--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading about people who were so truly…" description: "\"Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, and, especially, Kashmiri women whose husb..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg" --- # Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and… ![“Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, and, especially, Kashmiri women whose husbands or sons were imprisoned by the army with no hope of release - made me think about how I would feel if someone took my brothers from me.” quote by Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg) > “Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, and, especially, Kashmiri women whose husbands or sons were imprisoned by the army with no hope of release - made me think about how I would feel if someone took my brothers from me.” [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing extreme oppression makes one imagine personal loss, highlighting empathy for those suffering. **In simple terms:** Empathy arises from imagining personal loss. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy for the oppressed. Themes empathy injustice human rights Mood sorrowful reflective Type ethical humanitarian When to use this quote - humanitarian aid - policy advocacy - community support Key Concepts powerlessness conflict gender oppression Questions to Reflect On - How can empathy be turned into concrete help? - What barriers prevent us from acting? A Different Perspective Empathy alone may not translate into effective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Army](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Immigration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immigration/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Powerless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerless/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up feeling voiceless and powerless as a kid. I turned to books - fantasy books in particular - to give me comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-grew-up-feeling-voiceless-and-powerless-as-a-kid-i-turned-to-books/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“This is it,” he said with a sigh. “What?” “The moment. When I watch you sleeping…that peace on your face? This is it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/this-is-it-he-said-with-a-sigh-what-the-moment-when-i-watch-you/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [I'd go at anyone. I took all of my brothers' bull. It made me who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-gronkowski/i-d-go-at-anyone-i-took-all-of-my-brothers-bull-it-made-me-who-i-am/) [Rob Gronkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-gronkowski/) > [I acquired more wealth, power, and prestige than most. But you can acquire all you want and still feel empty. It took a deadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-atwater/i-acquired-more-wealth-power-and-prestige-than-most-but-you-can-2/) [Lee Atwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-atwater/) > [I took my brothers coat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-my-brothers-coat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Are we like late Rome, infatuated with past glories, ruled by a complacent, greedy elite, and hopelessly powerless to respond to changing conditions?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/are-we-like-late-rome-infatuated-with-past-glories-ruled-by-a/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [The most important part of our lives-our sensations, emotions, desires, and aspirations-takes place in a universe of illusions which science can attenuate or destroy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/the-most-important-part-of-our-lives-our-sensations-emotions-desires/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [My dad taught me swears when I was a toddler, and I saw, at a really early age, that if I shocked people, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/my-dad-taught-me-swears-when-i-was-a-toddler-and-i-saw-at-a-really/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [I have a recurring daymare that when the Glorious People's SWAT Teams smash their way in, most of us - by which I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-have-a-recurring-daymare-that-when-the-glorious-people-s-swat-teams/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Our legal system, including the police, is anti-Dalit and anti-poor. The death penalty laws' wrathful majesty, in blood-shot equality, deals the fatal blow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-r-krishna-iyer/our-legal-system-including-the-police-is-anti-dalit-and-anti-poor-the/) V. R. Krishna Iyer > [“For by this very fact, individuals confirm the system, fulfill the system, make the system, are the system.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/for-by-this-very-fact-individuals-confirm-the-system-fulfill-the/) [Václav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [There remains an experience of incomparable value . . . to see the great events of world history from below; from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-remains-an-experience-of-incomparable-value-to-see-the-great/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Why was is that the Light acted through lies, and the Darkness acted though the truth? Why was is that our truth proved powerless,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-lukyanenko/why-was-is-that-the-light-acted-through-lies-and-the-darkness-acted/) [Sergei Lukyanenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-lukyanenko/) > [I suspect most politicians feel overwhelmed because people's lives are a real struggle, full of unhappiness, and you would probably feel powerless to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/i-suspect-most-politicians-feel-overwhelmed-because-people-s-lives/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [fear has always been a diminisher of life. Whether bred in the bogs of superstition or clothed in the brocades of dogma and ritual,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/fear-has-always-been-a-diminisher-of-life-whether-bred-in-the-bogs-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) ## More by Sabaa Tahir > [Ani DiFranco - I love her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/ani-difranco-i-love-her/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“I never feared the night, not even as a child, but Blackcliff’s night is different, heavy with a silence that makes you look over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-never-feared-the-night-not-even-as-a-child-but-blackcliff-s-night/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“In the end, I don't answer her question. She doesn't answer mine. Instead, we sit without words, watching the city, the river, the desert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/in-the-end-i-don-t-answer-her-question-she-doesn-t-answer-mine/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“There are two kinds of guilt: the kind that drowns you until you’re useless, and the kind that fires your soul to purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/there-are-two-kinds-of-guilt-the-kind-that-drowns-you-until-you-re/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“an ember in the ashes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/an-ember-in-the-ashes/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [When I asked myself what I'd want to see in a comic about a Pakistani superhero, the first word that came to mind was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/when-i-asked-myself-what-i-d-want-to-see-in-a-comic-about-a-pakistani/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“The body does not lie, even if the mind does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/the-body-does-not-lie-even-if-the-mind-does/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [If I'm really excited about a scene, I used to wait to write it, and now I'll just write it. When you do that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/if-i-m-really-excited-about-a-scene-i-used-to-wait-to-write-it-and/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“Your emotions make you human, Elias said to me weeks ago in the Serran Range. Even the unpleasant ones have a purpose. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/your-emotions-make-you-human-elias-said-to-me-weeks-ago-in-the-serran/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [You walk into BookCon, and everybody is so excited... it's just paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/you-walk-into-bookcon-and-everybody-is-so-excited-it-s-just-paradise/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I actually like love triangles in books. That's one of the main reasons why I wrote one. I really love love triangles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-actually-like-love-triangles-in-books-that-s-one-of-the-main/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [The 'Harry Potter' books had a huge impact on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/the-harry-potter-books-had-a-huge-impact-on-me/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I felt like an outcast and turned to books, fantasy in particular, to find a place for myself. Reading took me away from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/i-felt-like-an-outcast-and-turned-to-books-fantasy-in-particular-to/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [At age 10, or even 15, it would have meant the world to me to see a Pakistani girl portrayed positively, let alone as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/at-age-10-or-even-15-it-would-have-meant-the-world-to-me-to-see-a/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [“Don’t lock yourself away from those who care about you because you think you’ll hurt them or—or they’ll hurt you. What point is there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/don-t-lock-yourself-away-from-those-who-care-about-you-because-you/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) [Explore all 83 Sabaa Tahir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) ## More Army quotes > [There are no more worlds to conquer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/there-are-no-more-worlds-to-conquer/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [I just read an article about how young American males feel uncomfortable appearing naked in front of each other in locker rooms. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/i-just-read-an-article-about-how-young-american-males-feel/) [James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [“The most important lesson that came out of Vietnam for me was that Marines take care of Marines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/the-most-important-lesson-that-came-out-of-vietnam-for-me-was-that/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I have real strong feelings about our troops and support them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-fichtner/i-have-real-strong-feelings-about-our-troops-and-support-them/) [William Fichtner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-fichtner/) > [Personally, I don't really have a set style or look. It's pretty much what I feel like wearing that day, from a floral-print dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shay-mitchell/personally-i-don-t-really-have-a-set-style-or-look-it-s-pretty-much/) [Shay Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shay-mitchell/) > [Growing up with a parent in the army, I saw firsthand the challenges our service members face when transitioning to new jobs after time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharice-davids/growing-up-with-a-parent-in-the-army-i-saw-firsthand-the-challenges/) [Sharice Davids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharice-davids/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Thanks to all members of the military around the world for giving me the ultimate motivation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalya-neidhart/thanks-to-all-members-of-the-military-around-the-world-for-giving-me/) [Natalya Neidhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalya-neidhart/) [Browse all 3,919 Army quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/army/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees, and, especially, Kashmiri women whose husbands or sons were imprisoned by the army with no hope of release - made me think about how I would feel if someone took my brothers from me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sabaa Tahir" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-voiceless-and-powerless/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Army" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-voiceless-and-powerless/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e30/sabaa-tahir-8196_army_reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-v_329340.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reading about people who were so truly voiceless and powerless - Liberian child soldiers, Sudanese refugees…” — Sabaa Tahir", "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": "Sabaa Tahir", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reading about people who were so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-voiceless-and-powerless/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/reading-about-people-who-were-so-truly-voiceless-and-powerless/#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 } } ] } ```