--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sticks and stones may break your bones…" description: "\"Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt like hell.\" — Chuck Palahniuk" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg" --- # Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt… ![“Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt like hell.” quote by Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg) > “Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt like hell.” [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can cause deep emotional pain, sometimes more lasting than physical injury. **In simple terms:** Harsh words can scar deeply. Key Takeaway Choose words with care. Themes psychology communication emotional harm Mood somber reflective Type cautionary inspirational When to use this quote - online interactions - bullying - relationship conflicts Key Concepts verbal aggression psychological impact Questions to Reflect On - How do you recover from verbal wounds? - What safeguards can protect against harmful speech? A Different Perspective Physical pain is more visible than emotional pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Sticks and stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks-and-stones/) [Words can hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-can-hurt/) [Words hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-hurt/) ## Related quotes > [Stick and Stones may break your bones But words can Hurt like Hell..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/stick-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-like-hell/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt you in a different way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-you-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-never-hurt-me-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.' It sounds cute, but it's a complete fallacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-can-never-hurt-me-it/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) > [“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me - such bullshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-can-never-hurt-me-such/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-may-never-hurt-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me...unless the words were from someone I thought was my friend. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-never-hurt-me-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always hurt me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-always-hurt-me-2/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“What does not kill you makes you stronger but sticks and stones can break your bones AND words do hurt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-hahn/what-does-not-kill-you-makes-you-stronger-but-sticks-and-stones-can/) [Chanda Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-hahn/) > [I just think that as much as we say sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me - words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-kostek/i-just-think-that-as-much-as-we-say-sticks-and-stones-may-break-my/) [Camille Kostek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-kostek/) > [“Sticks and stones will break your bones, but now words can kill, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-will-break-your-bones-but-now-words-can-kill-too/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Stick and stones may break your bones, but words will never hurt you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/stick-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-will-never-hurt-you/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [One of the things that all kids are taught by their parents is this old "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/one-of-the-things-that-all-kids-are-taught-by-their-parents-is-this/) [William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words are what will kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-are-what-will-kill-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/sticks-and-stones-may-break-our-bones-but-words-will-break-our-hearts/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) ## More by Chuck Palahniuk > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/his-saliva-tasted-like-the-wet-dicks-of-ten-thousand-lonely-truck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“shoulder. They weigh that much. Tyler’s a banquet waiter,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/shoulder-they-weigh-that-much-tyler-s-a-banquet-waiter/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“We drive west the rest of the night, away from where the sun will come up, trying to outrace it, trying not to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-drive-west-the-rest-of-the-night-away-from-where-the-sun-will-come/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Just for the record, how I feel right now is very terrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/just-for-the-record-how-i-feel-right-now-is-very-terrific/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Nobody's told me anything to date that I've been completely reviled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nobody-s-told-me-anything-to-date-that-i-ve-been-completely-reviled-by/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/then-you-re-trapped-in-your-lovely-nest-and-the-things-you-used-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Waiters will always pee in soup, people will always fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/waiters-will-always-pee-in-soup-people-will-always-fall-in-love/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Branch Bacardi, star of The Da Vinci Load, To Drill a Mockingbird, The Postman Always Cums Twice, Chitty Chitty Gang Bang, The Twilight Bone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/branch-bacardi-star-of-the-da-vinci-load-to-drill-a-mockingbird-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Every unkind remark or crude gesture by others is a blessing, an opportunity to exercise our own capacity to forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/every-unkind-remark-or-crude-gesture-by-others-is-a-blessing-an/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Nuestro deber es enseñar a esos hombres y mujeres la libertad a través de la esclavitud; y el coraje a través del miedo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nuestro-deber-es-ense-ar-a-esos-hombres-y-mujeres-la-libertad-a-trav/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) [Explore all 2,041 Chuck Palahniuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More Bones quotes > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [Surely, God could have caused birds to fly with their bones made of solid gold, with their veins full of quicksilver, with their flesh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galileo-galilei/surely-god-could-have-caused-birds-to-fly-with-their-bones-made-of/) [Galileo Galilei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galileo-galilei/) > [“We are preaching hope, standing on the bones of the past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rucyahana/we-are-preaching-hope-standing-on-the-bones-of-the-past/) [John Rucyahana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rucyahana/) > [Men are fair, and they have learned not to personalize anger - they can disagree with you and argue to the bone, but afterward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/men-are-fair-and-they-have-learned-not-to-personalize-anger-they-can/) [Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [Flesh forgets. Bone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-bass/flesh-forgets-bone-remembers/) [Jefferson Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-bass/) > [One of my favorite poets, Neruda, writes close to the bone. Though I know only a little Spanish, I like to compare the Spanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-diament/one-of-my-favorite-poets-neruda-writes-close-to-the-bone-though-i/) [Anita Diament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-diament/) > [Death and burial were a public spectacle. Shakespeare may have seen for himself the gravediggers at St Ann's, Soho, playing skittles with skulls and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catharine-arnold/death-and-burial-were-a-public-spectacle-shakespeare-may-have-seen/) [Catharine Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catharine-arnold/) > [REVIEW, v.t. To set your wisdom (holding not a doubt of it./ Although in truth there's neither bone nor skin to it)/ At work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/review-v-t-to-set-your-wisdom-holding-not-a-doubt-of-it-although-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“In December of 2007 human bones including skulls, which have been radiocarbon dated back to between 1304 and 1424, were found in a museum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-seawater-one/in-december-of-2007-human-bones-including-skulls-which-have-been/) Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One > [When I look at the human brain I'm still in awe of it. Every single time you lift off the bone and open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/when-i-look-at-the-human-brain-i-m-still-in-awe-of-it-every-single/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [I’m in, Cat. I’d never leave you. Especially when you’ve got death breathing down your neck.” “Very funny,” I retorted, since Bones was inches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/i-m-in-cat-i-d-never-leave-you-especially-when-you-ve-got-death/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) Browse all 2,113 Bones quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt like hell.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Chuck Palahniuk" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-like-hell/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bones" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-like-hell/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/chuck-palahniuk-37_bones_sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-b_343767.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can hurt like hell.” — Chuck Palahniuk", "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": "Chuck Palahniuk", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sticks and stones may break your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-like-hell/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-hurt-like-hell/#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 } } ] } ```