--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I clung to the chaparral that day…" description: "\"“As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch up my bleeding finger, terrified by every sound that the bull was coming back, I considered ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png" --- # As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch… ![“As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch up my bleeding finger, terrified by every sound that the bull was coming back, I considered my options. There were only two and they were essentially the same. I could go back in the direction I had come from, or I could go forward in the…” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png) > ““As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch up my bleeding finger, terrified by every sound that the bull was coming back, I considered my options. There were only two and they were essentially the same. I could go back in the direction I had come from, or I could go forward in the direction I intended to go. The bull, I acknowledged grimly, could be in either direction, since I hadn’t seen where he’d run once I closed my eyes. I could only choose between the bull that would take me back and the bull that would take me forward. And so I walked on.”” [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When facing danger, the only choice is to keep moving forward despite fear, because both options carry risk. **In simple terms:** Keep moving forward despite fear. Key Takeaway Choose forward, not retreat. Themes courage decision adversity Mood tense determined Type narrative motivational When to use this quote - hiking - wildlife encounter - personal crisis - career crossroads Key Concepts risk assessment resilience mindset Questions to Reflect On - What does the bull represent in your life? - How can you turn fear into momentum? A Different Perspective The bull may symbolize unforeseen obstacles that could still derail you. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hiking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiking/) [Life quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-quotes/) ## Related quotes > [“me back and the bull that would take me forward. And so I walked on. It took all I had to cover nine miles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/me-back-and-the-bull-that-would-take-me-forward-and-so-i-walked-on-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Aside from marrying my husband and having my children, hiking the PCT was the best thing I ever did. The hike very literally forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/aside-from-marrying-my-husband-and-having-my-children-hiking-the-pct/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“And now it was official: I loved REI more than I loved the people behind Snapple lemonade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-now-it-was-official-i-loved-rei-more-than-i-loved-the-people/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Going down (descending), I realized, was like taking hold of the loose strand of yard on a sweater you'd just spent hours knitting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/going-down-descending-i-realized-was-like-taking-hold-of-the-loose/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I will never go home, I thought with a finality that made me catch my breath, and then I walked on, my mind emptying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-will-never-go-home-i-thought-with-a-finality-that-made-me-catch-my/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“How fabulous down was for those first minutes! Down, down, down I'd go until down too became impossible and punishing and so relentless that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/how-fabulous-down-was-for-those-first-minutes-down-down-down-i-d-go/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Hiking the PCT was the maddening effort of knitting that sweater and unraveling it over and over again. As if everything gained was inevitably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/hiking-the-pct-was-the-maddening-effort-of-knitting-that-sweater-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Had a gay bull I had to sell last year. That was a damn nuisance. Gay son? That don't cost me nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/had-a-gay-bull-i-had-to-sell-last-year-that-was-a-damn-nuisance-gay/) [Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/) > [A bull will try to outwit you. It will stop and hook when the last thing you expect from it is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-ford/a-bull-will-try-to-outwit-you-it-will-stop-and-hook-when-the-last/) [Bette Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-ford/) > [“Where’s the bull? (Callie) Tied to a tree, eating my boot. I’m just glad my leg is no longer in it. (Sin) Lad, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/where-s-the-bull-callie-tied-to-a-tree-eating-my-boot-i-m-just-glad/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > ['Raging Bull' was just a dream to work on, but it took a lot of work to get all those fights to work right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/raging-bull-was-just-a-dream-to-work-on-but-it-took-a-lot-of-work-to/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/there-comes-a-time-in-the-affairs-of-man-when-he-must-take-the-bull/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [I'll Ride With You Through All The Bull Shit , But Just Don't Bull Shit Mee .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marixsol/i-ll-ride-with-you-through-all-the-bull-shit-but-just-don-t-bull-shit/) Marixsol > [Bullfights are hugely popular because you can sit comfortably with a hot dog and possibly watch a man die. It wont be me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/bullfights-are-hugely-popular-because-you-can-sit-comfortably-with-a/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) ## More by Cheryl Strayed > [“She understands that attention is the first and final act of love, and that the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/she-understands-that-attention-is-the-first-and-final-act-of-love-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Of course you want someone special to love you. A majority of the people who write to me inquire about how they can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/of-course-you-want-someone-special-to-love-you-a-majority-of-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-you-have-to-do-it-no-matter-what-is-true-no-matter-what-is-hard/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Don’t listen to those people who suggest you should be “over” your daughter’s death by now. The people who squawk the loudest about such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-listen-to-those-people-who-suggest-you-should-be-over-your/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“. . . there was the actual doing it, quickly followed by the grim realization of what it meant to do it, followed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/there-was-the-actual-doing-it-quickly-followed-by-the-grim/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The sky didn't wonder where it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-sky-didn-t-wonder-where-it-was/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I never believed the boys were angry. I believed they were hurt and anger was the safest manifestation of their sorrow. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-never-believed-the-boys-were-angry-i-believed-they-were-hurt-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“It’s wrong that this is required of you. It’s wrong that your son died. It will always be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-wrong-that-this-is-required-of-you-it-s-wrong-that-your-son-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“We aren't poor," my mother said, again and again. "Because we're rich in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/we-aren-t-poor-my-mother-said-again-and-again-because-we-re-rich-in/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) [Explore all 450 Cheryl Strayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## More Bull quotes > [“It was not brilliant bull-fighting. It was only perfect bull-fighting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-was-not-brilliant-bull-fighting-it-was-only-perfect-bull-fighting/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Bullfights are hugely popular because you can sit comfortably with a hot dog and possibly watch a man die. It wont be me, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/bullfights-are-hugely-popular-because-you-can-sit-comfortably-with-a/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [I'll Ride With You Through All The Bull Shit , But Just Don't Bull Shit Mee .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marixsol/i-ll-ride-with-you-through-all-the-bull-shit-but-just-don-t-bull-shit/) Marixsol > [There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/there-comes-a-time-in-the-affairs-of-man-when-he-must-take-the-bull/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > ['Raging Bull' was just a dream to work on, but it took a lot of work to get all those fights to work right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/raging-bull-was-just-a-dream-to-work-on-but-it-took-a-lot-of-work-to/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [“Where’s the bull? (Callie) Tied to a tree, eating my boot. I’m just glad my leg is no longer in it. (Sin) Lad, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinley-macgregor/where-s-the-bull-callie-tied-to-a-tree-eating-my-boot-i-m-just-glad/) [Kinley MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinley-macgregor/) > [A bull will try to outwit you. It will stop and hook when the last thing you expect from it is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-ford/a-bull-will-try-to-outwit-you-it-will-stop-and-hook-when-the-last/) [Bette Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-ford/) > [“Had a gay bull I had to sell last year. That was a damn nuisance. Gay son? That don't cost me nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-roux/had-a-gay-bull-i-had-to-sell-last-year-that-was-a-damn-nuisance-gay/) [Abigail Roux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-roux/) > [This my bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-my-bull/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [This my young bull he can fight yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-my-young-bull-he-can-fight-yo/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Bull in a China Shop The metaphor “bull in a china shop” appropriately describes how a clumsy (or socially awkward) person can sometimes find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/bull-in-a-china-shop-the-metaphor-bull-in-a-china-shop-appropriately/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“How in the world did they just jump from politics, to a ball, and now to daimon attacks? And here I’d thought I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/how-in-the-world-did-they-just-jump-from-politics-to-a-ball-and-now/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [I bet you my body is three-quarters Red Bull.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlamagne-tha-god/i-bet-you-my-body-is-three-quarters-red-bull/) [Charlamagne tha God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlamagne-tha-god/) > [On a ruinous wall I came upon a poster dating from the previous year and announcing that ‘six handsome bulls’ would be killed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/on-a-ruinous-wall-i-came-upon-a-poster-dating-from-the-previous-year/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“But in truth,' said Bull, 'we are going nowhere. That my friend, is the irony of our constant movement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/but-in-truth-said-bull-we-are-going-nowhere-that-my-friend-is-the/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) Browse all 308 Bull quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch up my bleeding finger, terrified by every sound that the bull was coming back, I considered my options. There were only two and they were essentially the same. I could go back in the direction I had come from, or I could go forward in the direction I intended to go. The bull, I acknowledged grimly, could be in either direction, since I hadn’t seen where he’d run once I closed my eyes. I could only choose between the bull that would take me back and the bull that would take me forward. And so I walked on.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cheryl Strayed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-attempting-to-patch-up-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bull" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-attempting-to-patch-up-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f2a/cheryl-strayed-605_bull_as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-att_2739847.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As I clung to the chaparral that day, attempting to patch up my bleeding finger, terrified by every sound…” — Cheryl Strayed", "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": "Cheryl Strayed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As I clung to the chaparral...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-attempting-to-patch-up-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/as-i-clung-to-the-chaparral-that-day-attempting-to-patch-up-my/#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 } } ] } ```