--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ordinary response to atrocities is to…" description: "\"The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness. Certain violations of the social compact are too terrible to utter aloud: thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/judith-lewis-herman-19218_atrocities_the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-t_1095511.jpg" --- # The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from… ![“The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness. Certain violations of the social compact are too terrible to utter aloud: this is the meaning of the word unspeakable.” quote by Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/judith-lewis-herman-19218_atrocities_the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-t_1095511.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/judith-lewis-herman-19218_atrocities_the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-t_1095511.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49e/judith-lewis-herman-19218_atrocities_the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-t_1095511.jpg) > “The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness. Certain violations of the social compact are too terrible to utter aloud: this is the meaning of the word unspeakable.” [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society often suppresses awareness of extreme violations, labeling them as unspeakable, which prevents confronting and healing from them. **In simple terms:** People hide terrible events, calling them unspeakable, to avoid confronting them. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and name painful truths. Themes memory trauma social justice silence healing Mood somber reflective Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - legal trials - truth commissions - education curricula - media reporting Key Concepts psychology collective denial ethical responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling something unspeakable affect collective memory? - What steps can break the silence around atrocities? A Different Perspective Denial can hinder justice and may be reinforced by cultural taboos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Dissociation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissociation/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Unspeakable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unspeakable/) [Violation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violation/) ## Related quotes > [“The ORDINARY RESPONSE TO ATROCITIES is to banish them from consciousness. Certain violations of the social compact are too terrible to utter aloud: this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-to-banish-them-from-2/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“,,The ordinary response to atrocities is to banish them from consciousness (...) Atrocities, however, refuse to be buried". ,,Filk wisdom is filled with ghosts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-herman/the-ordinary-response-to-atrocities-is-to-banish-them-from-3/) Judith Herman > [“Further evidence for the pathogenic role of dissociation has come from a largescale clinical and community study of traumatized people conducted by a task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/further-evidence-for-the-pathogenic-role-of-dissociation-has-come/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“In the absence of strong political movements for human rights, the active process of bearing witness inevitably gives way to the active process of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-the-absence-of-strong-political-movements-for-human-rights-the/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“The study of psychological trauma has repeatedly led into realms of the unthinkable and foundered on fundamental questions of belief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-study-of-psychological-trauma-has-repeatedly-led-into-realms-of/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [The error is in the assumption that the General Government is a party to the constitutional compact. The States ... formed the compact, acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-calhoun/the-error-is-in-the-assumption-that-the-general-government-is-a-party/) [John C. Calhoun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-calhoun/) > [The birthright of man ... is such a degree of liberty, civil and religious, as is compatible with the liberty of every other individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-birthright-of-man-is-such-a-degree-of-liberty-civil-and-religious/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [A compact defense has always been the basis of Italy's team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabio-cannavaro/a-compact-defense-has-always-been-the-basis-of-italy-s-team/) [Fabio Cannavaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fabio-cannavaro/) > [The social compact sets up among the citizens as equality of such kind, that they all bind themselves to observe the same conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-social-compact-sets-up-among-the-citizens-as-equality-of-such/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It may be that my most helpful contributions to music aren't my compact discs but my articles about other great singers of the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-mccorkle/it-may-be-that-my-most-helpful-contributions-to-music-aren-t-my/) [Susannah McCorkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-mccorkle/) > [Because of my compact and muscular body composition, my short hair, and my "Johawk," I have been mistaken for a boy on many occasions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-lohman/because-of-my-compact-and-muscular-body-composition-my-short-hair-and/) [Joanna Lohman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-lohman/) > [ \[In the case of\] dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the states, who are parties thereto, have the right,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/in-the-case-of-dangerous-exercise-of-other-powers-not-granted-by-the/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) > [You take a look at the history of African Americans in the US. There's been about thirty years of relative freedom. There was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/you-take-a-look-at-the-history-of-african-americans-in-the-us-there-s/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [While most trudge through their days straight-jacketed in the social compact, living for others as much as or more than for themselves, a select…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ridley/while-most-trudge-through-their-days-straight-jacketed-in-the-social/) [John Ridley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ridley/) > [... in a history of spiritual rupture, a social compact built on fantasy and collective secrets, poetry becomes more necessary than ever: it keeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/in-a-history-of-spiritual-rupture-a-social-compact-built-on-fantasy/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) ## More by Judith Lewis Herman > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“In situations of captivity the perpetrator becomes the most powerful person in the life of the victim, and the psychology of the victim is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-situations-of-captivity-the-perpetrator-becomes-the-most-powerful/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Many abused children cling to the hope that growing up will bring escape and freedom. But the personality formed in an environment of coercive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/many-abused-children-cling-to-the-hope-that-growing-up-will-bring/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [The guarantee of safety in a battering relationship can never be based upon a promise from the perpetrator, no matter how heartfelt. Rather, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-guarantee-of-safety-in-a-battering-relationship-can-never-be/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless. At the moment of trauma, the victim is rendered helpless by overwhelming force. When the force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/psychological-trauma-is-an-affliction-of-the-powerless-at-the-moment/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“The vast majority of incest begins years before the earliest conceivable age of consent. p4”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-vast-majority-of-incest-begins-years-before-the-earliest/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“The study of psychological trauma has repeatedly led into realms of the unthinkable and foundered on fundamental questions of belief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-study-of-psychological-trauma-has-repeatedly-led-into-realms-of/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/after-a-traumatic-experience-the-human-system-of-self-preservation/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“The horror of incest is not in the sexual act. but in the exploitation of children and the corruption of parental love. p4”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/the-horror-of-incest-is-not-in-the-sexual-act-but-in-the-exploitation/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“Underlying the attack on psychotherapy, I believe, is a recognition of the potential power of any relationship of witnessing. The consulting room is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/underlying-the-attack-on-psychotherapy-i-believe-is-a-recognition-of/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“when traumatic events are of human design, those who bear witness are caught in the conflict between victim and perpetrator. All the perpetrator asks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/when-traumatic-events-are-of-human-design-those-who-bear-witness-are/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [... in practice the standard for what constitutes rape is set not at the level of women's experience of violation but just above the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-practice-the-standard-for-what-constitutes-rape-is-set-not-at-the/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“In this climate of profoundly disrupted relationships the child faces a formidable developmental task. She must find a way to form primary attachments to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-this-climate-of-profoundly-disrupted-relationships-the-child-faces/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“Father-daughter incest is not only the type of incest most frequently reported but also represents a paradigm of female sexual victimization. The relationship between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/father-daughter-incest-is-not-only-the-type-of-incest-most-frequently/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Recovery can only take place within the context of relationships; it cannot occur in isolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/recovery-can-only-take-place-within-the-context-of-relationships-it/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) [Explore all 33 Judith Lewis Herman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) ## More Atrocities quotes > [A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but I can feel Haymitch watching me. 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It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet only the atrocities of the conquered are referred to as criminal acts; those of the conqueror are justified as necessary, heroic, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fergus/yet-only-the-atrocities-of-the-conquered-are-referred-to-as-criminal/) [Jim Fergus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fergus/) > [“I don't know how to stop the atrocities. I don't know how to make people care. But looking into my sister's eyes, we seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-don-t-know-how-to-stop-the-atrocities-i-don-t-know-how-to-make/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [War is horrible no matter what. There's going to be atrocities, there's going to be horrible things that happen in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hoffman/war-is-horrible-no-matter-what-there-s-going-to-be-atrocities-there-s/) Mike Hoffman > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Well before September 11, it was understood that with modern technology, the rich and powerful will lose their near monopoly of the means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/well-before-september-11-it-was-understood-that-with-modern/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Every Christian who studies history can only grieve over the atrocities that have been committed in the name of God by people who refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berit-kjos/every-christian-who-studies-history-can-only-grieve-over-the/) Berit Kjos > [Fanatics can justify practically any atrocity to themselves. 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