--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because sometimes that is the only way to…" description: "\"Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of your mother, and her mother. Until t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/amy-tan-730_bones_because-sometimes-that-is-the-only-way-t_941111.jpg" --- # Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is… ![“Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of your mother, and her mother. Until there is nothing. No scar, no skin, no flesh. -An-mei” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/amy-tan-730_bones_because-sometimes-that-is-the-only-way-t_941111.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/amy-tan-730_bones_because-sometimes-that-is-the-only-way-t_941111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87c/amy-tan-730_bones_because-sometimes-that-is-the-only-way-t_941111.jpg) > “Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of your mother, and her mother. Until there is nothing. No scar, no skin, no flesh. -An-mei” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores generational trauma and the painful process of confronting deep-rooted pain to achieve healing. **In simple terms:** Healing requires confronting deep pain. Key Takeaway Face and release inherited wounds. Themes family trauma healing generational Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family therapy - personal reflection - grief work Key Concepts psychology memory identity Questions to Reflect On - What ancestral pain do you carry? - How can you honor ancestors while healing? A Different Perspective Healing can be overwhelming and may cause loss of identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones/) [Bones Peel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones-peel-1608673/) [Flesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flesh/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-scar-1232043/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-bones-1608672/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Scar Skin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar-skin-1608674/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [“This is how a daughter honors her mother. It is shou so deep it is in your bones. The pain of the flesh is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/this-is-how-a-daughter-honors-her-mother-it-is-shou-so-deep-it-is-in/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [The dinosaurs are remember only by their bones. What will we be remembered for with humanity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/the-dinosaurs-are-remember-only-by-their-bones-what-will-we-be/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [like any Irish mother, I am scar tissue to the bone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-stone/like-any-irish-mother-i-am-scar-tissue-to-the-bone/) [Jennifer Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-stone/) > [To grow up with the loss of your mother is a scar that never goes away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rudolph/to-grow-up-with-the-loss-of-your-mother-is-a-scar-that-never-goes-away/) [Maya Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rudolph/) > [Bones heal, chicks dig scars, pain is temporary, glory is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-hoffman/bones-heal-chicks-dig-scars-pain-is-temporary-glory-is-forever/) [Mat Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-hoffman/) > [Well, forgive me for not leaping for joy...bad back, you know... -Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-lion-king/well-forgive-me-for-not-leaping-for-joy-bad-back-you-know-scar/) [The Lion King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-lion-king/) > [“Being stitched was evidence of a mending, an overcoming of pain. Our scars were proof that we were strong enough to keep living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/being-stitched-was-evidence-of-a-mending-an-overcoming-of-pain-our/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [We all have scars. Just because mine are hidden doesnt make them any less painful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknon/we-all-have-scars-just-because-mine-are-hidden-doesnt-make-them-any/) [Unknon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknon/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) [Chris Kirubi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kirubi/) > [“When I swim now, I step into the water as though absentmindedly touching a scar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanne-shapton/when-i-swim-now-i-step-into-the-water-as-though-absentmindedly/) [Leanne Shapton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanne-shapton/) > [My God", he whispered. What have I done to her? He thought, humbled. The spell was broken, but it wasn't sealed, and her soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/my-god-he-whispered-what-have-i-done-to-her-he-thought-humbled-the/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [Funny how internal scars never healed. They were the souvenirs of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/funny-how-internal-scars-never-healed-they-were-the-souvenirs-of-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The beauty's in the scars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-homme/the-beauty-s-in-the-scars/) [Joshua Homme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-homme/) > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Bones quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“We are preaching hope, standing on the bones of the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rucyahana/we-are-preaching-hope-standing-on-the-bones-of-the-past/) [John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rucyahana/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [Flesh forgets. Bone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bass/flesh-forgets-bone-remembers/) [Jefferson Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bass/) > [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [Death and burial were a public spectacle. Shakespeare may have seen for himself the gravediggers at St Ann's, Soho, playing skittles with skulls and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-arnold/death-and-burial-were-a-public-spectacle-shakespeare-may-have-seen/) [Catharine Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-arnold/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/) > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [I’m in, Cat. I’d never leave you. Especially when you’ve got death breathing down your neck.” “Very funny,” I retorted, since Bones was inches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-m-in-cat-i-d-never-leave-you-especially-when-you-ve-got-death/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) [Browse all 2,113 Bones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because sometimes that is the only way to remember what is in your bones. You must peel off your skin, and that of your mother, and her mother. Until there is nothing. 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