--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I could tell you only one thing about…" description: "\"If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head.\" — Brady Udall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png" --- # If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would… ![“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head.” quote by Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png) > “If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head.” [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A childhood trauma is recounted with dark humor, highlighting how absurd events shape identity. **In simple terms:** A weird accident shaped his life. Key Takeaway Acknowledge how past events affect you. Themes humor trauma identity Mood reflective wry Type narrative personal When to use this quote - family storytelling - therapy sessions - creative writing Key Concepts autobiographical absurdity memory Questions to Reflect On - What childhood events still influence you? - How can humor help process pain? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mailman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mailman/) ## Related quotes > [If I could tell you only one thing about my life, it would be this: When I was 7 years old, the mailman ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-2/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [Most children would rather preserve the fantasy of a loving connection with their fathers and mothers, at all costs, even if it costs them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-ablow/most-children-would-rather-preserve-the-fantasy-of-a-loving/) [Keith Ablow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-ablow/) > [I worked very hard and I was en pointe by the time I was seven years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-worked-very-hard-and-i-was-en-pointe-by-the-time-i-was-seven-years/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [Since I was seven years old, they say 'he's nice, he's nice.' Yes, I'm nice, but that's not all I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raphael-varane/since-i-was-seven-years-old-they-say-he-s-nice-he-s-nice-yes-i-m-nice/) [Raphael Varane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raphael-varane/) > [I was 32 years old, and I've changed my mind. And the biggest reason that I changed my mind was my seven years as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-was-32-years-old-and-i-ve-changed-my-mind-and-the-biggest-reason/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [I started when I was seven years old so I was on 50, 60 cc Suzuki and then I went up to a Yamaha…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-weber/i-started-when-i-was-seven-years-old-so-i-was-on-50-60-cc-suzuki-and/) [Amy Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-weber/) > [I ran into a friend when I was seven years old and we both still have scars as a result. We were playing Bulldog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-ryder/i-ran-into-a-friend-when-i-was-seven-years-old-and-we-both-still-have/) [Sam Ryder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-ryder/) > [When I was three years old, I went to an orphanage, but because of the beatings, I ran away when I was five and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/choi-sung-bong/when-i-was-three-years-old-i-went-to-an-orphanage-but-because-of-the/) Choi Sung-bong > [The dog is very smart. He feels sorry for me because I receive so much mail; that's why he tries to bite the mailman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-dog-is-very-smart-he-feels-sorry-for-me-because-i-receive-so-much/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [My life is gardening, cleaning around the house and power washing. I power wash everything: my wife, the mailman with the f-cking mail, power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/my-life-is-gardening-cleaning-around-the-house-and-power-washing-i/) [J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/) > [Please, never despise the translator. He's the mailman of human civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/please-never-despise-the-translator-he-s-the-mailman-of-human/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [“And that noise! It was enough to make that happy mailman on Mr. Rogers go postal!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-golden/and-that-noise-it-was-enough-to-make-that-happy-mailman-on-mr-rogers/) [Christopher Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-golden/) > [Abstract anger is great for rhetorical carrying on. You can go on endlessly about the post office, but it doesn't mean you're mad at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/abstract-anger-is-great-for-rhetorical-carrying-on-you-can-go-on/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [If a fellow wants to be nobody in the business world, let him neglect sending the mailman to somebody on his behalf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/if-a-fellow-wants-to-be-nobody-in-the-business-world-let-him-neglect/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) ## More by Brady Udall > [“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [For most affairs, this eventually becomes the most fundamental of questions, the only one that matters: Do we love each other more than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/for-most-affairs-this-eventually-becomes-the-most-fundamental-of/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [...Families are Forever, and wondered if the slogan was meant as a promise or a threat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/families-are-forever-and-wondered-if-the-slogan-was-meant-as-a/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [If I could tell you only one thing about my life, it would be this: When I was 7 years old, the mailman ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-2/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“Because this, after all, was the basic truth they all chose to live by: that love was no finite commodity. That it was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/because-this-after-all-was-the-basic-truth-they-all-chose-to-live-by/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“For Golden it was hard not to think that there might be something wrong about a household in which the dog was wearing underwear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/for-golden-it-was-hard-not-to-think-that-there-might-be-something/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“She considered, maybe for the first time, how lucky she was to be able to pick up the phone and call her mother whenever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/she-considered-maybe-for-the-first-time-how-lucky-she-was-to-be-able/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“When she's next to him, when she rests her hand on his, his whole body aches with something like knowledge for all he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/when-she-s-next-to-him-when-she-rests-her-hand-on-his-his-whole-body/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“But Golden's dark form in the doorway had imprinted something new and painful on the hard plates of her chest: that old devil, hope.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/but-golden-s-dark-form-in-the-doorway-had-imprinted-something-new-and/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“. . . Golden would find himself thinking that if he ever became delusional or foolhardy enough to outfit one of his houses with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/golden-would-find-himself-thinking-that-if-he-ever-became-delusional/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“Even in the midst of all this commotion she knows none of it really belongs to her, and marvels at the strange fact of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/even-in-the-midst-of-all-this-commotion-she-knows-none-of-it-really/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [The life of a plural wife, she'd found, was a life lived under constant comparison, a life spent wondering. Sitting across from her sister-wives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/the-life-of-a-plural-wife-she-d-found-was-a-life-lived-under-constant/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“There was one difference I would come to realize, between white kids and Indians. Among white kids there are tattletales everywhere. Indians? An Indian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/there-was-one-difference-i-would-come-to-realize-between-white-kids/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“It's a wonderful epiphany: with a lie I can change reality; with a lie I can change the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/it-s-a-wonderful-epiphany-with-a-lie-i-can-change-reality-with-a-lie/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) > [“He knows that for all the undeserved bounty of his life, she will always be there, at the edge of his vision, to remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/he-knows-that-for-all-the-undeserved-bounty-of-his-life-she-will/) [Brady Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) [Explore all 20 Brady Udall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brady Udall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c95/brady-udall-27266_life_if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about_1565629.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman…” — Brady Udall", "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": "Brady Udall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brady-udall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If I could tell you only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-3/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brady-udall/if-i-could-tell-you-only-one-thing-about-my-life-it-would-be-this-3/#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 } } ] } ```