--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know what it's like to be growing up…" description: "\"I know what it's like to be growing up, called 'deaf and mute' and 'deaf and dumb.' They're words that are very degrading and demeaning to people who a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/marlee-matlin-7644_almost_i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-growing-up-c_2354554.jpg" --- # I know what it's like to be growing up, called 'deaf and… ![“I know what it's like to be growing up, called 'deaf and mute' and 'deaf and dumb.' They're words that are very degrading and demeaning to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. It's almost... it's almost libelous, if you want to say that.” quote by Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/marlee-matlin-7644_almost_i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-growing-up-c_2354554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/marlee-matlin-7644_almost_i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-growing-up-c_2354554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/077/marlee-matlin-7644_almost_i-know-what-it-s-like-to-be-growing-up-c_2354554.jpg) > “I know what it's like to be growing up, called 'deaf and mute' and 'deaf and dumb.' They're words that are very degrading and demeaning to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. It's almost... it's almost libelous, if you want to say that.” [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Degrading labels harm deaf individuals, reducing dignity and reinforcing stigma. **In simple terms:** Labels like “deaf and mute” are harmful. Key Takeaway Avoid demeaning language; promote respectful terminology. Themes disability rights language stigma identity advocacy Mood empathetic inspirational Type personal advocacy When to use this quote - education - media representation - policy advocacy - personal interactions Key Concepts social inclusion human dignity empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How can media better represent deaf experiences? - What steps foster inclusive language in schools? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated attitudes takes time and effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Almost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) [Called Deaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-deaf-772625/) [Deaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf/) [Deaf and dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf-and-dumb/) [Deaf Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf-dumb-310658/) [Deaf Mute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deaf-mute-1646756/) [Degrading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrading/) [Demeaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demeaning/) [Dumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb/) [Dumb Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dumb-words-3848806/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Mute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mute/) [Mute Deaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mute-deaf-5744329/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Very](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Who](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/who/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Watch me when people say deaf and dumb, or deaf mute, and I give them a look like you might get if you called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/watch-me-when-people-say-deaf-and-dumb-or-deaf-mute-and-i-give-them-a/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [I was deaf and dumb and blind to all but me, myself and I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loretta-young/i-was-deaf-and-dumb-and-blind-to-all-but-me-myself-and-i/) [Loretta Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loretta-young/) > [Love was more than blind. It was deaf and dumb, too. It was catatonic. It was vegetative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/love-was-more-than-blind-it-was-deaf-and-dumb-too-it-was-catatonic-it/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [“You are blind and I am deaf and dumb, so let us touch hands and understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/you-are-blind-and-i-am-deaf-and-dumb-so-let-us-touch-hands-and/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [The loss of my sight was a great fillip. If I could go deaf and dumb I think I might pant on to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/the-loss-of-my-sight-was-a-great-fillip-if-i-could-go-deaf-and-dumb-i/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [A deaf and dumb person who sees two men in conversation - may nevertheless understand from the attitudes and gestures of the speakers, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-deaf-and-dumb-person-who-sees-two-men-in-conversation-may/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“A deaf and dumb in the mist of morons is a renowed talkative among brains.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/a-deaf-and-dumb-in-the-mist-of-morons-is-a-renowed-talkative-among/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Love is not just blind, it's deaf and dumb and probably has an advanced case of Alzheimer's; it's unhinged...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/our-ady-if-alice-bhatti-mohammad-hanfi/love-is-not-just-blind-it-s-deaf-and-dumb-and-probably-has-an/) [Our Ady If Alice Bhatti- Mohammad Hanfi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/our-ady-if-alice-bhatti-mohammad-hanfi/) > [Passion is born deaf and dumb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/passion-is-born-deaf-and-dumb/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [There is so much that is deaf and dumb in man, and so much that is paralyzed, so much that is shrunken, that nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-is-so-much-that-is-deaf-and-dumb-in-man-and-so-much-that-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Situations changes sumday m damn sure abt dat at dat I will show who am i? till dat m deaf and dumb j.nahid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latest/situations-changes-sumday-m-damn-sure-abt-dat-at-dat-i-will-show-who/) [Latest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latest/) > [Situation changes sum day m damn sure abt dat at dat tym I will show who am i? till I ll b deaf and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latest/situation-changes-sum-day-m-damn-sure-abt-dat-at-dat-tym-i-will-show/) [Latest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/latest/) > [I can preach until your deaf and dumb, I'm in that soul saving army beating on that big bass drum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/i-can-preach-until-your-deaf-and-dumb-i-m-in-that-soul-saving-army/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [I use the grotesque the way I do because people are deaf and dumb and need help to see and hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-use-the-grotesque-the-way-i-do-because-people-are-deaf-and-dumb-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I was the ref. I was the ref they didn’t know about. Deaf and dumb. Invisible as a wall. I wanted no one to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/i-was-the-ref-i-was-the-ref-they-didn-t-know-about-deaf-and-dumb/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) ## More by Marlee Matlin > [Looking back now, thinking about that moment in the lights, with my heart pounding, Oscar in my hand, all I can say is I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/looking-back-now-thinking-about-that-moment-in-the-lights-with-my/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [I'm tired of seeing listings of programs I want to watch that aren't closed captioned. And I'm tired of looking for the symbol on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-m-tired-of-seeing-listings-of-programs-i-want-to-watch-that-aren-t/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [We had a dog, Apples. He was 13 years old, toothless, blind and had the worst breath this side of Jabba the Hut. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/we-had-a-dog-apples-he-was-13-years-old-toothless-blind-and-had-the/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [What the Bleep Do We Know was not written with a deaf person in mind, but when they met me, it clicked with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/what-the-bleep-do-we-know-was-not-written-with-a-deaf-person-in-mind/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [I like to say that the greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind. I hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-like-to-say-that-the-greatest-handicap-of-deafness-does-not-lie-in/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [There are so many people, deaf or otherwise abled, who are so talented but overlooked or not given a chance to even get their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/there-are-so-many-people-deaf-or-otherwise-abled-who-are-so-talented/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [When I was 13, I told Henry Winkler I wanted to act. He said, Do it and don't let anyone stand in your way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/when-i-was-13-i-told-henry-winkler-i-wanted-to-act-he-said-do-it-and/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [There are many deaf people who couldn't imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn't speak their language. For me, I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/there-are-many-deaf-people-who-couldn-t-imagine-living-in-a-marriage/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [Watch me when people say deaf and dumb, or deaf mute, and I give them a look like you might get if you called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/watch-me-when-people-say-deaf-and-dumb-or-deaf-mute-and-i-give-them-a/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [YouTube is akin to having my own network.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/youtube-is-akin-to-having-my-own-network/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-hope-i-inspire-people-who-hear-hearing-people-have-the-ability-to/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [I learned to speak first, and then to sign. I have never really known what it was like to hear, so I cant compare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-learned-to-speak-first-and-then-to-sign-i-have-never-really-known/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [It was ability that mattered, not disability, which is a word I'm not crazy about using.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/it-was-ability-that-mattered-not-disability-which-is-a-word-i-m-not/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [“Social justice is for everyone, including people with disabilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/social-justice-is-for-everyone-including-people-with-disabilities/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) > [The only thing I can't do is hear. I can drive, I have a life with four kids, I work on TV, I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/the-only-thing-i-can-t-do-is-hear-i-can-drive-i-have-a-life-with-four/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) [Explore all 89 Marlee Matlin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) ## More Almost quotes > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. 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And he's such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/pete-seeger-is-a-modest-unassuming-cheerful-and-kind-natured-man-he-s/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Almost immediately, I remember right when Tikrit even fell, a few days after Baghdad fell, there was talks of insurgency, there was talks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farnaz-fassihi/almost-immediately-i-remember-right-when-tikrit-even-fell-a-few-days/) [Farnaz Fassihi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farnaz-fassihi/) > [While it is often true that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, it seems like Yahoo's almost obsessive focus on Google is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-swisher/while-it-is-often-true-that-the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend-it/) [Kara Swisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-swisher/) > [I'd had episodes before, but I swept them under the carpet. This time, I couldn't do that because everyone knew. 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I was frightened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-brennan/i-was-hit-by-a-car-i-almost-died-my-show-was-taken-away-from-me-i-was/) [Eileen Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-brennan/) > [With \*NSYNC, we shopped our deal for a year in America, sang a capella in everybody's office, then moved to Germany for almost two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jc-chasez/with-nsync-we-shopped-our-deal-for-a-year-in-america-sang-a-capella/) [JC Chasez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jc-chasez/) [Browse all 1,672 Almost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/almost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know what it's like to be growing up, called 'deaf and mute' and 'deaf and dumb.' They're words that are very degrading and demeaning to people who are deaf and hard of hearing. 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