--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped…" description: "\"“I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It still burned, but it made me feel important. I'd been wounded in combat. Anyone could break a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg" --- # I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It… ![“I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It still burned, but it made me feel important. I'd been wounded in combat. Anyone could break a leg or dislocate a sholder, but how many people get shot? I could tell by the way Will was looking at me that he was impressed too and not a little…” quote by Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg) > ““I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It still burned, but it made me feel important. I'd been wounded in combat. Anyone could break a leg or dislocate a sholder, but how many people get shot? I could tell by the way Will was looking at me that he was impressed too and not a little bit jealous. I would have quickly traded the head wound, however, for a glass of clean water.”” [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A wounded soldier finds significance in a minor injury, preferring it over a basic need like water. **In simple terms:** Even small wounds can feel meaningful compared to larger hardships. Key Takeaway Recognize true priorities over symbolic pain. Themes war pain survival esteem Mood reflective somber Type literary psychological When to use this quote - combat - first aid - mental health - resource scarcity Key Concepts psychological resilience human need Questions to Reflect On - What does this reveal about human coping? - When should we prioritize basic needs over pride? A Different Perspective Focusing on symbolic wounds may distract from essential needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break a leg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-a-leg/) [Clean water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean-water/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Seriousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seriousness/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounded/) ## Related quotes > [“When Jack Colby first came aboard The Maine looking for a job, wearing a T-shirt that said: “Wounded Combat Vet—Some Reassembly Required”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-demille/when-jack-colby-first-came-aboard-the-maine-looking-for-a-job-wearing/) [Nelson DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-demille/) > [“Laurence reached up to wipe the grime from his face, and finding his hand come away red with gore felt back to where his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blood-of-tyrants-naomi-novik/laurence-reached-up-to-wipe-the-grime-from-his-face-and-finding-his/) Blood of Tyrants Naomi Novik > [The less the head, the more the wound will heal. No head there is no wound. Live a headless life. Move as a total…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-less-the-head-the-more-the-wound-will-heal-no-head-there-is-no/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [But there was only one kiss that made me feel something stir deep inside. Only one that made me want more. But my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/but-there-was-only-one-kiss-that-made-me-feel-something-stir-deep/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“They Harry Potters still enormously outnumber the likes of Petunia and Vernon Dursley in society, who just don't hold with such nonsense, perhaps reflecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-highfield/they-harry-potters-still-enormously-outnumber-the-likes-of-petunia/) [Roger Highfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-highfield/) > [Wherever primitive man put up a word, he believed he had made a discovery. How utterly mistaken he really was! He had touched a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/wherever-primitive-man-put-up-a-word-he-believed-he-had-made-a/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [An elephant is vastly more efficient, metabolically, than a mouse. It's the same for a megacity as opposed to a village. But an elephant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/an-elephant-is-vastly-more-efficient-metabolically-than-a-mouse-it-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [“Halt!..." Wade leaped at the white Belllounds. "If you run I'll break a leg for you--an' then I'll beat your miserable brains out!... Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/halt-wade-leaped-at-the-white-belllounds-if-you-run-i-ll-break-a-leg/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [“Aisha…is it wrong of me to wish you to break a leg? Into many tiny, little pieces? And when or if it heals…would it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiry-nieves/aisha-is-it-wrong-of-me-to-wish-you-to-break-a-leg-into-many-tiny/) [Eiry Nieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiry-nieves/) > [“Break a leg up there,” Jace said with a wicked grin. “And I’ll be down here, hopefully breaking someone else’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/break-a-leg-up-there-jace-said-with-a-wicked-grin-and-i-ll-be-down/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Pornography does not inspire violence, but you can break a leg trying to imitate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pornography-does-not-inspire-violence-but-you-can-break-a-leg-trying/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [There's always a little fear anytime you're doing something crazy because at any moment you can break a leg, land on your neck, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-mikulak/there-s-always-a-little-fear-anytime-you-re-doing-something-crazy/) [Sam Mikulak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-mikulak/) > [Break a leg up there, and I'll be down here hopefully breaking someone elses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/break-a-leg-up-there-and-i-ll-be-down-here-hopefully-breaking-someone/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [We seldom break a leg as long as we are climbing wearily upwards in our lives, instead we do it when we start going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-seldom-break-a-leg-as-long-as-we-are-climbing-wearily-upwards-in/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Rosie: Alright everyone, break a leg!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bugs-life/rosie-alright-everyone-break-a-leg/) [A Bugs Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bugs-life/) ## More by Cameron Stracher > [“Like a giant Ponzi scheme, profits depended on an unending source of associates entering at the bottom of the pyramid, funneling cash up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/like-a-giant-ponzi-scheme-profits-depended-on-an-unending-source-of/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“Of course Will was right again. But I realized clearly for the first time how desperate our plight was. It has been foolish to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/of-course-will-was-right-again-but-i-realized-clearly-for-the-first/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“Will knelt beside me. I wished I could have taken a holo of him at that moment and played it for him the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/will-knelt-beside-me-i-wished-i-could-have-taken-a-holo-of-him-at/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“I tried to smile but feared I would cry. 'I always wondered what it was like to be shot.' 'Now you've lived to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/i-tried-to-smile-but-feared-i-would-cry-i-always-wondered-what-it-was/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“You know how to fire this?" he asked. Thomas took Ulysses's gun. It looked absurdly large in his thin hands, but he released the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/you-know-how-to-fire-this-he-asked-thomas-took-ulysses-s-gun-it/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“Like a giant Ponzi scheme, profits depended on an unending source of associates entering at the bottom of the pyramid, funneling cash up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/like-a-giant-ponzi-scheme-profits-depended-on-an-unending-source-of-2/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“will resist. Thus, unlike Frank Shorter or Alberto Salazar, Rodgers was never ranked among the top ten in the 5000 meters or”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/will-resist-thus-unlike-frank-shorter-or-alberto-salazar-rodgers-was/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“The rules only applied to people who couldn’t afford different rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/the-rules-only-applied-to-people-who-couldn-t-afford-different-rules/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“It seemed foolish and wasteful and wonderful—to live as if the sky were endless and time itself had no measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/it-seemed-foolish-and-wasteful-and-wonderful-to-live-as-if-the-sky/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“What happend to her? To Miranda?' Ulysses shrugged. 'What happens to most children. She got sick, and never got better.' 'And your wife?' 'The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/what-happend-to-her-to-miranda-ulysses-shrugged-what-happens-to-most/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“You can't just fly into the Great Coat, shoot your way into Bluewater, and take Kai and his father,' I told him. 'Why not?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/you-can-t-just-fly-into-the-great-coat-shoot-your-way-into-bluewater/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) > [“It made me angry that people could simply kill other people, take what they wanted, and ignore the cries of the sick and hungry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/it-made-me-angry-that-people-could-simply-kill-other-people-take-what/) [Cameron Stracher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) [Explore all 13 Cameron Stracher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/) ## More Break a leg quotes > [Rosie: Alright everyone, break a leg!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-bugs-life/rosie-alright-everyone-break-a-leg/) [A Bugs Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-bugs-life/) > [We seldom break a leg as long as we are climbing wearily upwards in our lives, instead we do it when we start going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-seldom-break-a-leg-as-long-as-we-are-climbing-wearily-upwards-in/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Break a leg up there, and I'll be down here hopefully breaking someone elses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/break-a-leg-up-there-and-i-ll-be-down-here-hopefully-breaking-someone/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [There's always a little fear anytime you're doing something crazy because at any moment you can break a leg, land on your neck, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-mikulak/there-s-always-a-little-fear-anytime-you-re-doing-something-crazy/) [Sam Mikulak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-mikulak/) > [Pornography does not inspire violence, but you can break a leg trying to imitate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/pornography-does-not-inspire-violence-but-you-can-break-a-leg-trying/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Break a leg up there,” Jace said with a wicked grin. “And I’ll be down here, hopefully breaking someone else’s.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/break-a-leg-up-there-jace-said-with-a-wicked-grin-and-i-ll-be-down/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Aisha…is it wrong of me to wish you to break a leg? Into many tiny, little pieces? And when or if it heals…would it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiry-nieves/aisha-is-it-wrong-of-me-to-wish-you-to-break-a-leg-into-many-tiny/) [Eiry Nieves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiry-nieves/) > [“Halt!..." Wade leaped at the white Belllounds. "If you run I'll break a leg for you--an' then I'll beat your miserable brains out!... Have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/halt-wade-leaped-at-the-white-belllounds-if-you-run-i-ll-break-a-leg/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [An elephant is vastly more efficient, metabolically, than a mouse. It's the same for a megacity as opposed to a village. But an elephant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/an-elephant-is-vastly-more-efficient-metabolically-than-a-mouse-it-s/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Wherever primitive man put up a word, he believed he had made a discovery. How utterly mistaken he really was! He had touched a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/wherever-primitive-man-put-up-a-word-he-believed-he-had-made-a/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“They Harry Potters still enormously outnumber the likes of Petunia and Vernon Dursley in society, who just don't hold with such nonsense, perhaps reflecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-highfield/they-harry-potters-still-enormously-outnumber-the-likes-of-petunia/) [Roger Highfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-highfield/) > [“Studies have found that the same areas in the brain that light up in imaging scans when we break a leg are activated when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-levine/studies-have-found-that-the-same-areas-in-the-brain-that-light-up-in/) [Amir Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amir-levine/) > [I'll call if I break a leg or get eaten by a bear." "Play like a rock." "Now?" "No, if a bear starts eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-ll-call-if-i-break-a-leg-or-get-eaten-by-a-bear-play-like-a-rock/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [“You’re going to love it.” I nodded and tried to smile back. “We’re getting off at the beginners’ slope so you don’t have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/you-re-going-to-love-it-i-nodded-and-tried-to-smile-back-we-re/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [ All his life he \[the American\] jumps into the train after it has started and jumps out before it has stopped; and he never… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/all-his-life-he-the-american-jumps-into-the-train-after-it-has/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) [Browse all 26 Break a leg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-a-leg/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It still burned, but it made me feel important. I'd been wounded in combat. Anyone could break a leg or dislocate a sholder, but how many people get shot? I could tell by the way Will was looking at me that he was impressed too and not a little bit jealous. I would have quickly traded the head wound, however, for a glass of clean water.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cameron Stracher" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrapped-the-cloth-it-still-burned/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Break a leg" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrapped-the-cloth-it-still-burned/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e0/cameron-stracher-35273_clean-water_i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrappe_1781318.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I touched my scalp where Sula had wrapped the cloth. It still burned, but it made me feel important. I'd…” — Cameron Stracher", "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": "Cameron Stracher", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-stracher/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I touched my scalp where Sula...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrapped-the-cloth-it-still-burned/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-stracher/i-touched-my-scalp-where-sula-had-wrapped-the-cloth-it-still-burned/#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 } } ] } ```