---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What matters deafness of the ear, when…"
description: "\"What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.\" — Victor Hugo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg"
---

#  What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The…

![“What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.” quote by Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg)

> “What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.”

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## About This Quote

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

The mind can be blind to truth even when senses work; true deafness is mental, not physical.

**In simple terms:** Mental blindness blocks understanding.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate open-minded listening.

Themes

perception mindfulness truth

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- education
- conflict resolution
- leadership
- counseling

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure your mind truly listens?
- What habits keep your mind closed?

A Different Perspective

Physical hearing cannot fix a closed mind.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/)

## Related quotes

> [The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/the-handicap-of-deafness-is-not-in-the-ear-it-is-in-the-mind/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [The only thing I can't do is hear. I can drive, I have a life with four kids, I work on TV, I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/the-only-thing-i-can-t-do-is-hear-i-can-drive-i-have-a-life-with-four/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [Deafness produces bizarre effects, reversing the natural order of things; the interchange of letters is the conversation of the deaf, and the only link…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/deafness-produces-bizarre-effects-reversing-the-natural-order-of/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [The late Président de Montesquieu told me that he knew how to be blind--he had been so for such a long time--but I swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-late-pr-sident-de-montesquieu-told-me-that-he-knew-how-to-be/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-hope-i-inspire-people-who-hear-hearing-people-have-the-ability-to/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-fundamental-requirement-overriding-any-other-for-this-job-is-an/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [There are many deaf people who couldn't imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn't speak their language. For me, I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/there-are-many-deaf-people-who-couldn-t-imagine-living-in-a-marriage/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [“Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/or-you-may-be-such-a-thunderingly-exalted-creature-as-to-be/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [Nothing you say can ensure that the other person will get it, or respond the way you want. You may never exceed his threshold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/nothing-you-say-can-ensure-that-the-other-person-will-get-it-or/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [Old age doth in sharp pains abound; We are belabored by the gout, Our blindness is a dark profound, Our deafness each one laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-age-doth-in-sharp-pains-abound-we-are-belabored-by-the-gout-our/)

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

> [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/)

[Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/)

> [I like to say that the greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind. I hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-like-to-say-that-the-greatest-handicap-of-deafness-does-not-lie-in/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/blindness-separates-us-from-things-but-deafness-separates-us-from/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [But people who think they can project themselves into deafness are mistaken because you can't. And I'm not talking about imagining what a deaf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/but-people-who-think-they-can-project-themselves-into-deafness-are/)

[Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/)

> [“And the blind man said to the deaf man, "Do you see what I hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/and-the-blind-man-said-to-the-deaf-man-do-you-see-what-i-hear/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

## More by Victor Hugo

> [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“There is still a certain grace in a dead festival. It has been happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-still-a-certain-grace-in-a-dead-festival-it-has-been-happy/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“First I loved women, then animals, and now I love stones. They're just as amusing as women and animals and they're much less trecherous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/first-i-loved-women-then-animals-and-now-i-love-stones-they-re-just/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nature-is-pitiless-she-never-withdraws-her-flowers-her-music-her/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/have-courage-for-the-great-sorrows-of-life-and-patience-for-the-small/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [The peasants of the Asturias believe that in every litter of wolves there is one pup that is killed by the mother for fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-peasants-of-the-asturias-believe-that-in-every-litter-of-wolves/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibres.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/great-blunders-are-often-made-like-large-ropes-of-a-multitude-of/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“For love is like a tree; it grows of itself; it send its roots deep into our being, and often continues to grow green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/for-love-is-like-a-tree-it-grows-of-itself-it-send-its-roots-deep/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Blacheville smiles with the self-satisfied smugness of a man whose vanity is tickled”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/blacheville-smiles-with-the-self-satisfied-smugness-of-a-man-whose/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Loving in ignorance, she loved with all the more passion. She did not know whether it was good or evil, beneficent or dangerous, necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/loving-in-ignorance-she-loved-with-all-the-more-passion-she-did-not/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/laughter-is-the-sun-that-drives-winter-from-the-human-face/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“Our joys have shadows. The perfect smile belongs to God alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/our-joys-have-shadows-the-perfect-smile-belongs-to-god-alone/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [“When those we love are in question, our prudence invents every sort of madness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/when-those-we-love-are-in-question-our-prudence-invents-every-sort-of/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [Love is a fault; so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/love-is-a-fault-so-be-it/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

[Explore all 2,181 Victor Hugo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## More Deafness quotes

> [“And the blind man said to the deaf man, "Do you see what I hear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gerard-trotman/and-the-blind-man-said-to-the-deaf-man-do-you-see-what-i-hear/)

[Wayne Gerard Trotman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gerard-trotman/)

> [But people who think they can project themselves into deafness are mistaken because you can't. And I'm not talking about imagining what a deaf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/but-people-who-think-they-can-project-themselves-into-deafness-are/)

[Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/)

> [Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/blindness-separates-us-from-things-but-deafness-separates-us-from/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [I like to say that the greatest handicap of deafness does not lie in the ear, it lies in the mind. I hope that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-like-to-say-that-the-greatest-handicap-of-deafness-does-not-lie-in/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/)

[Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/)

> [Old age doth in sharp pains abound; We are belabored by the gout, Our blindness is a dark profound, Our deafness each one laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-age-doth-in-sharp-pains-abound-we-are-belabored-by-the-gout-our/)

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

> [Nothing you say can ensure that the other person will get it, or respond the way you want. You may never exceed his threshold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-lerner/nothing-you-say-can-ensure-that-the-other-person-will-get-it-or/)

[Harriet Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-lerner/)

> [“Or you may be such a thunderingly exalted creature as to be altogether deaf and blind to anything but heavenly sights and sounds. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/or-you-may-be-such-a-thunderingly-exalted-creature-as-to-be/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [There are many deaf people who couldn't imagine living in a marriage without someone who doesn't speak their language. For me, I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/there-are-many-deaf-people-who-couldn-t-imagine-living-in-a-marriage/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [A fundamental requirement, overriding any other for this job, is an understanding of deafness-what it is and how it affects the educational experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-fundamental-requirement-overriding-any-other-for-this-job-is-an/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [I hope I inspire people who hear. Hearing people have the ability to remove barriers that prevent deaf people from achieving their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/i-hope-i-inspire-people-who-hear-hearing-people-have-the-ability-to/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [The late Président de Montesquieu told me that he knew how to be blind--he had been so for such a long time--but I swear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/the-late-pr-sident-de-montesquieu-told-me-that-he-knew-how-to-be/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Deafness produces bizarre effects, reversing the natural order of things; the interchange of letters is the conversation of the deaf, and the only link…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/deafness-produces-bizarre-effects-reversing-the-natural-order-of/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [The only thing I can't do is hear. I can drive, I have a life with four kids, I work on TV, I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/the-only-thing-i-can-t-do-is-hear-i-can-drive-i-have-a-life-with-four/)

[Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/)

> [I think the deafness affects me more than I realise I think it makes me more tired. I loathe parties. I attend, smile and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-beacham/i-think-the-deafness-affects-me-more-than-i-realise-i-think-it-makes/)

[Stephanie Beacham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-beacham/)

Browse all 111 Deafness quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Victor Hugo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-the-mind-hears-the-one-true/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Deafness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-the-mind-hears-the-one-true/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a46/victor-hugo-32_deafness_what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-th_914704.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What matters deafness of the ear, when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is…” — Victor Hugo",
                "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": "Victor Hugo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What matters deafness of the ear,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-the-mind-hears-the-one-true/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/what-matters-deafness-of-the-ear-when-the-mind-hears-the-one-true/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
