--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm grateful that, after an early life of…" description: "\"I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced, sometimes violently, I grew up to have a voice, circumstances that will always bind me to the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg" --- # I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced… ![“I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced, sometimes violently, I grew up to have a voice, circumstances that will always bind me to the rights of the voiceless.” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg) > “I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced, sometimes violently, I grew up to have a voice, circumstances that will always bind me to the rights of the voiceless.” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Having a voice after being silenced creates a responsibility to advocate for those without one. **In simple terms:** A voice earned through hardship compels advocacy. Key Takeaway Use your voice to support the voiceless. Themes advocacy justice empowerment silence Mood passionate determined Type inspirational activist When to use this quote - public speaking - community organizing - writing - ment groups Key Concepts social responsibility activism empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain your advocacy? - What steps can you take to amplify others' voices? A Different Perspective Advocacy can be draining without self-care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Early life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early-life/) [Grateful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grateful/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“A life of feminine submission, of 'contemplative purity,' is a life of silence, a life that has no pen and no story, while a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-m-gilbert-susan-gubar/a-life-of-feminine-submission-of-contemplative-purity-is-a-life-of/) Sandra M. Gilbert Susan Gubar > [“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless,’” Arundhati Roy has said. “There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-fuller/there-s-really-no-such-thing-as-the-voiceless-arundhati-roy-has-said/) [Alexandra Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-fuller/) > [There's really no such thing as the 'voiceless'. There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/there-s-really-no-such-thing-as-the-voiceless-there-are-only-the/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Silence is what allows people to suffer without recourse, what allows hypocrisies and lies to grow and flourish, crimes to go unpunished. If our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/silence-is-what-allows-people-to-suffer-without-recourse-what-allows/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [I don't think of myself as particularly earnest. I have long bouts of cynicism and skepticism. So much of my early life was full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-particularly-earnest-i-have-long-bouts-of/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [The older you get the more new memories get wiped out, and you end up remembering more about your early life than what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-loach/the-older-you-get-the-more-new-memories-get-wiped-out-and-you-end-up/) [Ken Loach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-loach/) > [I regard the effort to introduce women into colleges for young men as very undesirable, and for many reasons. That the two sexes should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-beecher/i-regard-the-effort-to-introduce-women-into-colleges-for-young-men-as/) [Catharine Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-beecher/) > [I think if Keith Moon was here today and you asked him to recall most of his early life or most of his life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-think-if-keith-moon-was-here-today-and-you-asked-him-to-recall-most/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [When I had a baby, I didn't leave the second floor for six months. I nursed my babies. I was a full-time homemaker. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-schlafly/when-i-had-a-baby-i-didn-t-leave-the-second-floor-for-six-months-i/) [Phyllis Schlafly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-schlafly/) > [I've lived in so many different countries over the years. I spent most of my early life in the UK, five years in Germany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/i-ve-lived-in-so-many-different-countries-over-the-years-i-spent-most/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [... goodness is of a modest nature, easily discouraged, and when much elbowed in early life by unabashed vices, is apt to retire into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/goodness-is-of-a-modest-nature-easily-discouraged-and-when-much/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [My early life was a bit of a mess but it was no one's fault. It was just how it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-warner/my-early-life-was-a-bit-of-a-mess-but-it-was-no-one-s-fault-it-was/) [David Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-warner/) > [“I had a sort of faith during my early life. But devils also have a sort of faith. Still, neither they nor I received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/i-had-a-sort-of-faith-during-my-early-life-but-devils-also-have-a/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [I formed, in early life, two purposes to which I have inflexibly adhered, under some very strong pressure from warm personal friends. They were,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/i-formed-in-early-life-two-purposes-to-which-i-have-inflexibly/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) > [In my early life, I was a professional folk singer. I used to sing on the national television and radio in Canada. Nobody knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-gordon/in-my-early-life-i-was-a-professional-folk-singer-i-used-to-sing-on/) [Mary Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-gordon/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“To love someone is to put yourself in their place, we say, which is to put ourself in their story, or figure out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/to-love-someone-is-to-put-yourself-in-their-place-we-say-which-is-to/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Whose maps are we trying to read? And what are we trying to draw? It's so common to live in a place without truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/whose-maps-are-we-trying-to-read-and-what-are-we-trying-to-draw-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I was being cured of soldiering on endlessly: my job was now to be still, which had become almost easy at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-was-being-cured-of-soldiering-on-endlessly-my-job-was-now-to-be/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [In the aftermath of 9/11, people had not a good time, but a deep, profound, rousing time, woke up from their ennui and isolation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-the-aftermath-of-9-11-people-had-not-a-good-time-but-a-deep/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“I wonder now about Demeter and Persephone. Maybe Persephone was glad to run off with the king of death to his underground realm, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-wonder-now-about-demeter-and-persephone-maybe-persephone-was-glad/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [ \[In mountaineering, if\] we look for private experience rather than public history, even getting to the top becomes an optional narrative rather than the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/in-mountaineering-if-we-look-for-private-experience-rather-than/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [For me, being in a car or on an airplane is like being in limbo. It's this dead zone between two places. But to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-being-in-a-car-or-on-an-airplane-is-like-being-in-limbo-it-s/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“How do you calculate upon the unforeseen? It seems to be an art of recognizing the role of the unforeseen, of keeping your balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/how-do-you-calculate-upon-the-unforeseen-it-seems-to-be-an-art-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Walking shares with making and working that crucial element of engagement of the body and the mind with the world, of knowing the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/walking-shares-with-making-and-working-that-crucial-element-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Marriage equality is a threat: to inequality. It’s a boon to everyone who values and benefits from equality. It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Circumstances quotes > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [Although under particular circumstances, the violence method - any method - can be justified, nevertheless once you commit violence, then counterviolence will be returned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/although-under-particular-circumstances-the-violence-method-any/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [The fortunate circumstances of our lives are generally found, at last, to be of our own producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-fortunate-circumstances-of-our-lives-are-generally-found-at-last/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. She and her colleagues take care of children left behind by circumstances beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/my-sister-in-law-works-for-a-group-that-supports-orphanages-in-cairo/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [It's impossible to know who Donald might have been under different circumstances and with different parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-l-trump/it-s-impossible-to-know-who-donald-might-have-been-under-different/) [Mary L. Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-l-trump/) > [When we watch a play under the standard circumstances, we've lost volition and time is passing. A still play feels like an existential threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-greenberg/when-we-watch-a-play-under-the-standard-circumstances-we-ve-lost/) [Richard Greenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-greenberg/) > [Being positive helps you to keep away negative thoughts. And helps you to stand in adverse circumstances with the hope that in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/being-positive-helps-you-to-keep-away-negative-thoughts-and-helps-you/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [It seemed to me that the human beings I met reacted pretty much the same to the same stimuli. Different idioms,yes. Circumstances and conditions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/it-seemed-to-me-that-the-human-beings-i-met-reacted-pretty-much-the/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [I don't think you would have missed that putt, but in these circumstances, I would never give you the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-don-t-think-you-would-have-missed-that-putt-but-in-these/) [Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/) > [I used to think I could shape the circumstances around me, but now I know Jesus uses circumstances to shape me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-used-to-think-i-could-shape-the-circumstances-around-me-but-now-i/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. You either suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-complaining-about-your-circumstances-get-busy-creating-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 4,560 Circumstances quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced, sometimes violently, I grew up to have a voice, circumstances that will always bind me to the rights of the voiceless.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Solnit" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of-being-silenced-sometimes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Circumstances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of-being-silenced-sometimes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3f/rebecca-solnit-569_circumstances_i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of_925570.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm grateful that, after an early life of being silenced, sometimes violently, I grew up to have a voice…” — Rebecca Solnit", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca Solnit", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm grateful that, after an early...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of-being-silenced-sometimes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/i-m-grateful-that-after-an-early-life-of-being-silenced-sometimes/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```