---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was too vast a problem to be just a…"
description: "\"It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png"
---

#  It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing…

![“It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then, and wouldn’t be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore.” quote by S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png)

> “It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then, and wouldn’t be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore.”

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A personal problem feels too large alone; community help and sharing stories can prevent misjudgment and foster understanding.

**In simple terms:** Sharing struggles prevents unfair judgment.

Key Takeaway

Seek support and share your story.

Themes

community judgment empathy

Mood

empathetic hopeful

Type

motivational reflective

When to use this quote

- bullying
- mental health
- peer support
- family dynamics

Key Concepts

social support stigma communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you create safe spaces for sharing?
- What biases affect how we judge others?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone will listen or understand, limiting the impact of sharing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amount](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Help Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-tell-884169/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Judging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judging/) [Late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late/) [Oil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil/) [Oil Wore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oil-wore-5919679/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Personal thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-thing/) [Personal things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-things/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-just-801133/) [Quick to judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quick-to-judge/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Vast Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vast-problem-5919678/)

## Related quotes

> [We hang out, we help one another, we tell one another our worst fears and biggest secrets, and then just like real sisters, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/we-hang-out-we-help-one-another-we-tell-one-another-our-worst-fears/)

[Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/)

> [The way to get people's votes is to say that all their problems are caused by other people, and that you will stop those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-way-to-get-people-s-votes-is-to-say-that-all-their-problems-are/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Brands communicate in two directions: they help us tell other people something about ourselves, but they also help us form ideas about who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/brands-communicate-in-two-directions-they-help-us-tell-other-people/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [When you meet an amazing person, you can't help but tell others about him or her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-williams/when-you-meet-an-amazing-person-you-can-t-help-but-tell-others-about/)

[Craig Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-williams/)

> [I reach out. I ask for help. I tell my story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/i-reach-out-i-ask-for-help-i-tell-my-story/)

[Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/)

> [When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/when-you-want-to-help-people-you-tell-them-the-truth-when-you-want-to/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“I consider telling my brother, asking him for help. But tell him what exactly? I have no black eyes, no bloody noses to report:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-consider-telling-my-brother-asking-him-for-help-but-tell-him-what/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“If you want to talk about it with someone, then I'm happy to listen, or try and help, but you should only tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/if-you-want-to-talk-about-it-with-someone-then-i-m-happy-to-listen-or/)

[Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/)

> [“If the only reason you help is so that you can tell people that you help, I don't need your help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pleasefindthis/if-the-only-reason-you-help-is-so-that-you-can-tell-people-that-you/)

[pleasefindthis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pleasefindthis/)

> [“Stories help shape the way we see ourselves in the world. They help tell us who we can be and what we can achieve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/stories-help-shape-the-way-we-see-ourselves-in-the-world-they-help/)

[Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/)

> [I ask for help. I tell Life what I want, and then I allow it to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/i-ask-for-help-i-tell-life-what-i-want-and-then-i-allow-it-to-happen/)

[Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/)

> [I do feel a responsibility to try and raise awareness and to help tell the stories of those who may not otherwise have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-chan/i-do-feel-a-responsibility-to-try-and-raise-awareness-and-to-help/)

[Gemma Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-chan/)

> [“I have no idea how to help you with all of this. So tell me, okay? Tell me what you need and tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henry/i-have-no-idea-how-to-help-you-with-all-of-this-so-tell-me-okay-tell/)

[Emily Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henry/)

> [Memories are precious ... they help tell us who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/memories-are-precious-they-help-tell-us-who-we-are/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [I will do almost anything for the sake of a joke or for the sake of someone's real belief in something to help tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-blair/i-will-do-almost-anything-for-the-sake-of-a-joke-or-for-the-sake-of-2/)

[Selma Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-blair/)

## More by S. E. Hinton

> [I learned that if you want to get somewhere, you just make up your mind and work like hell til you get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-learned-that-if-you-want-to-get-somewhere-you-just-make-up-your/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Asleep, he looked a lot younger than going-on-seventeen, but I had noticed that Johnny looked younger when he was asleep too, so I figured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/asleep-he-looked-a-lot-younger-than-going-on-seventeen-but-i-had/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Naturally, everything boils down to relationships in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/naturally-everything-boils-down-to-relationships-in-my-books/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Since I am first of all a character writer, that character's emotions are as vivid to me as my own. I always begin with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/since-i-am-first-of-all-a-character-writer-that-character-s-emotions/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Any writer who gives a reader a pleasurable experience is doing every other writer a favor because it will make the reader want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/any-writer-who-gives-a-reader-a-pleasurable-experience-is-doing-every/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I grew up here and my friends are here. There's nothing wrong with here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-grew-up-here-and-my-friends-are-here-there-s-nothing-wrong-with-here/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I find it to be easier to write from a man's point of view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-find-it-to-be-easier-to-write-from-a-man-s-point-of-view/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [Stay gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/stay-gold-ponyboy-stay-gold/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My mother was physically and emotionally abusive. My father was an extremely cold man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-mother-was-physically-and-emotionally-abusive-my-father-was-an/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> ['The Outsiders' cast in particular was a joy to be around - sweet kids, normal goofy teenagers off camera and serious artists on. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/the-outsiders-cast-in-particular-was-a-joy-to-be-around-sweet-kids/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [If people want to find me, they can. They'll see a middle-aged woman wandering around the grocery store, looking to see what to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/if-people-want-to-find-me-they-can-they-ll-see-a-middle-aged-woman/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/when-i-stepped-out-into-the-bright-sunlight-from-the-darkness-of-the/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My goal from being a child was to have a happy home life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-goal-from-being-a-child-was-to-have-a-happy-home-life/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [I never base a character on someone I know. You can get ideas from real life, but every character you write is some aspect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/i-never-base-a-character-on-someone-i-know-you-can-get-ideas-from/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

> [My boyfriend suggested I write two pages a day. He wouldn't take me out if I hadn't done my two pages. That's how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/my-boyfriend-suggested-i-write-two-pages-a-day-he-wouldn-t-take-me/)

[S. E. Hinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

[Explore all 51 S. E. Hinton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/)

## More Amount quotes

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

> [When the amount of change externally exceeds the amount of change internally, the end is in sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/when-the-amount-of-change-externally-exceeds-the-amount-of-change/)

[Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/)

[Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/)

> [It's a challenge to work a character's arc into a format in which you only have a very limited amount of time to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/it-s-a-challenge-to-work-a-character-s-arc-into-a-format-in-which-you/)

[Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/)

> [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/)

[Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/)

> [The amount you give isn't important. What matters is what that amount represents in terms of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/the-amount-you-give-isn-t-important-what-matters-is-what-that-amount/)

[Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/)

> [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/)

[Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/)

> [How could you justify giving Holland twice the amount of money that you gave Belgium? Well, finally, I put it up to them. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-averell-harriman/how-could-you-justify-giving-holland-twice-the-amount-of-money-that/)

[W. Averell Harriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-averell-harriman/)

> [I am not a great believer in dialectical struggle. I am much more of a fusion person. I see it as a dialogue, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/i-am-not-a-great-believer-in-dialectical-struggle-i-am-much-more-of-a/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/)

[Richard Doll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-doll/)

> [Both fact and logic seem to me to support the view that savings invested in privately owned economic tools of production amount to an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-a-harper/both-fact-and-logic-seem-to-me-to-support-the-view-that-savings/)

[F. A. Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-a-harper/)

> [You have a little bit of talent, a certain amount of good fortune and a lot of hard work in pursuit of whatever truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/you-have-a-little-bit-of-talent-a-certain-amount-of-good-fortune-and/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

> [I have a tremendous amount of respect for military families. To have to worry about your loved ones and still try and live a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashanti/i-have-a-tremendous-amount-of-respect-for-military-families-to-have/)

[Ashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashanti/)

> [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/)

[Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/)

[Browse all 4,202 Amount quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amount/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then, and wouldn’t be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "S. E. Hinton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-personal-thing-there-should-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Amount"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-personal-thing-there-should-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce1/s-e-hinton-13299_amount_it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-p_2384823.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them…” — S. E. Hinton",
                "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": "S. E. Hinton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-hinton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "It was too vast a problem...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-personal-thing-there-should-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-hinton/it-was-too-vast-a-problem-to-be-just-a-personal-thing-there-should-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
