system as a loss of stability and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-pinchuk/today-in-ukraine-many-people-struggle-to-survive-older-ones-often-see/)

[Victor Pinchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-pinchuk/)

> [People still struggle with this notion of gifted writers somehow being in touch with a higher power, but it's all about showing up and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lippman/people-still-struggle-with-this-notion-of-gifted-writers-somehow/)

[Laura Lippman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lippman/)

> [Every time people struggle, they survive, they do better, and then they forget, and they end up back where they started from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-ringgold/every-time-people-struggle-they-survive-they-do-better-and-then-they/)

[Faith Ringgold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-ringgold/)

> [There are many people that struggle and struggle and have all the talent in the world, but for some reason they are not successful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-white/there-are-many-people-that-struggle-and-struggle-and-have-all-the/)

[Bryan White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-white/)

> [A lot of people struggle, whether you're a man, woman, non-binary... but I think men, in particular, are conditioned from a very early age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/a-lot-of-people-struggle-whether-you-re-a-man-woman-non-binary-but-i/)

[John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/)

> [I prefer to work when there are people against whom I have to struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/i-prefer-to-work-when-there-are-people-against-whom-i-have-to-struggle/)

[Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/)

> [People struggle most with seeing new ways of doing things and often need help in breaking through their tradition-bound mindsets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-d-friedman/people-struggle-most-with-seeing-new-ways-of-doing-things-and-often/)

[Stewart D. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-d-friedman/)

> [A lot of people struggle in their younger years, and I think people can relate to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lewis/a-lot-of-people-struggle-in-their-younger-years-and-i-think-people/)

[Matthew Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lewis/)

> [My experience has shown me that many people struggle with forgiveness of self and/or others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/my-experience-has-shown-me-that-many-people-struggle-with-forgiveness/)

[Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/)

> [So many people struggle to have children and it's not unusual to go down a slightly different path if you need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-weymouth/so-many-people-struggle-to-have-children-and-it-s-not-unusual-to-go/)

[Emma Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-weymouth/)

> [What people do for the struggle of power is madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-people-do-for-the-struggle-of-power-is-madness/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People have to struggle to live and, frequently, to live in an undignified way. One cause of this situation, in my opinion, is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/people-have-to-struggle-to-live-and-frequently-to-live-in-an/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

## More by John Stossel

> [Fraud will always exist. Enforcement of anti-fraud laws is a useful deterrent, but in the end there's no substitute for investor vigilance. Government regulations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/fraud-will-always-exist-enforcement-of-anti-fraud-laws-is-a-useful/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [The welfare state has done to Black Americans what slavery (and Jim Crow and racism) could not have done. . .break up the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-welfare-state-has-done-to-black-americans-what-slavery-and-jim/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“If overpopulation or lack of resources created poverty, then Hong Kong should be poor. Hong Kong has 20 times as many people per square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/if-overpopulation-or-lack-of-resources-created-poverty-then-hong-kong/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [But nothing is better than the market, where the customer and the business deal directly with each other, because if you rip people off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/but-nothing-is-better-than-the-market-where-the-customer-and-the/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [The people who have the biggest passion for restricting other people's behavior are the very people we should worry about most. Unfortunately, they keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/the-people-who-have-the-biggest-passion-for-restricting-other-people/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Happiness comes when we test our skills towards some meaningful purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/happiness-comes-when-we-test-our-skills-towards-some-meaningful/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [What I've learned in 40 years of consumer reporting is that the market is imperfect, and some people get ripped off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/what-i-ve-learned-in-40-years-of-consumer-reporting-is-that-the/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Patrick Henry did not say, 'Give me absolutely safety or give me death.' America is supposed to be about freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/patrick-henry-did-not-say-give-me-absolutely-safety-or-give-me-death/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Asking someone in the media about liberal bias is like asking a fish about water. 'Huh, what are you talking about? Where is it?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/asking-someone-in-the-media-about-liberal-bias-is-like-asking-a-fish/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Government is so big today that more than half the population gets a major part of its income from the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/government-is-so-big-today-that-more-than-half-the-population-gets-a/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [I'm an American. I'm for prosperity. I've discovered, from 40 years of reporting, that what creates prosperity is limited government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-m-an-american-i-m-for-prosperity-i-ve-discovered-from-40-years-of/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“Cornelius Vanderbilt and his fellow tycoon John D. Rockefeller were often called 'robber barons'. Newspapers said they were evil, and ran cartoons showing Vanderbilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/cornelius-vanderbilt-and-his-fellow-tycoon-john-d-rockefeller-were/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [A handful of people who probably never even ran a small business actually think they can reinvent the health care system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/a-handful-of-people-who-probably-never-even-ran-a-small-business/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [Freedom works, and government, when it grows beyond the barest minimum, keeps people poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/freedom-works-and-government-when-it-grows-beyond-the-barest-minimum/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

> [“In 1999 the National Research Council concluded that 'the total exposure to naturally occurring carcinogens exceeds the exposure to synthetic carcinogens.'... The point was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/in-1999-the-national-research-council-concluded-that-the-total/)

[John Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

[Explore all 102 John Stossel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/)

## More Adversity quotes

> [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/)

[Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/)

> [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/)

[Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/)

> [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/)

[George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/)

> [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/)

[Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/)

> [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/)

[Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/)

> [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/)

[Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/)

> [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/)

[James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/)

> [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/)

[Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/)

> [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/)

[S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/)

> [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Stossel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-struggle/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adversity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-struggle/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/john-stossel-5146_adversity_i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-strug_2912012.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was ashamed for people to see me struggle.” — John Stossel",
                "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": "John Stossel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stossel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was ashamed for people to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-struggle/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stossel/i-was-ashamed-for-people-to-see-me-struggle/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
