---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most people don't like to talk about…"
description: "\"Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.\" — Sarah Vowell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png"
---

#  Most people don't like to talk about violent historical…

![“Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.” quote by Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png)

> “Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.”

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

## About This Quote

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

Society avoids discussing violent deaths, reflecting discomfort with harsh history.

**In simple terms:** People shy away from talking about violent pasts.

Key Takeaway

Encourage open dialogue about difficult history.

Themes

history violence taboo memory conversation

Mood

somber curious

Type

historical reflective

When to use this quote

- classroom
- media
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

collective trauma censorship education

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we avoid these topics?
- How can we discuss them responsibly?

A Different Perspective

Silence can perpetuate ignorance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Historical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violent/)

## Related quotes

> [I didn't get into comedy to talk about violent death all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-didn-t-get-into-comedy-to-talk-about-violent-death-all-the-time/)

[Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/)

> [While we may not consider the way we talk to be 'violent,' our words often lead to hurt and pain, whether for others or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/while-we-may-not-consider-the-way-we-talk-to-be-violent-our-words/)

[Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/)

> [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [I was raised in Washington, DC, very violent place. I grew up with violence. My introduction to music was violent. The years I've spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-was-raised-in-washington-dc-very-violent-place-i-grew-up-with/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [I'm not any more sexist, racist or violent than the world around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bushwick-bill/i-m-not-any-more-sexist-racist-or-violent-than-the-world-around-me/)

[Bushwick Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bushwick-bill/)

> [A man has only a limited number of ways in which he can express strong emotions or violent passions. He uses the same gestures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tadeusz-borowski/a-man-has-only-a-limited-number-of-ways-in-which-he-can-express/)

[Tadeusz Borowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tadeusz-borowski/)

> [After I did 'Brooklyn,' I did about five or six violent films in one way or another, and not always with me being the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-cohen/after-i-did-brooklyn-i-did-about-five-or-six-violent-films-in-one-way/)

[Emory Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-cohen/)

> [It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/it-was-a-very-intense-and-stressful-situation-there-was-playing-in/)

[Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/)

> [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/)

[Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/)

> [I somewhere along the way became fascinated with exploring characters who are willing to put themselves into violent situations, whether it's football, hockey, boxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-somewhere-along-the-way-became-fascinated-with-exploring-characters/)

[Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

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

> [The hatred of those who are near to us is the most violent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publius-cornelius-tacitus/the-hatred-of-those-who-are-near-to-us-is-the-most-violent/)

[Publius Cornelius Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publius-cornelius-tacitus/)

> [It’s a shameful moment for U.S. media when it insists on being subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/it-s-a-shameful-moment-for-u-s-media-when-it-insists-on-being/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/)

[Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/)

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

## More by Sarah Vowell

> [“She is either male property (Mrs.), wannabe male property (Miss), or man-hating harpy (Ms.).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/she-is-either-male-property-mrs-wannabe-male-property-miss-or-man/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“We were breathing sooty air. The soot was composed of incinerated glass and steel but also, we knew, incinerated human flesh. When the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/we-were-breathing-sooty-air-the-soot-was-composed-of-incinerated/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [I was a big Nancy Drew reader. Nancy figures it out. Case closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-was-a-big-nancy-drew-reader-nancy-figures-it-out-case-closed/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“After Hymns and tears, they boarded the brig Thaddeus, a vessel so crappy, it made the Mayflower look like the QE2.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/after-hymns-and-tears-they-boarded-the-brig-thaddeus-a-vessel-so/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“The last line of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is addressed to the American people and their congressmen. "As they deal with me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-last-line-of-hawaii-s-story-by-hawaii-s-queen-is-addressed-to-the/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“In the gravedigger scene in act V, Hamlet looks upon an anonymous skull and jokes that even Alexander the Great decomposed into dust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/in-the-gravedigger-scene-in-act-v-hamlet-looks-upon-an-anonymous/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“Another reason I’m intrigued with the hanged of Salem, especially the women, is that a number of them aroused suspicion in the first place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/another-reason-i-m-intrigued-with-the-hanged-of-salem-especially-the/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [Listening to the radio every day for an entire year was a prison sentence. It was the most depressing, annoying, debilitating project I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/listening-to-the-radio-every-day-for-an-entire-year-was-a-prison/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [That's what I like to call him, "the current president." I find it difficult to say or type his name, George W. Bush. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/that-s-what-i-like-to-call-him-the-current-president-i-find-it/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“The historical periods I like to learn about aren’t so much costume dramas as slasher flicks. The French Revolution is a favorite because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-historical-periods-i-like-to-learn-about-aren-t-so-much-costume/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [While I gave up God a long time ago, I never shook the habit of wanting to believe in something. So I replaced my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/while-i-gave-up-god-a-long-time-ago-i-never-shook-the-habit-of/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [There are two kinds of people in the world: the kind who alphabetize their record collections, and the kind who don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-the-kind-who-alphabetize/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [What are you hiding? No one ever asks that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/what-are-you-hiding-no-one-ever-asks-that/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“I don't have a driver's license (phobia).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-don-t-have-a-driver-s-license-phobia/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [“So I say to you read! Read! Something will stick in the mind, be diligent and good will come of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/so-i-say-to-you-read-read-something-will-stick-in-the-mind-be/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

[Explore all 190 Sarah Vowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

## More Historical quotes

> [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/)

[Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/)

> [My first three manuscripts were epic fantasy - like high fantasy - and then the fourth one was a historical fantasy about Mozart as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/my-first-three-manuscripts-were-epic-fantasy-like-high-fantasy-and/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

> [Only two to three per cent of an audience is interested in words and pays attention to lyrics; most of the rest of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-stewart/only-two-to-three-per-cent-of-an-audience-is-interested-in-words-and/)

[Al Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-stewart/)

> [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [“Charlotte Richmond says of herself: “I have few ladylike accomplishments. I cannot sing, I cannot draw, I cannot play the pianoforte or the harp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-slade/charlotte-richmond-says-of-herself-i-have-few-ladylike/)

Nicola Slade

> [“While taste conveys the complexity of life, a good chef should keep in mind that food can have a meaning that is often not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-m-kelby/while-taste-conveys-the-complexity-of-life-a-good-chef-should-keep-in/)

[N.M. Kelby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-m-kelby/)

> [“Whatever befalls us, we will endure it together. I clutch my longbow and dagger close to my side. My last thoughts linger on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-noce/whatever-befalls-us-we-will-endure-it-together-i-clutch-my-longbow/)

[Mark Noce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-noce/)

> [It takes all sorts to make a world - saints as well as soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-anderson/it-takes-all-sorts-to-make-a-world-saints-as-well-as-soldiers/)

[Anthony Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-anderson/)

> [The more subsidized it is, the less free it is. What is known as 'free education' is the least free of all, for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-chodorov/the-more-subsidized-it-is-the-less-free-it-is-what-is-known-as-free/)

[Frank Chodorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-chodorov/)

> [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [I sometimes wish taste wasn't ever an issue, and the sounds of instruments or synths could be judged solely on their colour and timbre.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-greenwood/i-sometimes-wish-taste-wasn-t-ever-an-issue-and-the-sounds-of/)

[Jonny Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-greenwood/)

> [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [There are historical analogs, which are not exact, of course, but are close enough to be worrisome. This is a whiff of early Nazi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/there-are-historical-analogs-which-are-not-exact-of-course-but-are/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/)

[Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/)

> [“The marine underworld stretched below the ship and embodied many secrets. The disappearance of Olga had become one of the mysteries that would remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-apan/the-marine-underworld-stretched-below-the-ship-and-embodied-many/)

Tiffany Apan

[Browse all 2,476 Historical quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/historical/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Vowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Historical"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/sarah-vowell-2016_historical_most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-vio_141644.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most people don't like to talk about violent historical death.” — Sarah Vowell",
                "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": "Sarah Vowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most people don't like to talk...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/most-people-don-t-like-to-talk-about-violent-historical-death/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
