--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Scary as this was...telling her these…" description: "\"“Scary as this was...telling her these things was like a bloodletting. The initial cut hurt like hell, but with it done he could feel the toxins escapi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/cara-mckenna-4605_poisoned_scary-as-this-was-telling-her-these-thin_2794937.jpg" --- # Scary as this was...telling her these things was like a… ![“Scary as this was...telling her these things was like a bloodletting. The initial cut hurt like hell, but with it done he could feel the toxins escaping, making room for relief. And all at once he wanted to give in. With a blinding bolt of understanding, he realized he'd had it all wrong, blaming…” quote by Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/cara-mckenna-4605_poisoned_scary-as-this-was-telling-her-these-thin_2794937.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/cara-mckenna-4605_poisoned_scary-as-this-was-telling-her-these-thin_2794937.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/cara-mckenna-4605_poisoned_scary-as-this-was-telling-her-these-thin_2794937.jpg) > ““Scary as this was...telling her these things was like a bloodletting. The initial cut hurt like hell, but with it done he could feel the toxins escaping, making room for relief. And all at once he wanted to give in. With a blinding bolt of understanding, he realized he'd had it all wrong, blaming his fetish all this time, thinking of it as some twisted, fucked-up force that lived inside him. A thing to be drowned in liquor, glass by glass, night by night, year after year. It wasn't his desire that had poisoned him. It was his shame.”” [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person confronts deep shame, realizing it, not desire but self‑condemnation that caused suffering, and finds relief through honest self‑examination. **In simple terms:** Shame, not desire, caused his pain; confronting it brings relief. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and release shame. Themes shame self‑acceptance healing addiction self‑awareness Mood reflective hopeful Type personal spiritual When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - personal reflection - addiction treatment - spiritual counseling Key Concepts psychology addiction recovery spiritual growth Questions to Reflect On - What shameful belief holds you back? - How can you practice self‑compassion? A Different Perspective Shame may resurface despite insight, requiring ongoing effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“So she was to be savagely heartbroken and then poisoned by one of their cook’s noxious herbal brews in the space of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/so-she-was-to-be-savagely-heartbroken-and-then-poisoned-by-one-of/) [Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/) > [“Men who thirst for freedom will find it, even if they drink at a poisoned well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-lafferty/men-who-thirst-for-freedom-will-find-it-even-if-they-drink-at-a/) [Linda Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-lafferty/) > [“Dear College Diary, Should have poisoned the Jade water!!!!! Jade”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-d-spears/dear-college-diary-should-have-poisoned-the-jade-water-jade/) Crystal D. Spears > [“him. There was a horrible fascination in them all. 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Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [“But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/but-i-couldn-t-absorb-the-idea-that-death-could-actually-walk-by-my/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-treat-other-people-as-less-than-human-must-not-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Cara McKenna > [“Still. It’s not all red. I’m not a total whore. Just a partial one. Just a splash of whore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/still-it-s-not-all-red-i-m-not-a-total-whore-just-a-partial-one-just/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“It was what she'd been doing in every aspect of her life lately, wanting to hole up in the backseat and not be asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/it-was-what-she-d-been-doing-in-every-aspect-of-her-life-lately/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“That gooey stuff inside a Boston crème donut. That’s what you smell like. Now I’ll get a hard-on every time I eat one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/that-gooey-stuff-inside-a-boston-cr-me-donut-that-s-what-you-smell/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“Show me,” I said softly, and stroked his hair. “Show me what it feels like, to be wanted by a man, the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/show-me-i-said-softly-and-stroked-his-hair-show-me-what-it-feels-like/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“My flatmate’s away for the weekend. If you fancied meeting against every wall in the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/my-flatmate-s-away-for-the-weekend-if-you-fancied-meeting-against/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“Okay. We've got about twenty minutes before I get mean again.' 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Bring another woman in…” He stopped speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/after-a-moment-s-hesitation-he-jeremy-asked-would-you-ever-ask-her-to/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“His pale irises had grown as dark as his intentions, lids heavy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/his-pale-irises-had-grown-as-dark-as-his-intentions-lids-heavy/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) > [“kitchenette, tidy but cast in a sickly glow by the fluorescent bulbs. 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He stroked my clit with his slick fingers, then slipped back inside with a moan. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-mckenna/that-s-where-i-want-to-be-he-whispered-he-stroked-my-clit-with-his/) [Cara McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) [Explore all 107 Cara McKenna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-mckenna/) ## More Poisoned quotes > [“So she was to be savagely heartbroken and then poisoned by one of their cook’s noxious herbal brews in the space of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-long/so-she-was-to-be-savagely-heartbroken-and-then-poisoned-by-one-of/) [Julie Anne Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-long/) > [“But I couldn't absorb the idea that death could actually walk by my side, with a human face and a heart that was poisoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/but-i-couldn-t-absorb-the-idea-that-death-could-actually-walk-by-my/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Yelena, you've driven me crazy. You've caused me considerable trouble and I've contemplated ending your life twice since I've known you." Valek's warm breath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/yelena-you-ve-driven-me-crazy-you-ve-caused-me-considerable-trouble/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Give a man a poisoned fish, you feed him for the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/give-a-man-a-fish-you-feed-him-for-a-day-give-a-man-a-poisoned-fish/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [“A conviction, unformulated but strong, rose to the working level of her mind - that painting did something more important for Nicholas than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-bridge/a-conviction-unformulated-but-strong-rose-to-the-working-level-of-her/) [Ann Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-bridge/) > [“Mr. Satterthwaite looked cheered. Suddenly an idea struck him. His jaw fell. "My goodness," he cried, "I've only just realized it! That rascal, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/mr-satterthwaite-looked-cheered-suddenly-an-idea-struck-him-his-jaw/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“The large blue unknown berry tastes medicinal. Am I poisoned?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-mcclure/the-large-blue-unknown-berry-tastes-medicinal-am-i-poisoned/) Joanna McClure > [“Truth  is that we all need facts we cannot continue to eat only the food that is given to us. Sometimes we have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lewis/truth-is-that-we-all-need-facts-we-cannot-continue-to-eat-only-the/) R. Lewis > [The words with which a child's heart is poisoned, whether through malice or through ignorance, remain branded in his memory, and sooner or later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-words-with-which-a-child-s-heart-is-poisoned-whether-through/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“The body is poisoned through the mouth, even so is the heart through the ear ... And even if we do mean no harm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-francis-de-sales/the-body-is-poisoned-through-the-mouth-even-so-is-the-heart-through/) [St. Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-francis-de-sales/) > [The inventor of the mirror poisoned the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-inventor-of-the-mirror-poisoned-the-human-heart/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“him. There was a horrible fascination in them all. 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Spears > [“Men who thirst for freedom will find it, even if they drink at a poisoned well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-lafferty/men-who-thirst-for-freedom-will-find-it-even-if-they-drink-at-a/) [Linda Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-lafferty/) > [People who treat other people as less than human must not be surprised when the bread they have cast on the waters comes floating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-who-treat-other-people-as-less-than-human-must-not-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 157 Poisoned quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Scary as this was...telling her these things was like a bloodletting. The initial cut hurt like hell, but with it done he could feel the toxins escaping, making room for relief. And all at once he wanted to give in. With a blinding bolt of understanding, he realized he'd had it all wrong, blaming his fetish all this time, thinking of it as some twisted, fucked-up force that lived inside him. A thing to be drowned in liquor, glass by glass, night by night, year after year. It wasn't his desire that had poisoned him. 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