--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To here in Siberia, we were brought…" description: "\"“To here in Siberia, we were brought without tickets, stuffed into cattle cars like livestock. We were given water and at two-day intervals, warm food...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/mel-nija-vanaga-56943_quote_to-here-in-siberia-we-were-brought-witho_513108.jpg" --- # To here in Siberia, we were brought without tickets… ![“To here in Siberia, we were brought without tickets, stuffed into cattle cars like livestock. We were given water and at two-day intervals, warm food. We came here in convoys of one hundred cars in each, and the journey lasted three weeks. From the thirty people in my barred car, twelve remained…” quote by Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/mel-nija-vanaga-56943_quote_to-here-in-siberia-we-were-brought-witho_513108.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/mel-nija-vanaga-56943_quote_to-here-in-siberia-we-were-brought-witho_513108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/050/mel-nija-vanaga-56943_quote_to-here-in-siberia-we-were-brought-witho_513108.jpg) > ““To here in Siberia, we were brought without tickets, stuffed into cattle cars like livestock. We were given water and at two-day intervals, warm food. We came here in convoys of one hundred cars in each, and the journey lasted three weeks. From the thirty people in my barred car, twelve remained in cemeteries in Siberia. On my return sixteen years later, I rode as the ghost of a human being, who has waded through the black abyss of suffering, in the hope of a rebirth into a human being. My”” [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enduring extreme suffering can lead to profound transformation and renewed humanity. **In simple terms:** Suffering can birth rebirth. Key Takeaway Find meaning in hardship. Themes suffering transformation humanity rebirth survival Mood somber hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - refugee experiences - trauma recovery - spiritual awakening Key Concepts Existential resilience psychological growth Questions to Reflect On - What does rebirth mean to you? - How can we honor those who endured? A Different Perspective Survivor narratives may oversimplify complex trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cemeteries Siberia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cemeteries-siberia-4344250/) [Journey Lasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey-lasted-4344249/) [Siberia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siberia/) [Siberia Brought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siberia-brought-4344248/) [Siberia Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siberia-return-4344247/) ## Related quotes > [“The train continued on its way to Rīga. I could not peel my eyes from the window. On some hillock, an old friend from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/the-train-continued-on-its-way-to-r-ga-i-could-not-peel-my-eyes-from/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) > [The trees in Siberia are miles apart, that is why the dogs are so fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/the-trees-in-siberia-are-miles-apart-that-is-why-the-dogs-are-so-fast/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [I like snow, but I don't want to live in Siberia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/i-like-snow-but-i-don-t-want-to-live-in-siberia/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [Jail doesn't teach anyone to do good, nor Siberia, but a man-yes! A man can teach another man to do good-believe me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/jail-doesn-t-teach-anyone-to-do-good-nor-siberia-but-a-man-yes-a-man/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [The rain forest has Sting. Now Siberia has Jack Dee. Someone had to draw the short straw. In this case it was the rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dee/the-rain-forest-has-sting-now-siberia-has-jack-dee-someone-had-to/) [Jack Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dee/) > [When we talk about the Far East we usually mean the Far East itself, including Primorye Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Kamchatka, and Chukotka, as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/when-we-talk-about-the-far-east-we-usually-mean-the-far-east-itself/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages, though it is apt to be also the most terrible and inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-ultimately-righteous-of-all-wars-is-a-war-with-savages/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Since the last tour I have done a lot of extensive travel to Iraq, Kuwait, Siberia, South Korea and other places and picked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/since-the-last-tour-i-have-done-a-lot-of-extensive-travel-to-iraq/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“In many of these countries they have no written language, consequently no Bible, and are only led by the most childish customs and traditions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/in-many-of-these-countries-they-have-no-written-language-consequently/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [But love, whether in Multan or on Siberia's icy tundra, whether in the winter or the summer, whether among the rich or the poor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadat-hasan-manto/but-love-whether-in-multan-or-on-siberia-s-icy-tundra-whether-in-the/) [Saadat Hasan Manto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadat-hasan-manto/) > [“Even in former days, Korea was known as the 'hermit kingdom' for its stubborn resistance to outsiders. And if you wanted to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/even-in-former-days-korea-was-known-as-the-hermit-kingdom-for-its/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“They dream of the happiness of stretching out one's legs and of the relief one feels after going to the toilet. In Orotukan the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/they-dream-of-the-happiness-of-stretching-out-one-s-legs-and-of-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [You can hit my father over the head with a chair and he won't wake up, but my mother, all you have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-hit-my-father-over-the-head-with-a-chair-and-he-won-t-wake-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you aren't hot in Hollywood, you feel like you're in Siberia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/if-you-aren-t-hot-in-hollywood-you-feel-like-you-re-in-siberia/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Even in Siberia there is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/even-in-siberia-there-is-happiness/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) ## More by Melānija Vanaga > [“While waiting at the counter, in my mind I went through my relatives here in Rīga, who had not been touched either by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/while-waiting-at-the-counter-in-my-mind-i-went-through-my-relatives/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) > [“Slavery! It sounds archaic and perhaps even silly, and this word, too, people dared pronounce only in their hidden thoughts. “Slavery — it sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/slavery-it-sounds-archaic-and-perhaps-even-silly-and-this-word-too/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) > [“Home at last! After such a long absence. And again, I remembered that I no longer had a home. Now, when it was most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/home-at-last-after-such-a-long-absence-and-again-i-remembered-that-i/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) > [“All at once, I felt the homeland as so very much mine, so close, so warm, so dear. Was it really necessary to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/all-at-once-i-felt-the-homeland-as-so-very-much-mine-so-close-so-warm/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) > [“The train continued on its way to Rīga. I could not peel my eyes from the window. On some hillock, an old friend from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-nija-vanaga/the-train-continued-on-its-way-to-r-ga-i-could-not-peel-my-eyes-from/) [Melānija Vanaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) [Explore all 6 Melānija Vanaga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-nija-vanaga/) ## More Siberia quotes > [Even in Siberia there is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/even-in-siberia-there-is-happiness/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [If you aren't hot in Hollywood, you feel like you're in Siberia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/if-you-aren-t-hot-in-hollywood-you-feel-like-you-re-in-siberia/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [You can hit my father over the head with a chair and he won't wake up, but my mother, all you have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-hit-my-father-over-the-head-with-a-chair-and-he-won-t-wake-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They dream of the happiness of stretching out one's legs and of the relief one feels after going to the toilet. In Orotukan the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/they-dream-of-the-happiness-of-stretching-out-one-s-legs-and-of-the/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [“Even in former days, Korea was known as the 'hermit kingdom' for its stubborn resistance to outsiders. And if you wanted to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/even-in-former-days-korea-was-known-as-the-hermit-kingdom-for-its/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [But love, whether in Multan or on Siberia's icy tundra, whether in the winter or the summer, whether among the rich or the poor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadat-hasan-manto/but-love-whether-in-multan-or-on-siberia-s-icy-tundra-whether-in-the/) [Saadat Hasan Manto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadat-hasan-manto/) > [“In many of these countries they have no written language, consequently no Bible, and are only led by the most childish customs and traditions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/in-many-of-these-countries-they-have-no-written-language-consequently/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [Since the last tour I have done a lot of extensive travel to Iraq, Kuwait, Siberia, South Korea and other places and picked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/since-the-last-tour-i-have-done-a-lot-of-extensive-travel-to-iraq/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [The most ultimately righteous of all wars is a war with savages, though it is apt to be also the most terrible and inhuman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/the-most-ultimately-righteous-of-all-wars-is-a-war-with-savages/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [When we talk about the Far East we usually mean the Far East itself, including Primorye Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Kamchatka, and Chukotka, as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/when-we-talk-about-the-far-east-we-usually-mean-the-far-east-itself/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The rain forest has Sting. Now Siberia has Jack Dee. Someone had to draw the short straw. In this case it was the rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-dee/the-rain-forest-has-sting-now-siberia-has-jack-dee-someone-had-to/) [Jack Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-dee/) > [Jail doesn't teach anyone to do good, nor Siberia, but a man-yes! A man can teach another man to do good-believe me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/jail-doesn-t-teach-anyone-to-do-good-nor-siberia-but-a-man-yes-a-man/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [I like snow, but I don't want to live in Siberia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/i-like-snow-but-i-don-t-want-to-live-in-siberia/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [The trees in Siberia are miles apart, that is why the dogs are so fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/the-trees-in-siberia-are-miles-apart-that-is-why-the-dogs-are-so-fast/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [If bones could freeze, then the brain could also be dulled and the soul could freeze over. And the soul shuddered and froze- perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varlam-shalamov/if-bones-could-freeze-then-the-brain-could-also-be-dulled-and-the/) [Varlam Shalamov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varlam-shalamov/) [Browse all 59 Siberia quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/siberia/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“To here in Siberia, we were brought without tickets, stuffed into cattle cars like livestock. We were given water and at two-day intervals, warm food. We came here in convoys of one hundred cars in each, and the journey lasted three weeks. From the thirty people in my barred car, twelve remained in cemeteries in Siberia. On my return sixteen years later, I rode as the ghost of a human being, who has waded through the black abyss of suffering, in the hope of a rebirth into a human being. 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