--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The process of getting conscious, for me…" description: "\"The process of getting conscious, for me, was a very, very uncomfortable, disturbing, and sometimes physically painful process. And so that's the stand..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/ta-nehisi-coates-733_process_the-process-of-getting-conscious-for-me_286906.jpg" --- # The process of getting conscious, for me, was a very, very… ![“The process of getting conscious, for me, was a very, very uncomfortable, disturbing, and sometimes physically painful process. And so that's the standard to which I write, because it was what I've experienced over my time.” quote by Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/ta-nehisi-coates-733_process_the-process-of-getting-conscious-for-me_286906.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/ta-nehisi-coates-733_process_the-process-of-getting-conscious-for-me_286906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/09c/ta-nehisi-coates-733_process_the-process-of-getting-conscious-for-me_286906.jpg) > “The process of getting conscious, for me, was a very, very uncomfortable, disturbing, and sometimes physically painful process. And so that's the standard to which I write, because it was what I've experienced over my time.” [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Becoming conscious can be deeply uncomfortable, even physically painful, yet it fuels authentic writing. **In simple terms:** Awareness can hurt but inspires truth. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort for growth. Themes self‑awareness pain authenticity growth Mood introspective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy - writing workshops - mindfulness practice Key Concepts psychology trauma creative process Questions to Reflect On - What uncomfortable truths have you faced? - How can pain become a catalyst for creativity? A Different Perspective Pain may deter some from seeking truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/) ## Related quotes > [There are some people who do not have a wild past because being wild would make them terribly self-conscious and uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/there-are-some-people-who-do-not-have-a-wild-past-because-being-wild/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [Relationships always sounded so physically painful: you fell in love, you broke a heart, you lost your head. Was it any wonder that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/relationships-always-sounded-so-physically-painful-you-fell-in-love/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I can be so involved that I am no longer conscious of my needs or even of any pains. 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Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/) > [Once you understand life isn't fair it will be less of a disappointment. This doesn't mean it won't be any less painful. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaoru/once-you-understand-life-isn-t-fair-it-will-be-less-of-a/) [Kaoru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaoru/) > [A moment's thought would have shown him. But a moment is a long time, and thought is a painful process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-housman/a-moment-s-thought-would-have-shown-him-but-a-moment-is-a-long-time/) [A. E. Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-housman/) ## More by Ta-Nehisi Coates > [“To Trump whiteness is neither notional nor symbolic but is the very core of his power. In this, Trump is not singular. But whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/to-trump-whiteness-is-neither-notional-nor-symbolic-but-is-the-very/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“The focus on one sector of Trump voters—the white working class—is puzzling, given the breadth of his white coalition. Indeed, there is a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-focus-on-one-sector-of-trump-voters-the-white-working-class-is/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The greatest reward of this constant interrogation, confrontation with the brutality of my country, is that it has freed me from hosts and myths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-greatest-reward-of-this-constant-interrogation-confrontation-with/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [What I am telling you is that you do not need to know to love, and it is right that you feel it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-am-telling-you-is-that-you-do-not-need-to-know-to-love-and-it/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [I think 'Dear White People,' the show, is a tremendous artistic achievement. It's always hinting that there is something beyond the pleading and wokeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-think-dear-white-people-the-show-is-a-tremendous-artistic/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [ \[Winning the White House was an achievement\], but as an African-American, \[Barack Obama\], I think the symbolism is in how he conducted himself. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/winning-the-white-house-was-an-achievement-but-as-an-african-american/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [What sets black people apart is not some deficit in personal responsibility. It's the weight on our shoulders. That is what's actually different. 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What I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/what-i-m-talking-about-is-more-than-recompense-for-past-injustices/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [The mainstream sort of presentation of the civil rights movement was not something that I directly inherited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-mainstream-sort-of-presentation-of-the-civil-rights-movement-was/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [ \[Grew up in Hawaii\] that gave \[Barack Obama\] a kind of optimism, an ability to see things, you know, and frankly, an ability to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/grew-up-in-hawaii-that-gave-barack-obama-a-kind-of-optimism-an/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [“I sensed the schools were hiding something, drugging us with false morality so that we would not see, so that we did not ask:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/i-sensed-the-schools-were-hiding-something-drugging-us-with-false/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [You don't make a case for reparations thinking, 'Oh yeah, people are gonna love this.' 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Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [Everyone has their own process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-patrick-martin/everyone-has-their-own-process/) Graham Patrick Martin > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [Love is the process of melting into the other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shri-radhe-maa/love-is-the-process-of-melting-into-the-other/) [Shri Radhe Maa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shri-radhe-maa/) > [I wish that I had known back then that a mastery of process would lead to a product. Then I probably wouldn't have found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/i-wish-that-i-had-known-back-then-that-a-mastery-of-process-would/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [There's no greatest moment in the arts. It's a life; it's a continuity thing. You can't have a great moment because it's spiritual. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-neiman/there-s-no-greatest-moment-in-the-arts-it-s-a-life-it-s-a-continuity/) [LeRoy Neiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-neiman/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I suggest due process, speedy trials, and public hangings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/i-suggest-due-process-speedy-trials-and-public-hangings/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [There is an interdependence between those who have and those who have not. The process of giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-g-romney/there-is-an-interdependence-between-those-who-have-and-those-who-have/) [Marion G. Romney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-g-romney/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) [Browse all 11,848 Process quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The process of getting conscious, for me, was a very, very uncomfortable, disturbing, and sometimes physically painful process. 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