--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do others, I wondered, \"see things as I…" description: "\"Do others, I wondered, \"see things as I do? I do not think so, for if they did they would not still be alive.\" And, life-threatening though my vision s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/nancy-mairs-20489_alive_do-others-i-wondered-see-things-as-i-do_615660.png" --- # Do others, I wondered, "see things as I do? I do not think… ![“Do others, I wondered, "see things as I do? I do not think so, for if they did they would not still be alive." And, life-threatening though my vision seemed, I would not repudiate it: "Sometimes I think I shall die from being different even as I cling to the difference fiercely."” quote by Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/nancy-mairs-20489_alive_do-others-i-wondered-see-things-as-i-do_615660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/nancy-mairs-20489_alive_do-others-i-wondered-see-things-as-i-do_615660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/nancy-mairs-20489_alive_do-others-i-wondered-see-things-as-i-do_615660.png) > “Do others, I wondered, "see things as I do? I do not think so, for if they did they would not still be alive." And, life-threatening though my vision seemed, I would not repudiate it: "Sometimes I think I shall die from being different even as I cling to the difference fiercely."” [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) ## 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 doubts others share her perspective, fearing that conformity would be safer than embracing her distinct, possibly painful, identity. **In simple terms:** She worries being different may be fatal, yet clings to it. Key Takeaway Accept and protect your unique self. Themes identity conformity existential fear self‑acceptance Mood reflective somber determined Type personal philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - mental health discussions - support groups - creative writing Key Concepts existentialism psychology autobiography Questions to Reflect On - How does embracing difference affect your wellbeing? - What supports help you stay authentic? A Different Perspective Being different can lead to isolation and misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) [Being different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-different/) [Conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conformity/) [Die Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/die-different-540080/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Non conformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/non-conformity/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Things Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-think-252935/) [Think Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-shall-486995/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Threatening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening/) [Threatening Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threatening-vision-4992130/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Wondered Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wondered-things-2539158/) ## Related quotes > [“When I look at small things, I think I shall go on living: drops of rain, leather gloves shrunk by being wet...When I look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/when-i-look-at-small-things-i-think-i-shall-go-on-living-drops-of/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [FEELINGS are also Living things they also DIE for different reasons .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weny-jane/feelings-are-also-living-things-they-also-die-for-different-reasons/) [Weny Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weny-jane/) > [I wondered what things what things became when you no longer needed them, and I wondered what the future would hold once we'd gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wondered-what-things-what-things-became-when-you-no-longer-needed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All goes onward and outward, nothing collapses, And to die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/all-goes-onward-and-outward-nothing-collapses-and-to-die-is-different/) [walt whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [“To die is different from what anyone supposed, and luckier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/to-die-is-different-from-what-anyone-supposed-and-luckier/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [To die is different from what any one supposed, and luckier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/to-die-is-different-from-what-any-one-supposed-and-luckier/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [We are all born in the same way but we all die in different ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/we-are-all-born-in-the-same-way-but-we-all-die-in-different-ways/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Sometimes I still wondered why things happened the way they did...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/sometimes-i-still-wondered-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“I wondered If things that might seem frightening could lose their hold over you. I wondered If we find the people we need when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/i-wondered-if-things-that-might-seem-frightening-could-lose-their/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [I just wondered how things were put together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/i-just-wondered-how-things-were-put-together/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [“He wondered if such things were born into people. If perhaps we cannot alter who we are - if the place we come from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/he-wondered-if-such-things-were-born-into-people-if-perhaps-we-cannot/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“I wondered what things became when you no longer needed them, and I wondered what the future would hold once we'd gotten past our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-schneider/i-wondered-what-things-became-when-you-no-longer-needed-them-and-i/) [Robyn Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-schneider/) > [“And all goes onward and outward, nothing collapses, / and to die is different from that anyone supposed, and luckier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/and-all-goes-onward-and-outward-nothing-collapses-and-to-die-is/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I traveled and made money and I wouldn't let anybody get between me and my music. If I belong to anything, I belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-jessye/i-traveled-and-made-money-and-i-wouldn-t-let-anybody-get-between-me/) [Eva Jessye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-jessye/) > [“As I think of myself, so I shall be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/as-i-think-of-myself-so-i-shall-be/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) ## More by Nancy Mairs > [Poor and afflicted and oppressed people have faces, and we are required to look squarely into them. We can't love what we won't experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/poor-and-afflicted-and-oppressed-people-have-faces-and-we-are/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [If only we could have them back as babies today, now that we have some idea what to do with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/if-only-we-could-have-them-back-as-babies-today-now-that-we-have-some/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [In a society that prates about, but seldom practices, communication, the craving to be listened to, heard, understood - which originates with the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/in-a-society-that-prates-about-but-seldom-practices-communication-the/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [My writing arises out of erotic impulse toward an other: it is an act of love. And I want terribly to be loved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/my-writing-arises-out-of-erotic-impulse-toward-an-other-it-is-an-act/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [I felt permanently exiled from 'normality.' Whether imposed by self or society, this outsider status - and not the disability itself - constitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/i-felt-permanently-exiled-from-normality-whether-imposed-by-self-or/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [physical disability looms pretty large in one's life. But it doesn't devour one wholly. I'm not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/physical-disability-looms-pretty-large-in-one-s-life-but-it-doesn-t/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, doubtless two of the most exquisitely adolescent of fictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/atlas-shrugged-and-the-fountainhead-doubtless-two-of-the-most/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [That's the trouble with honorable mentions: they let everyone know you applied and didn't win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/that-s-the-trouble-with-honorable-mentions-they-let-everyone-know-you/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [Out of the new arrivals in our lives--the odd word stumbled upon in a difficult text, the handsome black stranger who bursts in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/out-of-the-new-arrivals-in-our-lives-the-odd-word-stumbled-upon-in-a/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [ In the grammar of the phallus -- the I, I, I -- \[woman\] can't utter female experience. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/in-the-grammar-of-the-phallus-the-i-i-i-woman-can-t-utter-female/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [This kind of split makes me crazy, this territorializing of the holy. Here God may dwell. Here God may not dwell. It contradicts everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/this-kind-of-split-makes-me-crazy-this-territorializing-of-the-holy/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [people who seem most hostile to my presence are those most fearful of my fate. And since their fear keeps them emotionally distant from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/people-who-seem-most-hostile-to-my-presence-are-those-most-fearful-of/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time. And if you live long enough,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/the-fact-is-that-ours-is-the-only-minority-you-can-join-involuntarily/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [I will write myself into well-being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/i-will-write-myself-into-well-being/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) > [our lives are stories we tell ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/our-lives-are-stories-we-tell-ourselves/) [Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) [Explore all 30 Nancy Mairs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/) ## More Alive quotes > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [We must master our egoism, and through this mastery, step outside ourselves and educate ourselves in giving. Fasting requires that we rediscover all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/we-must-master-our-egoism-and-through-this-mastery-step-outside/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [I can't say that there are 'things' that make me come alive. There are thoughts that make me come alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/i-can-t-say-that-there-are-things-that-make-me-come-alive-there-are/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-costas/if-jovan-belcher-didn-t-possess-a-gun-he-and-kasandra-perkins-would/) [Bob Costas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-costas/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/the-pain-of-love-is-the-pain-of-being-alive-it-is-a-perpetual-wound/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If Melanchthon were alive today, he might not weep because of controversies that surround the Lord's Supper, but he might well sorrow because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-w-lutzer/if-melanchthon-were-alive-today-he-might-not-weep-because-of/) [Erwin W. Lutzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-w-lutzer/) > [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Browse all 7,282 Alive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do others, I wondered, \"see things as I do? 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