--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I live my life like everyone else…" description: "\"I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. Mine is deafness.\" — Marlee Matlin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53d/marlee-matlin-7644_deafness_i-live-my-life-like-everyone-else-everyo_1446871.jpg" --- # I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own… ![“I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. Mine is deafness.” quote by Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53d/marlee-matlin-7644_deafness_i-live-my-life-like-everyone-else-everyo_1446871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53d/marlee-matlin-7644_deafness_i-live-my-life-like-everyone-else-everyo_1446871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53d/marlee-matlin-7644_deafness_i-live-my-life-like-everyone-else-everyo_1446871.jpg) > “I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. Mine is deafness.” [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. Everyone faces unique challenges; the speaker’s is deafness, highlighting diverse personal obstacles. **In simple terms:** Everyone has personal obstacles; hers is deafness. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect varied struggles. Themes disability empathy resilience Mood empathetic hopeful Type inspirational educational When to use this quote - workplace accommodation - education - public awareness Key Concepts identity social inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support varied challenges? - What strengths arise from overcoming obstacles? A Different Perspective Focusing on differences can create division. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-life/) [Obstacles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obstacles/) ## Related quotes > [My mom was an enthusiastic, positive, glass-is-half-full type of person and that is how I live my life and I owe that to her.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kliff-kingsbury/my-mom-was-an-enthusiastic-positive-glass-is-half-full-type-of-person/) Kliff Kingsbury > [I keep waiting for the roof to cave in. I was raised to follow the Golden Rule, you know, treat people the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-leblanc/i-keep-waiting-for-the-roof-to-cave-in-i-was-raised-to-follow-the/) [Matt LeBlanc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-leblanc/) > [I live on a boat two months out of the year, and if I did not have that then I don't know how I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/i-live-on-a-boat-two-months-out-of-the-year-and-if-i-did-not-have/) [Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/) > [If I can't be daring in my work or the way I live my life, then I don't really see the point of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/if-i-can-t-be-daring-in-my-work-or-the-way-i-live-my-life-then-i-don/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Never doubt, never look back. That's how I live my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marg-helgenberger/never-doubt-never-look-back-that-s-how-i-live-my-life/) [Marg Helgenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marg-helgenberger/) > [I love my kids, I'm a proud father, a happy husband, and all of that. I live my life with my wife as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-federline/i-love-my-kids-i-m-a-proud-father-a-happy-husband-and-all-of-that-i/) [Kevin Federline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-federline/) > [A song marks an occasion in my life and that's how I live my life, by songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/a-song-marks-an-occasion-in-my-life-and-that-s-how-i-live-my-life-by/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [I live my life outside of the glitz and glamour of the red carpet events, and so you'll never see me there. I'm never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-live-my-life-outside-of-the-glitz-and-glamour-of-the-red-carpet/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Patience is important, and also, if you don't want to do it, don't do it. But if you do, do. That's a general rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-demarco/patience-is-important-and-also-if-you-don-t-want-to-do-it-don-t-do-it/) [Mac DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-demarco/) > [Institutionalized, I live my life a product made to crumble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/institutionalized-i-live-my-life-a-product-made-to-crumble/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Ultimately, I am responsible for how I live my life now, and what I make out of it. In fact, I am actually grateful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/ultimately-i-am-responsible-for-how-i-live-my-life-now-and-what-i/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [I don't want to write my life. I live my life. I want to make up a new world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/i-don-t-want-to-write-my-life-i-live-my-life-i-want-to-make-up-a-new/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [To hell with your cancer. I've been living with cancer for the better part of a year. Right from the start, it's a death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-white/to-hell-with-your-cancer-i-ve-been-living-with-cancer-for-the-better/) [Walter White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-white/) > [I live my life, breathless... A life of constant motion and excitement. A life that many will envy and most would avoid!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-burdon/i-live-my-life-breathless-a-life-of-constant-motion-and-excitement-a/) [Eric Burdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-burdon/) > [I sometimes have the sense that I live my life as a writer with my nose pressed against the wide, shiny plate glass window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-clausen/i-sometimes-have-the-sense-that-i-live-my-life-as-a-writer-with-my/) [Jan Clausen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-clausen/) ## 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 Deafness quotes > [“And the blind man said to the deaf man, "Do you see what I hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/and-the-blind-man-said-to-the-deaf-man-do-you-see-what-i-hear/) [Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/) > [But people who think they can project themselves into deafness are mistaken because you can't. And I'm not talking about imagining what a deaf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/but-people-who-think-they-can-project-themselves-into-deafness-are/) [Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/) > [Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/blindness-separates-us-from-things-but-deafness-separates-us-from/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [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/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [Old age doth in sharp pains abound; We are belabored by the gout, Our blindness is a dark profound, Our deafness each one laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-age-doth-in-sharp-pains-abound-we-are-belabored-by-the-gout-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing you say can ensure that the other person will get it, or respond the way you want. You may never exceed his threshold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/nothing-you-say-can-ensure-that-the-other-person-will-get-it-or/) [Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/) > [“Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/or-you-may-be-such-a-thunderingly-exalted-creature-as-to-be/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [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/) > [A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-fundamental-requirement-overriding-any-other-for-this-job-is-an/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [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/) > [The late Président de Montesquieu told me that he knew how to be blind--he had been so for such a long time--but I swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-late-pr-sident-de-montesquieu-told-me-that-he-knew-how-to-be/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Deafness produces bizarre effects, reversing the natural order of things; the interchange of letters is the conversation of the deaf, and the only link…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/deafness-produces-bizarre-effects-reversing-the-natural-order-of/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [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/) > [I think the deafness affects me more than I realise I think it makes me more tired. I loathe parties. I attend, smile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-beacham/i-think-the-deafness-affects-me-more-than-i-realise-i-think-it-makes/) [Stephanie Beacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-beacham/) Browse all 111 Deafness quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I live my life like everyone else; everyone has their own obstacles. 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