---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are a feelingless people. If we could…"
description: "\"We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering at once.\" — Julian Beck"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg"
---

#  We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the…

![“We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering at once.” quote by Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg)

> “We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering at once.”

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

## About This Quote

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

People numb themselves to avoid deep pain, leading to pervasive emotional disengagement.

**In simple terms:** People avoid feeling pain, becoming emotionally numb.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and confront feelings to reduce suffering.

Themes

emotional numbness avoidance human condition

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- mental health
- societal norms

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What emotions are you suppressing?
- How does numbness affect your connections?

A Different Perspective

Ignoring pain can perpetuate hidden suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feel Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-pain/) [Feelingless People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelingless-people-3169507/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Really Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-feel/) [Stop Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-suffering-298225/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/)

## Related quotes

> [We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be-2/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [I suffered too much and I want to stop the suffering of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phan-thi-kim-phuc/i-suffered-too-much-and-i-want-to-stop-the-suffering-of-other-people/)

[Phan Thi Kim Phuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phan-thi-kim-phuc/)

> [U really cant feel my pain inside… miss uuu..&lt;3 &lt;3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/u-really-cant-feel-my-pain-inside-miss-uuu-3-3/)

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

> [The man would stop suffering, when he become capable of dissolving the I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/the-man-would-stop-suffering-when-he-become-capable-of-dissolving-the/)

[Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/)

> [Don't look forward to the day you stop suffering, because when it comes you'll know you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/don-t-look-forward-to-the-day-you-stop-suffering-because-when-it/)

[Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/)

> [If a promblem has a solution great! and if it doesn't stop suffering nothing can be done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-a-promblem-has-a-solution-great-and-if-it-doesn-t-stop-suffering/)

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

> [We are all going, I thought, and it applies to turtles and turtlenecks, Alaska the girl and Alaska the place, because nothing can last,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-are-all-going-i-thought-and-it-applies-to-turtles-and-turtlenecks/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [To stop suffering, stop greediness. Greediness is a source of suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/to-stop-suffering-stop-greediness-greediness-is-a-source-of-suffering/)

[Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/)

> [“It is one thing to accept that one is powerless to stop the suffering in the world, but quite another to benefit from what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-liss/it-is-one-thing-to-accept-that-one-is-powerless-to-stop-the-suffering/)

[David Liss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-liss/)

> [“The only way to help me stop suffering was to help me die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/souad/the-only-way-to-help-me-stop-suffering-was-to-help-me-die/)

[Souad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/souad/)

> [You can't stop suffering, you can't stop terrible things from happening, but you can bear witness... The least us reporters can do is go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/you-can-t-stop-suffering-you-can-t-stop-terrible-things-from/)

[Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/)

> [When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-you-stopped-wishing-things-wouldn-t-fall-apart-you-d-stop/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Some people say: "There is no God; because, if there was a God, God would stop all the suffering." Nonsense! God is oblivious to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/some-people-say-there-is-no-god-because-if-there-was-a-god-god-would/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“When to stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/when-to-stopped-wishing-things-wouldn-t-fall-apart-you-d-stop/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [“When you stop wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you stop suffering when they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-you-stop-wishing-things-wouldn-t-fall-apart-you-stop-suffering/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More by Julian Beck

> [I do not like the Broadway theatre because it does not know how to say hello. The tone of voice is false, the mannerisms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/i-do-not-like-the-broadway-theatre-because-it-does-not-know-how-to/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [You cannot be free if you are contained withing a fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/you-cannot-be-free-if-you-are-contained-withing-a-fiction/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be-2/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [“You cannot be free if you are contained within a fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/you-cannot-be-free-if-you-are-contained-within-a-fiction/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [The power of art is the power of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/the-power-of-art-is-the-power-of-truth/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

> [When the sexual energy of the people is liberated they will break the chains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/when-the-sexual-energy-of-the-people-is-liberated-they-will-break-the/)

[Julian Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

[Explore all 7 Julian Beck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/)

## More Feels quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/)

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

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/)

[Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/)

> [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/)

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

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/)

[Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/)

[Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/)

[Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/)

[Browse all 38,933 Feels quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the suffering at once.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Julian Beck"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feels"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7c/julian-beck-51458_feels_we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could_1139576.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We are a feelingless people. If we could really feel, the pain would be so great that we would stop all the…” — Julian Beck",
                "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": "Julian Beck",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-beck/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We are a feelingless people. If...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-beck/we-are-a-feelingless-people-if-we-could-really-feel-the-pain-would-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
