--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That man would have chipped away at your…" description: "\"“That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been bruised, but at least it's whole.”\" — Christi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png" --- # That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit… ![“That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been bruised, but at least it's whole.” quote by Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png) > ““That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been bruised, but at least it's whole.”” [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even damaged hearts retain wholeness; healing is about integration, not erasure. **In simple terms:** A bruised heart can still be whole. Key Takeaway Accept and integrate pain. Themes healing heart wholeness growth Mood empathetic reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy - personal loss - relationship repair Key Concepts psychology emotional resilience self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - What parts of yourself feel bruised? - How can you honor your wounds while moving forward? A Different Perspective Healing may be slow and painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bruised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bruised/) [Chipped Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chipped-away-3819092/) [Heart Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-bit-4558292/) [Heartache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartache/) [Left Bruised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-bruised-4967733/) [Man Chipped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-chipped-6139162/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Wholeheartedly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholeheartedly/) ## Related quotes > [“Closing up. Finally spent. You are gone. And now you're moving along. Heavy now. Tears remain. Hard pressed to rest. When all I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-linde/closing-up-finally-spent-you-are-gone-and-now-you-re-moving-along/) [K.A. Linde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-linde/) > [No one has ever squeezed into my heart, not even a bit, but somehow you managed to take over the whole thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-has-ever-squeezed-into-my-heart-not-even-a-bit-but-somehow-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't know. I don't know where that strength went, I don't remember losing it. I think that over time it got chipped away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-where-that-strength-went-i-don-t-remember/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [There's no such thing as a perfect life, but if you hold on to that long enough and watch it get chipped away, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-diamond/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-perfect-life-but-if-you-hold-on-to-that/) [Jason Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-diamond/) > [Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly support programs at Microsoft and in the industry that bring more women into technology and close the pay gap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/without-a-doubt-i-wholeheartedly-support-programs-at-microsoft-and-in/) [Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/) > [I'm fortunate because people can't put a label on me, which I embrace wholeheartedly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-head/i-m-fortunate-because-people-can-t-put-a-label-on-me-which-i-embrace/) [Anthony Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-head/) > [I got a role in this movie called Freeway playing this really angry, aggressive, violent young woman who believed wholeheartedly in the truth. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reese-witherspoon/i-got-a-role-in-this-movie-called-freeway-playing-this-really-angry/) [Reese Witherspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reese-witherspoon/) > [The Indian audiences have accepted me wholeheartedly. I find that very encouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saba-qamar/the-indian-audiences-have-accepted-me-wholeheartedly-i-find-that-very/) [Saba Qamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saba-qamar/) > [I wholeheartedly support the aspirations of the Ukrainian people for a democratic, free and just society where the rule of law prevails without corruption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcy-kaptur/i-wholeheartedly-support-the-aspirations-of-the-ukrainian-people-for/) [Marcy Kaptur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcy-kaptur/) > [“It may sound simplistic, but is meant wholeheartedly. We are so privileged to have the Scriptures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janette-oke/it-may-sound-simplistic-but-is-meant-wholeheartedly-we-are-so/) [Janette Oke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janette-oke/) > [Do everything with your whole heart, or not at all. Don't put up with lies or with people who lie to you. Don't risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/do-everything-with-your-whole-heart-or-not-at-all-don-t-put-up-with/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [I certainly embrace all the movement that's going on these days about equality for women and equal rights. In general, I would apply that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-certainly-embrace-all-the-movement-that-s-going-on-these-days-about/) [Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/) > [I think when you move past your fear and you go after your dreams wholeheartedly, you become free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ll-cool-j/i-think-when-you-move-past-your-fear-and-you-go-after-your-dreams/) [LL Cool J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ll-cool-j/) > [Design is all about relationships. Unfortunately, many designers don’t fully appreciate this. Some of the best design work I’ve ever done was drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-burka/design-is-all-about-relationships-unfortunately-many-designers-don-t/) [Daniel Burka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-burka/) > [The truly still mind, with which you were born, is the mind that moves freely. Without ignoring anything, it reacts wholeheartedly to everything it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soko-morinaga/the-truly-still-mind-with-which-you-were-born-is-the-mind-that-moves/) [Soko Morinaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soko-morinaga/) ## More by Christina Baker Kline > [“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-grote-shows-me-how-he-grows-wild-rice-in-the-stream-and-collects/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or—perhaps forget is the wrong word. How can I forget? And yet how can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-try-to-forget-the-horror-of-what-happened-or-perhaps-forget-is-the/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“don’t know how much of my memory of this time is affected by my age now and how much is a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/don-t-know-how-much-of-my-memory-of-this-time-is-affected-by-my-age/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“The stark gray sky and bare tree limbs feel more suited to her than the uncomplicated promise of sunny spring days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/the-stark-gray-sky-and-bare-tree-limbs-feel-more-suited-to-her-than/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Sometimes these spirits have been more real to me than people, more real than God. They fill silence with their weight, dense and warm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/sometimes-these-spirits-have-been-more-real-to-me-than-people-more/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Every Easter she and her mother planted those crocuses near the fence beside the driveway, and soon enough a whole cluster of them, white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/every-easter-she-and-her-mother-planted-those-crocuses-near-the-fence/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Babies pay no attention to the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/babies-pay-no-attention-to-the-clock/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Mr. Kaminski pulled a chain hanging from the pressed-metal kitchen ceiling, and light seeped from a bulb, casting a wan glow over a scarred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-kaminski-pulled-a-chain-hanging-from-the-pressed-metal-kitchen/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Before we leave the gravesite, Mary sings Mother's favorite gospel hymn ... Mary's lovely voice rises and lingers in the air, and by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/before-we-leave-the-gravesite-mary-sings-mother-s-favorite-gospel/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“for the first time since the fire, my worries are gone. I feel a joy so strong it’s almost painful—a knife’s edge of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/for-the-first-time-since-the-fire-my-worries-are-gone-i-feel-a-joy-so/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“What was it the teacher in her Legal Issues class said the other day? Never bring up a point you don’t have an answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/what-was-it-the-teacher-in-her-legal-issues-class-said-the-other-day/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Mrs. Scatcherd raps Dutchy's knuckles several times with a long wooden ruler, though it seems to me a halfhearted penalty. He barely winces, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mrs-scatcherd-raps-dutchy-s-knuckles-several-times-with-a-long-wooden/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“(There are many ways to be crippled, I’ve learned over the years, many forms of paralysis.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/there-are-many-ways-to-be-crippled-i-ve-learned-over-the-years-many/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“This girl may never go anywhere. She should at least know that adventure is in her bones.” When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/this-girl-may-never-go-anywhere-she-should-at-least-know-that/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“only link we had to our future was a name scrawled on a piece of paper my father tucked in his shirt pocket as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/only-link-we-had-to-our-future-was-a-name-scrawled-on-a-piece-of/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) [Explore all 281 Christina Baker Kline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## More Bruised quotes > [I know I have I have sliced , burned ,bruised wriped at](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/i-know-i-have-i-have-sliced-burned-bruised-wriped-at/) [Slowly\_fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slowly-fading/) > [“Rather than being incensed by the nature of the bruise, maybe we should be inspired by the possibilities in the bruise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/rather-than-being-incensed-by-the-nature-of-the-bruise-maybe-we/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [As if goaded by a kind of frantic despair, I sketched these dirty, ragged little victims of the war with their bruised, lacerated minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-keane/as-if-goaded-by-a-kind-of-frantic-despair-i-sketched-these-dirty/) [Walter Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-keane/) > [“Before Annie could answer, he was there, hugging her until her ribs ached and kissing her so hard that her lips felt bruised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-baker/before-annie-could-answer-he-was-there-hugging-her-until-her-ribs/) [E.D. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-d-baker/) > [It is better to go bruised to heaven than sound to hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-sibbes/it-is-better-to-go-bruised-to-heaven-than-sound-to-hell/) [Richard Sibbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-sibbes/) > [Sometimes I wish I was a little girl again because bruised knees heels faster then broken hearts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/sometimes-i-wish-i-was-a-little-girl-again-because-bruised-knees/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“Have an apple. It’s bruised. I beat the hell out of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/have-an-apple-it-s-bruised-i-beat-the-hell-out-of-it/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I had a snowboarding accident. I fell off a horse. I've had a concussion, a fractured rib... I walk into walls. I'm always bruised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/i-had-a-snowboarding-accident-i-fell-off-a-horse-i-ve-had-a/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [“manhood into smithereens. My ego was bruised. Battered. Mutilated beyond recognition. My pride was hurt. Crushed. Decimated beyond recovery. But by nothing short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-arcane/manhood-into-smithereens-my-ego-was-bruised-battered-mutilated-beyond/) [Annie Arcane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-arcane/) > [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [Labor is blossoming or dancing where The body is not bruised to pleasure soul, Nor beauty born out of its own despair, Nor blear-eyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/labor-is-blossoming-or-dancing-where-the-body-is-not-bruised-to/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [I grew up in a little town in Minnesota, 500 people. I went out to Princeton, and I wasn't very well-accepted out there by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-grew-up-in-a-little-town-in-minnesota-500-people-i-went-out-to/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [The spirit is willing but the flesh is spongy and bruised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zapp-brannigan/the-spirit-is-willing-but-the-flesh-is-spongy-and-bruised/) [Zapp Brannigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zapp-brannigan/) > [The mind of the scholar, if you would have it large and liberal, should come in contact with other minds. It is better that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-mind-of-the-scholar-if-you-would-have-it-large-and-liberal-should/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) [Browse all 218 Bruised quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bruised/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been bruised, but at least it's whole.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christina Baker Kline" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your-heart-bit-by-bit-until-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bruised" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your-heart-bit-by-bit-until-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/christina-baker-kline-1124_bruised_that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your_802012.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been…” — Christina Baker Kline", "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": "Christina Baker Kline", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That man would have chipped away...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your-heart-bit-by-bit-until-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your-heart-bit-by-bit-until-there/#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 } } ] } ```