--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a struggle every day, to stay…" description: "\"It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become that...eight year old who was bullied and chased home from school. Some days I wake up and it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/laverne-cox-12172_beaten_it-s-a-struggle-every-day-to-stay-presen_919838.jpg" --- # It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become… ![“It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become that...eight year old who was bullied and chased home from school. Some days I wake up and it's like I'm eight years old again. And I'm scared for my life, and I don't know if I'm going to be beaten up that day.” quote by Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/laverne-cox-12172_beaten_it-s-a-struggle-every-day-to-stay-presen_919838.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/laverne-cox-12172_beaten_it-s-a-struggle-every-day-to-stay-presen_919838.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76f/laverne-cox-12172_beaten_it-s-a-struggle-every-day-to-stay-presen_919838.jpg) > “It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become that...eight year old who was bullied and chased home from school. Some days I wake up and it's like I'm eight years old again. And I'm scared for my life, and I don't know if I'm going to be beaten up that day.” [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Daily struggle to remain present while past trauma resurfaces, causing fear and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Staying present is hard when past pain returns. Key Takeaway Practice grounding techniques to stay in the moment. Themes trauma mindfulness survival Mood anxious hopeful Type reflective supportive When to use this quote - therapy sessions - everyday anxiety - trigger management Key Concepts psychology resilience self‑care Questions to Reflect On - How can you safely confront past wounds? - What grounding method works for you? A Different Perspective Past trauma can dominate present awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beaten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/) [Bullied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullied/) [Bullied Chased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullied-chased-1415537/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equal rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal-rights/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Human rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-rights/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Old Bullied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-bullied-1415536/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Scared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared/) [Scared Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scared-life-402460/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Stay Present](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-present/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [When I was 11 years old, I was bullied. It mainly started when I moved to California to pursue my dreams of being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raini-rodriguez/when-i-was-11-years-old-i-was-bullied-it-mainly-started-when-i-moved/) [Raini Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raini-rodriguez/) > [I'm tired of the naked, raped, beaten black woman body. I want to see an image of black femaleness that alters our universe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/i-m-tired-of-the-naked-raped-beaten-black-woman-body-i-want-to-see-an/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [I'm scared. Of what you may ask? I'm scared of life and reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabelle-cary/i-m-scared-of-what-you-may-ask-i-m-scared-of-life-and-reality/) [Isabelle Cary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabelle-cary/) > [You scared the life out of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin/you-scared-the-life-out-of-me/) [Merlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin/) > [I don't think I've ever been as scared in my life as I was to be extraordinarily honest with my kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-jenner/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-been-as-scared-in-my-life-as-i-was-to-be/) [Bruce Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-jenner/) > [“Erik was one of those inadequate people who were so scared by life that they preferred to live under harsh authority, to be told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/erik-was-one-of-those-inadequate-people-who-were-so-scared-by-life/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [Taylor Swift is very strategic with her friends and enemies. And I know lots of secrets. I can't divulge, but I know a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/taylor-swift-is-very-strategic-with-her-friends-and-enemies-and-i/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [In life, there's a lot that I'm afraid of. Death is always scary. My sister passed away. I'm not scared to die, so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/in-life-there-s-a-lot-that-i-m-afraid-of-death-is-always-scary-my/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [We're all scared about something somehow, but life is actually full of risk anyway, if you ain't ready to take it, you ain't ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-andy-bethwel/we-re-all-scared-about-something-somehow-but-life-is-actually-full-of/) [Sir Andy Bethwel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-andy-bethwel/) > [When I was 11 I was scouted by the Thames Valley under-21s. It was really daunting. I was scared for my life when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-guha/when-i-was-11-i-was-scouted-by-the-thames-valley-under-21s-it-was/) [Isa Guha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-guha/) > [That was one thing about my life and everything I've done really, it's like I've been on a diving board scared out of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-stansfield/that-was-one-thing-about-my-life-and-everything-i-ve-done-really-it-s/) [Lisa Stansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-stansfield/) > [“What a monumental waste of time that now seems, to spend so much of life hung-over, sleeping away my weekends and cowering under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stark/what-a-monumental-waste-of-time-that-now-seems-to-spend-so-much-of/) [Jill Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stark/) > [People say, 'Are you afraid? Are you scared for your life?' and I tell them: If I choose today to tone it down, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/people-say-are-you-afraid-are-you-scared-for-your-life-and-i-tell/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [I felt very at home in California, but the place is prone to earthquakes, and the one in 1994 scared the life out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mcvie/i-felt-very-at-home-in-california-but-the-place-is-prone-to/) [Christine McVie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mcvie/) > [Maybe youre just scared, because for once in your life someone actually wants to be with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-youre-just-scared-because-for-once-in-your-life-someone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Laverne Cox > [I think transwomen, and transpeople in general, show everyone that you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-think-transwomen-and-transpeople-in-general-show-everyone-that-you/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [What took time for my mom was getting the pronouns right and calling me by a different name. Laverne was my middle name before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/what-took-time-for-my-mom-was-getting-the-pronouns-right-and-calling/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [So often, trans roles don't even go to trans actors. Most of the fabulous trans roles that have won people Oscars, we didn't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/so-often-trans-roles-don-t-even-go-to-trans-actors-most-of-the/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [I believe that when we love someone, we respect them, and we listen to them; we feel that their voice matters. And- we let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-believe-that-when-we-love-someone-we-respect-them-and-we-listen-to/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [It is revolutionary for any trans person to choose to be seen and visible in a world that tells us we should not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/it-is-revolutionary-for-any-trans-person-to-choose-to-be-seen-and/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [I just have to be myself. I'm not perfect, and I'm going to make mistakes; I might say the wrong thing. I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-just-have-to-be-myself-i-m-not-perfect-and-i-m-going-to-make/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [I'm so grateful that I had the luxury of transitioning in private. Because when you transition in the public eye, the transition becomes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/i-m-so-grateful-that-i-had-the-luxury-of-transitioning-in-private/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [When people have points of reference that are humanizing, that demystifies difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/when-people-have-points-of-reference-that-are-humanizing-that/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [“Everything that you're going through now is for a reason. You just have to survive so that one day you can thrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/everything-that-you-re-going-through-now-is-for-a-reason-you-just/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [Just me existing, as an openly black transgender woman from a working-class background, thriving, is a political act. My brother always reminds me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/just-me-existing-as-an-openly-black-transgender-woman-from-a-working/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [By doing the work to love ourselves more, I believe we will love each other better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/by-doing-the-work-to-love-ourselves-more-i-believe-we-will-love-each/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [“We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/we-are-not-what-other-people-say-we-are-we-are-who-we-know-ourselves/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [Beyoncé means so much to me. Throughout my transition, Beyoncé has been there as a style icon, an example of excellence, of beauty, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/beyonc-means-so-much-to-me-throughout-my-transition-beyonc-has-been/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [The preoccupation with transition and with surgery objectifies trans people, and we don't get to really deal with the real lived experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/the-preoccupation-with-transition-and-with-surgery-objectifies-trans/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) > [Everyone is insecure. I think, really, it comes from, like, a desire to want to be in control of how you're represented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laverne-cox/everyone-is-insecure-i-think-really-it-comes-from-like-a-desire-to/) [Laverne Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) [Explore all 56 Laverne Cox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laverne-cox/) ## More Beaten quotes > [I think children have talent and insight, but it gets beaten out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-dove/i-think-children-have-talent-and-insight-but-it-gets-beaten-out-of/) [Rita Dove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-dove/) > [It's kind of the yin and yang that fascinate me. That for all the evil men do, there are also people who work obnoxiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-gardner/it-s-kind-of-the-yin-and-yang-that-fascinate-me-that-for-all-the-evil/) [Lisa Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-gardner/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [Class clowns are never allowed to date anybody decent, but you don't get beaten up, you're invited to parties, and everybody likes you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/class-clowns-are-never-allowed-to-date-anybody-decent-but-you-don-t/) [Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/) > [I know from my own clinical work that when people are beaten and hurt, they numb out so that they cant feel anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bradshaw/i-know-from-my-own-clinical-work-that-when-people-are-beaten-and-hurt/) [John Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bradshaw/) > [You could be beaten down by anybody and by everybody and it doesn't matter what everybody else thinks it's how you see yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-could-be-beaten-down-by-anybody-and-by-everybody-and-it-doesn-t/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Could beauty be beaten out, O youth the cities have sent to strike at each other's strength, it is you who have kept her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilda-doolittle/could-beauty-be-beaten-out-o-youth-the-cities-have-sent-to-strike-at/) [Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilda-doolittle/) > [The midget, Bush, and that Rumsfeld deserve only to be beaten with shoes by freedom loving people everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/the-midget-bush-and-that-rumsfeld-deserve-only-to-be-beaten-with/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Like with every form of cancer, early detection is what it is all about. I urge everyone to learn the facts about this condition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/like-with-every-form-of-cancer-early-detection-is-what-it-is-all/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [In our culture of constant access and nonstop media, nothing feels more like a curse from God than time in the wilderness. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-martin/in-our-culture-of-constant-access-and-nonstop-media-nothing-feels/) [Jonathan Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-martin/) > [A man who is determined never to move out of the beaten road cannot lose his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/a-man-who-is-determined-never-to-move-out-of-the-beaten-road-cannot/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [I admit that I've been beaten up so many times in films, but we do not fake it - we actually have to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-sik-choi/i-admit-that-i-ve-been-beaten-up-so-many-times-in-films-but-we-do-not/) [Min-sik Choi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-sik-choi/) > [I do not approve of children being beaten. It is always a confession of failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-wentworth/i-do-not-approve-of-children-being-beaten-it-is-always-a-confession/) [Patricia Wentworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-wentworth/) > [If you can feel that staying human is worth while, even when it can't have any practical result whatsoever, you've beaten them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/if-you-can-feel-that-staying-human-is-worth-while-even-when-it-can-t/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) [Browse all 665 Beaten quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beaten/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a struggle every day, to stay present, not to become that...eight year old who was bullied and chased home from school. Some days I wake up and it's like I'm eight years old again. 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