---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can physically see the effort it takes…"
description: "\"“I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open his mouth and force out the words. He's spent so much of his life not being seen, not being h..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg"
---

#  I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open…

![“I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open his mouth and force out the words. He's spent so much of his life not being seen, not being heard, that he's forgotten how to realize anything he says does hold weight and is important.” quote by Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg)

> ““I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open his mouth and force out the words. He's spent so much of his life not being seen, not being heard, that he's forgotten how to realize anything he says does hold weight and is important.””

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

## 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 describes a person who has been ignored for so long that they doubt the significance of their own words, feeling invisible and unheard.

**In simple terms:** A person feels their words don’t matter because they’ve been ignored.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and affirm the value of your voice.

Themes

self‑esteem voice validation identity communication

Mood

empathetic reflective

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal counseling
- team meetings
- public speaking
- creative collaboration
- leadership coaching

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics self‑worth

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you help someone feel heard?
- What steps can they take to reclaim confidence in speaking?

A Different Perspective

If the environment continues to dismiss them, confidence may not rebuild without external support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Invisibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisibility/) [Worthiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthiness/)

## Related quotes

> [“The idea of not being a kid anymore terrifies me. I am an adult and I have been hurled out of the world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/the-idea-of-not-being-a-kid-anymore-terrifies-me-i-am-an-adult-and-i/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“We’ve worn our words to death, when now I say: my love, nothing happens, absolutely nothing. And yet, before the words were spent, I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-nio-de-andrade/we-ve-worn-our-words-to-death-when-now-i-say-my-love-nothing-happens/)

Eugénio de Andrade

> [“To everyone battling a difficulty or under attack right now, smile, keep your head up, keep moving and stay positive, you'll get through it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/to-everyone-battling-a-difficulty-or-under-attack-right-now-smile/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [“Your happiness is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of people around you! You matter; others also matter! Live life so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/your-happiness-is-meaningless-unless-it-is-linked-with-the-total/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [“No matter how dysfunctional your background, how broke or broken you are, where you are today, or what anyone else says, YOU MATTER, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/no-matter-how-dysfunctional-your-background-how-broke-or-broken-you/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [You matter to somebody in the world &amp; no matter what you do that somebody will always be proud of you so stop cowering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-matter-to-somebody-in-the-world-no-matter-what-you-do-that/)

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

> [“Agnes! Do you hear me? I was wrong. The world isn't ending. There are things that matter. We matter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-gfr-rer/agnes-do-you-hear-me-i-was-wrong-the-world-isn-t-ending-there-are/)

Julia Gfrörer

> [The slope takes you to the windmill, but effort takes you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-slope-takes-you-to-the-windmill-but-effort-takes-you-nowhere/)

[Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/)

> [If you feel more capable than a woman, think of how much effort it takes you to get laid and remember a woman can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/if-you-feel-more-capable-than-a-woman-think-of-how-much-effort-it/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [I applaud the effort it takes to put a record together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lydon/i-applaud-the-effort-it-takes-to-put-a-record-together/)

[John Lydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lydon/)

> [“The habit of procrastination fatigues you more than the effort it takes to do the task.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiv-khera/the-habit-of-procrastination-fatigues-you-more-than-the-effort-it/)

[Shiv Khera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiv-khera/)

> [Writing, for me at least, takes a lot of concentrated work and effort. It takes dedication and the willingness to do the work even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-iagnemma/writing-for-me-at-least-takes-a-lot-of-concentrated-work-and-effort/)

[Karl Iagnemma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-iagnemma/)

> [“Trying to change our habits demands effort and effort takes energy - which is a cost. And our brains constantly look for ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bevelin/trying-to-change-our-habits-demands-effort-and-effort-takes-energy/)

[Peter Bevelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bevelin/)

> [“You lie well, and I appreciate the effort it takes. It’s not so easy, as any commissar knows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/you-lie-well-and-i-appreciate-the-effort-it-takes-it-s-not-so-easy-as/)

[Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/)

> [As much effort it takes in nailing great comic timing, it takes the same effort to ace any dance step or a romantic dialogue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-raj-bhasin/as-much-effort-it-takes-in-nailing-great-comic-timing-it-takes-the/)

[Tahir Raj Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-raj-bhasin/)

## More by Kelley York

> [“Sometimes, he comes up to ask me and the other girls questions—"Where can I find self-help books on male pregnancy?" "Where do you keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/sometimes-he-comes-up-to-ask-me-and-the-other-girls-questions-where/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“Of course you are. Emotions are totally irrational half the time." Her ice blue eyes lock onto me. "But you have full control over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/of-course-you-are-emotions-are-totally-irrational-half-the-time-her/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“To be fair, she called this morning. I stared at the phone. Circled it on my bed. And, eventually, it stopped ringing. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/to-be-fair-she-called-this-morning-i-stared-at-the-phone-circled-it/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“In this part of California, there is no fall or spring. Summer drops right into winter, into summer, back and forth. Our idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/in-this-part-of-california-there-is-no-fall-or-spring-summer-drops/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“Even the stars are lies. They sparkle so brightly, but their shine takes years to reach us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/even-the-stars-are-lies-they-sparkle-so-brightly-but-their-shine/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“That's the sort of person Chance is. He gets under your skin, and even when he's gone, you still feel him there like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/that-s-the-sort-of-person-chance-is-he-gets-under-your-skin-and-even/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“I really am the world's shittiest boyfriend. Holding onto something normal for the sake of having it, for nothing other than to keep what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-really-am-the-world-s-shittiest-boyfriend-holding-onto-something/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“Briar Greyson, in the bedroom, with the letter opener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/briar-greyson-in-the-bedroom-with-the-letter-opener/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“Everyone lets you down, it's a fact of life, Marissa told him once. The key is to know when they're doing it because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/everyone-lets-you-down-it-s-a-fact-of-life-marissa-told-him-once-the/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“I'm a lying liar who lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-m-a-lying-liar-who-lies/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“The idea of not being a kid anymore terrifies me. I am an adult and I have been hurled out of the world of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/the-idea-of-not-being-a-kid-anymore-terrifies-me-i-am-an-adult-and-i/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“It breaks my heart a little in the same way that it makes me smile. We're so close to a happy ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/it-breaks-my-heart-a-little-in-the-same-way-that-it-makes-me-smile-we/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“Karma is a cruel mistress.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/karma-is-a-cruel-mistress/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“What are we doing, burying bodies?" Admittedly, this would be a lace to do it. Isolated, off any main roads. "Nope. We're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/what-are-we-doing-burying-bodies-admittedly-this-would-be-a-lace-to/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

> [“That was offensive on so many levels. You can't just tell someone they look like a Jew.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/that-was-offensive-on-so-many-levels-you-can-t-just-tell-someone-they/)

[Kelley York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

[Explore all 31 Kelley York quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/)

## More Invisibility quotes

> [“What I'm trying to say is that I spent the last four months learning to be alone, avoiding the world, hating pretty much anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-cremer/what-i-m-trying-to-say-is-that-i-spent-the-last-four-months-learning/)

[Andrea Cremer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-cremer/)

> [“They’ve torn through the fabric of invisibility that has cloaked us for years. Suddenly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/they-ve-torn-through-the-fabric-of-invisibility-that-has-cloaked-us/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Our invisibility is the essence of our oppression. And until we eliminate that invisibility, people are going to be able to perpetuate the lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-o-leary/our-invisibility-is-the-essence-of-our-oppression-and-until-we/)

[Jean O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-o-leary/)

> [“Arianna and I walked side by side along the route that led through the center of Sanctuary the next day. All but invisible, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-shayne/arianna-and-i-walked-side-by-side-along-the-route-that-led-through/)

[Maggie Shayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-shayne/)

> [We need to raise our voices a little more, even as they say to us, 'This is so uncharacteristic of you.' Invisibility is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitsuye-yamada/we-need-to-raise-our-voices-a-little-more-even-as-they-say-to-us-this/)

Mitsuye Yamada

> [“What God asks of men, said Graham, is faith. His invisibility is the truest test of that faith. To know who sees him, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/what-god-asks-of-men-said-graham-is-faith-his-invisibility-is-the/)

[Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/)

> [Do we call the star lost that is hidden / In the great light of morn?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-cary/do-we-call-the-star-lost-that-is-hidden-in-the-great-light-of-morn/)

[Phoebe Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-cary/)

> [what is seen must always be the outcome of much that is unseen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-a-guerber/what-is-seen-must-always-be-the-outcome-of-much-that-is-unseen/)

H. A. Guerber

> [“When had I stopped being a person with Paranoid Schizophrenia, and become a Paranoid Schizophrenic; defined by my illness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-haze/when-had-i-stopped-being-a-person-with-paranoid-schizophrenia-and/)

[Michaela Haze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-haze/)

> [“The theme of invisibility has haunted me for many years, since earliest girlhood. A woman often feels ‘invisible’ in a public sense precisely because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-theme-of-invisibility-has-haunted-me-for-many-years-since/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Through the ear, we shall enter the invisibility of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/through-the-ear-we-shall-enter-the-invisibility-of-things/)

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

> [I am one of the most irresponsible beings that ever lived. Irresponsibility is part of my invisibility; any way you face it, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-ellison/i-am-one-of-the-most-irresponsible-beings-that-ever-lived/)

[Ralph Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-ellison/)

> [A great wind swept over the ghetto, carrying away shame, invisibility and four centuries of humiliation. But when the wind dropped people saw it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/a-great-wind-swept-over-the-ghetto-carrying-away-shame-invisibility/)

[Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/)

> [“I like transparent boxes, so would-be thieves can see what’s inside. Deception by invisibility—the walls are invisible, and that makes the contents inside visible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-like-transparent-boxes-so-would-be-thieves-can-see-what-s-inside/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Strength of 100 men? I'd probably just get mad and hurt somebody and end up in jail. I think invisibility would probably be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly/strength-of-100-men-i-d-probably-just-get-mad-and-hurt-somebody-and/)

[Nelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly/)

[Browse all 142 Invisibility quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisibility/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open his mouth and force out the words. He's spent so much of his life not being seen, not being heard, that he's forgotten how to realize anything he says does hold weight and is important.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kelley York"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes-for-him-to-open-his-mouth/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Invisibility"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes-for-him-to-open-his-mouth/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d34/kelley-york-20004_invisibility_i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes_2409382.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I can physically see the effort it takes for him to open his mouth and force out the words. He's spent so…” — Kelley York",
                "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": "Kelley York",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-york/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I can physically see the effort...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes-for-him-to-open-his-mouth/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-york/i-can-physically-see-the-effort-it-takes-for-him-to-open-his-mouth/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
