--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To break the silence the old man said the…" description: "\"“To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: \"Loneliness is a type of violence.”\" — Jonathan Messinger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg" --- # To break the silence the old man said the first thing that… ![“To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: "Loneliness is a type of violence.” quote by Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg) > ““To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: "Loneliness is a type of violence.”” [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Loneliness can be a form of violence, harming the soul. **In simple terms:** Isolation hurts deeply. Key Takeaway Address loneliness. Themes mental health violence social isolation empathy Mood empathetic serious Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - social media - elder care - support groups Key Concepts psychology community well‑being Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize silent suffering? - What actions reduce social isolation? A Different Perspective Not all loneliness is violent; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) ## Related quotes > [Society turns away from the aged worker as though he belonged to another species. That is why the whole question is buried in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/society-turns-away-from-the-aged-worker-as-though-he-belonged-to/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“SILENCE THAT OLD FAMILIAR SOUND.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-teets/silence-that-old-familiar-sound/) [William Teets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-teets/) > [I remember filling my car up in London when an 85-year-old man said to me, 'You've done our age group proud.' That made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blackburn/i-remember-filling-my-car-up-in-london-when-an-85-year-old-man-said/) [Tony Blackburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blackburn/) > [Could you help me catch the moon?” “I might be able to give you some advice,” the old man said reluctantly. “But first you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/could-you-help-me-catch-the-moon-i-might-be-able-to-give-you-some/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“They would hit a man in the water, if they were hungry, even if the man had no smell of fish blood nor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/they-would-hit-a-man-in-the-water-if-they-were-hungry-even-if-the-man/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Am trying to find the right words to break the silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/am-trying-to-find-the-right-words-to-break-the-silence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best way to break the silence is with a kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-way-to-break-the-silence-is-with-a-kiss/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We want to make certain that every American who stood in silent tribute to Rosa Parks hopes that the Sepreme Court Judge will break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-durbin/we-want-to-make-certain-that-every-american-who-stood-in-silent/) [Dick Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-durbin/) > [The time comes when silence is betrayal. That time has come for us today... ...some of us who have already begun to break the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/the-time-comes-when-silence-is-betrayal-that-time-has-come-for-us/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Usually they are quick to discover that I cannot see or hear… It is not training but love which impels them to break their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/usually-they-are-quick-to-discover-that-i-cannot-see-or-hear-it-is/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [When I break My Silence, the impact of My Love will be universal and all life in creation will know, feel and receive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/when-i-break-my-silence-the-impact-of-my-love-will-be-universal-and/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [Often, when I later listened to the tapes of the interview I would hear that I would rush in to break the silence. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rosenbaum/often-when-i-later-listened-to-the-tapes-of-the-interview-i-would/) [Ron Rosenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rosenbaum/) > [“Some of us who have already begun to break the silence of the night have found that the calling to speak is often a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/some-of-us-who-have-already-begun-to-break-the-silence-of-the-night/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [Stories break silence and nourish those who work, feel, and dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-naranjo/stories-break-silence-and-nourish-those-who-work-feel-and-dream/) Carmen Naranjo > [Strong efforts may be made to deny the place, to silence the authentic, but the spirit of things will break through that silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-haynes/strong-efforts-may-be-made-to-deny-the-place-to-silence-the-authentic/) John Haynes ## More by Jonathan Messinger > [“How did it die?" he asked. "Short circuit," I said. "Old and frayed wires." He looked at me like I was senile. "Could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/how-did-it-die-he-asked-short-circuit-i-said-old-and-frayed-wires-he/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [“So there are no ill effects?” I asked. “Well, as I said, you could die.” I looked him in the eye, my one good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/so-there-are-no-ill-effects-i-asked-well-as-i-said-you-could-die-i/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [The quotes are often poignant or funny (one man before the firing squad requests a bulletproof vest) and often don't register as much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/the-quotes-are-often-poignant-or-funny-one-man-before-the-firing/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [How could you love something so destructive?" I ask. "Because this wolf doesn't care if your heart is whole or not," you say. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/how-could-you-love-something-so-destructive-i-ask-because-this-wolf/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [Bonsai won the Chilean Critics Award for best novel of the year in 2006and it's easy to understand why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/bonsai-won-the-chilean-critics-award-for-best-novel-of-the-year-in/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [No one writes a story like Lydia Davis. In the years since she began publishing her lyrical, extremely short fiction, she has quietly become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/no-one-writes-a-story-like-lydia-davis-in-the-years-since-she-began/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [The impulse to tell the truth was not as great as the fear of being left off the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/the-impulse-to-tell-the-truth-was-not-as-great-as-the-fear-of-being/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [“I don't think my moped could outrun a cheetah." "Hun," Claire says. "There are more important things you need to outrun, and a moped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/i-don-t-think-my-moped-could-outrun-a-cheetah-hun-claire-says-there/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [ Reading the \[The Verso Book of Dissent\] is like encountering the best version of our angry selves. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/reading-the-the-verso-book-of-dissent-is-like-encountering-the-best/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) > [I don't think my moped could outrun a cheetah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/i-don-t-think-my-moped-could-outrun-a-cheetah/) [Jonathan Messinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) [Explore all 11 Jonathan Messinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [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/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: \"Loneliness is a type of violence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Messinger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-the-first-thing-that-came-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-the-first-thing-that-came-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f8/jonathan-messinger-39847_life_to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-th_873440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To break the silence the old man said the first thing that came to his mind: \"Loneliness is a type of…” — Jonathan Messinger", "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": "Jonathan Messinger", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-messinger/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To break the silence the old...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-the-first-thing-that-came-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-messinger/to-break-the-silence-the-old-man-said-the-first-thing-that-came-to/#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 } } ] } ```