--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had - there were three strokes, and I…" description: "\"I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by the wayside for a number of years.\" — Ntoz..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/ntozake-shange-11891_ability_i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-los_455308.png" --- # I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to… ![“I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by the wayside for a number of years.” quote by Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/ntozake-shange-11891_ability_i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-los_455308.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/ntozake-shange-11891_ability_i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-los_455308.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0bc/ntozake-shange-11891_ability_i-had-there-were-three-strokes-and-i-los_455308.png) > “I had - there were three strokes, and I lost my ability to read and write and speak, and it really put me by the wayside for a number of years.” [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A stroke robbed the speaker of language abilities, forcing a prolonged period of marginalization and dependence. **In simple terms:** Loss of speech and writing isolates a person for years. Key Takeaway Advocate for accessibility and support for those with communication impairments. Themes disability language loss resilience health challenges Mood empathetic inspirational Type social personal When to use this quote - healthcare - education - advocacy - rehabilitation Key Concepts stroke recovery communication barriers social inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can society better support individuals with communication loss? - What personal strategies aid in regaining agency? A Different Perspective Recovery can be uneven and socially isolating. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Read And Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-and-write/) ## Related quotes > [“If you love someone, if someone loved you, if they taught you to write and made it so you could speak, how can you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie-crossed/if-you-love-someone-if-someone-loved-you-if-they-taught-you-to-write/) Ally Condie, Crossed > [I cannot get him to write or speak in real, solid earnest. I don't much mind it now, but if it be always so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-cannot-get-him-to-write-or-speak-in-real-solid-earnest-i-don-t-much/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [I'm an entertainer, period. 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And I'm seriously doubting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-medlock/i-m-a-writer-to-the-bone-i-love-this-language-you-and-i-read-write/) [Ann Medlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-medlock/) > [“If I went back to college again, I'd concentrate on two areas learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-r-ford/if-i-went-back-to-college-again-i-d-concentrate-on-two-areas-learning/) [Gerald R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-r-ford/) > [To write well and speak well is mere vanity if one does not live well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-of-sweden/to-write-well-and-speak-well-is-mere-vanity-if-one-does-not-live-well/) [Bridget of Sweden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-of-sweden/) ## More by Ntozake Shange > [My characters don't talk necessarily in a normal American way of talking. They talk a little different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-characters-don-t-talk-necessarily-in-a-normal-american-way-of/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [It still amazes and fascinates me that women of color have kept my work alive for these many generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/it-still-amazes-and-fascinates-me-that-women-of-color-have-kept-my/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [I write for young girls of color, for girls who don't even exist yet, so that there is something there for them when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/i-write-for-young-girls-of-color-for-girls-who-don-t-even-exist-yet/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [My family moved around a lot, so I don't have any friends that I had all my life, but I did have annual trips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ntozake-shange/my-family-moved-around-a-lot-so-i-don-t-have-any-friends-that-i-had/) [Ntozake Shange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ntozake-shange/) > [Creation is everything you do. 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