--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti…" description: "\"“(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr. Keane, years later, when Tony had already returned from the war and Jacob had drawn a bad num..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg" --- # (“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr… ![“(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr. Keane, years later, when Tony had already returned from the war and Jacob had drawn a bad number. “Break his legs before you let him go.”)” quote by Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg) > ““(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr. Keane, years later, when Tony had already returned from the war and Jacob had drawn a bad number. “Break his legs before you let him go.”)”” [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warning about taking extreme measures that cause self‑harm before resolving a problem. **In simple terms:** Avoid self‑destructive actions when dealing with conflict. Key Takeaway Think before acting violently. Themes conflict self‑harm prevention Mood cautious reflective Type advice warning When to use this quote - personal disputes - legal negotiations - team leadership Key Concepts risk assessment ethical decision‑making Questions to Reflect On - Is there a less harmful way to achieve your goal? - What are the long‑term costs of aggressive actions? A Different Perspective Extreme tactics often create more problems than they solve. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-legs-1153432/) [Keane Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keane-years-2530074/) [Later Tony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-tony-2530072/) [Persichetti Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persichetti-tell-2530071/) [Tony Returned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tony-returned-2530073/) ## Related quotes > [If you fall down those stairs and break both of your legs, don't come running to me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rennison/if-you-fall-down-those-stairs-and-break-both-of-your-legs-don-t-come/) [Louise Rennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rennison/) > [They try to kick me when I'm down, I'll break your legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/they-try-to-kick-me-when-i-m-down-i-ll-break-your-legs/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [I always tell Cristiano before training, 'If you do stepovers on me, I will break your legs and rip up your shirt.' I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-evra/i-always-tell-cristiano-before-training-if-you-do-stepovers-on-me-i/) [Patrice Evra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-evra/) > [“Nobody climbs on skis now and almost everybody breaks their legs but maybe it is easier in the end to break your legs than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/nobody-climbs-on-skis-now-and-almost-everybody-breaks-their-legs-but/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The government is good at one thing. It knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say, "See if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-government-is-good-at-one-thing-it-knows-how-to-break-your-legs/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“And the justice in this world is that you don’t have to break legs because somebody’s broken yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-dexter/and-the-justice-in-this-world-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-break-legs/) [Pete Dexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-dexter/) > [If you fall and break both of your legs, don't come running to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/if-you-fall-and-break-both-of-your-legs-don-t-come-running-to-me/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [“Bloody hell," Phillip finally burst out. "If you're going to break my legs, would you just go ahead and do it now?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/bloody-hell-phillip-finally-burst-out-if-you-re-going-to-break-my/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [According to The New York Times, the mob has now gotten into Medicare fraud. But the good news is, when they do break your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-the-new-york-times-the-mob-has-now-gotten-into-medicare/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [A week before shooting, they told me, You don't have the part, yet. We're still trying to find a handicapped kid who can act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-culkin/a-week-before-shooting-they-told-me-you-don-t-have-the-part-yet-we-re/) [Kieran Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-culkin/) > [Kevin Muscat scared me. You know, people would say 'I'm going to break your legs' - when he would say it, you genuinely believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/kevin-muscat-scared-me-you-know-people-would-say-i-m-going-to-break/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [“Look, Clay, I’m not sure what the hell your deal was at lunch. But I don’t want to see that shit again. Maggie is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-meredith-walters/look-clay-i-m-not-sure-what-the-hell-your-deal-was-at-lunch-but-i-don/) [A. Meredith Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-meredith-walters/) > [That's my private ant. You're liable to break its legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/that-s-my-private-ant-you-re-liable-to-break-its-legs/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [I break people's faces. I break their arms. I break their legs. That's a part of the sport. That's my job. That's the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fallon-fox/i-break-people-s-faces-i-break-their-arms-i-break-their-legs-that-s-a/) [Fallon Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fallon-fox/) > [“A mouse can fall down a mine shaft a third of a mile deep without injury. A rat falling the same distance would break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scott-haldane/a-mouse-can-fall-down-a-mine-shaft-a-third-of-a-mile-deep-without/) [John Scott Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scott-haldane/) ## More by Alice McDermott > [“Some vestige of his race or of his sex made him think, whenever he looked out across the ocean: As it was before me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/some-vestige-of-his-race-or-of-his-sex-made-him-think-whenever-he/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“If you want to see how far we have not come from the cave and the woods, from the lonely and dangerous days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/if-you-want-to-see-how-far-we-have-not-come-from-the-cave-and-the/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“John Keane pressed his chest to the steering wheel as he put the key in the ignition, taking a deep breath as he did,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/john-keane-pressed-his-chest-to-the-steering-wheel-as-he-put-the-key/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“The fourth contraction seized her and suddenly she was perspiring. She heard herself cry out and then she heard the children’s voices like sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/the-fourth-contraction-seized-her-and-suddenly-she-was-perspiring-she/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“THE TINY SPIDERS that lived in the higher branches of the downed tree (which now meant the branches that lay on the other side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/the-tiny-spiders-that-lived-in-the-higher-branches-of-the-downed-tree/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [What makes a sentence, a phrase, a moment, or a scene delightful? Something about recognizing the truth in it, hearing the music in it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/what-makes-a-sentence-a-phrase-a-moment-or-a-scene-delightful/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“Michael had slipped beyond the crest of the dune. Jacob was lying flat out now, on his stomach, his little men all before him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/michael-had-slipped-beyond-the-crest-of-the-dune-jacob-was-lying-flat/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“The wind,” Mary said again. “It was making everyone tear up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/the-wind-mary-said-again-it-was-making-everyone-tear-up/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“Not a soul,” Mary Keane said to her husband, the wind lifting her words, tossing them gently back over her shoulder, the way it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/not-a-soul-mary-keane-said-to-her-husband-the-wind-lifting-her-words/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“There wasn’t a tear to be seen on the faces of the men and women in the street as the two of them walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/there-wasn-t-a-tear-to-be-seen-on-the-faces-of-the-men-and-women-in/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“His love for his children bore down on his heart with the weight of three heavy stones. There were all his unnamed fears for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/his-love-for-his-children-bore-down-on-his-heart-with-the-weight-of/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“Mr. Persichetti knew that six weeks before its time and with a good thirty-minute ride to the hospital once the ambulance came (would it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/mr-persichetti-knew-that-six-weeks-before-its-time-and-with-a-good/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“Mike Shea became a medic during the war and was now married, working for Pfizer. To this day he can’t look at her straight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/mike-shea-became-a-medic-during-the-war-and-was-now-married-working/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [As a writer, I'm too busy and worried to experience the delight while composing my own work, although, of course, I hope a reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/as-a-writer-i-m-too-busy-and-worried-to-experience-the-delight-while/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) > [“Why not?” but without conviction, confirming for them both that this was a sudden impulse that most likely would not last out the afternoon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/why-not-but-without-conviction-confirming-for-them-both-that-this-was/) [Alice McDermott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) [Explore all 194 Alice McDermott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/) ## More Break Legs quotes > [If you fall down those stairs and break both of your legs, don't come running to me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rennison/if-you-fall-down-those-stairs-and-break-both-of-your-legs-don-t-come/) [Louise Rennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rennison/) > [I break people's faces. I break their arms. I break their legs. That's a part of the sport. That's my job. That's the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fallon-fox/i-break-people-s-faces-i-break-their-arms-i-break-their-legs-that-s-a/) [Fallon Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fallon-fox/) > [That's my private ant. You're liable to break its legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/that-s-my-private-ant-you-re-liable-to-break-its-legs/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“Look, Clay, I’m not sure what the hell your deal was at lunch. But I don’t want to see that shit again. Maggie is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-meredith-walters/look-clay-i-m-not-sure-what-the-hell-your-deal-was-at-lunch-but-i-don/) [A. Meredith Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-meredith-walters/) > [Kevin Muscat scared me. You know, people would say 'I'm going to break your legs' - when he would say it, you genuinely believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-crouch/kevin-muscat-scared-me-you-know-people-would-say-i-m-going-to-break/) [Peter Crouch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-crouch/) > [A week before shooting, they told me, You don't have the part, yet. We're still trying to find a handicapped kid who can act.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-culkin/a-week-before-shooting-they-told-me-you-don-t-have-the-part-yet-we-re/) [Kieran Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-culkin/) > [According to The New York Times, the mob has now gotten into Medicare fraud. But the good news is, when they do break your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-the-new-york-times-the-mob-has-now-gotten-into-medicare/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“Bloody hell," Phillip finally burst out. "If you're going to break my legs, would you just go ahead and do it now?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/bloody-hell-phillip-finally-burst-out-if-you-re-going-to-break-my/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [If you fall and break both of your legs, don't come running to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/if-you-fall-and-break-both-of-your-legs-don-t-come-running-to-me/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [“And the justice in this world is that you don’t have to break legs because somebody’s broken yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-dexter/and-the-justice-in-this-world-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-break-legs/) [Pete Dexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-dexter/) > [The government is good at one thing. It knows how to break your legs, and then hand you a crutch and say, "See if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-government-is-good-at-one-thing-it-knows-how-to-break-your-legs/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [“Nobody climbs on skis now and almost everybody breaks their legs but maybe it is easier in the end to break your legs than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/nobody-climbs-on-skis-now-and-almost-everybody-breaks-their-legs-but/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I always tell Cristiano before training, 'If you do stepovers on me, I will break your legs and rip up your shirt.' I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-evra/i-always-tell-cristiano-before-training-if-you-do-stepovers-on-me-i/) [Patrice Evra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrice-evra/) > [They try to kick me when I'm down, I'll break your legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/they-try-to-kick-me-when-i-m-down-i-ll-break-your-legs/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [“A mouse can fall down a mine shaft a third of a mile deep without injury. A rat falling the same distance would break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scott-haldane/a-mouse-can-fall-down-a-mine-shaft-a-third-of-a-mile-deep-without/) [John Scott Haldane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scott-haldane/) [Browse all 18 Break Legs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-legs-1153432/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr. Keane, years later, when Tony had already returned from the war and Jacob had drawn a bad number. “Break his legs before you let him go.”)”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice McDermott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-would-tell-mr-keane-years-later/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break Legs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-would-tell-mr-keane-years-later/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4c0/alice-mcdermott-1961_break-legs_shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-wou_255348.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr. Persichetti would tell Mr. Keane, years later, when Tony had already returned…” — Alice McDermott", "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": "Alice McDermott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-mcdermott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“(“Shoot him in the foot,” Mr....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-would-tell-mr-keane-years-later/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-mcdermott/shoot-him-in-the-foot-mr-persichetti-would-tell-mr-keane-years-later/#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 } } ] } ```