Helpelessness Quotes

“...repeated trauma in childhood forms and deforms the personality. The child trapped in an abusive environment is faced with formidable tasks of adaptation. She must find a way to preserve a sense of trust in people who are untrustworthy, safety in a situation that is unsafe, control in a situation that is terrifyingly unpredictable, power in a situation of helplessness. Unable to care for or protect herself, she must compensate for the failures of adult care and protection with the only means at her disposal, an immature system of psychological defenses.”
― Judith Lewis Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

“Kittens were the worst. They climbed your pants and smelled bad and didn’t know how to behave. They lured guys you liked into your apartment and then ruined your chances at a relationship. They were helpless, and they needed me. But I wasn’t helpless, and it was time to start acting like it.”
― Anastasia Ryan