--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each of us has something within us which…" description: "\"Each of us has something within us which won't be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, that's all. Like the old Celtic ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg" --- # Each of us has something within us which won't be denied… ![“Each of us has something within us which won't be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, that's all. Like the old Celtic legend of the bird with the thorn in its breast, singing its heart out and dying. Because it has to, its self-knowledge can't affect or change the…” quote by Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg) > “Each of us has something within us which won't be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, that's all. Like the old Celtic legend of the bird with the thorn in its breast, singing its heart out and dying. Because it has to, its self-knowledge can't affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing his own little song, convinced it's the most wonderful song the world has ever heard. Don't you see? We create our own thorns, and never stop to count the cost. All we can do is suffer the pain, and tell ourselves it was well worth it.” [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People create personal suffering by clinging to self‑imposed narratives, ignoring the inevitable costs of their choices. **In simple terms:** Self‑inflicted pain arises from stubborn self‑belief. Key Takeaway Question the stories you tell yourself. Themes identity pain choice mythology Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career decisions - artistic expression - mental health Key Concepts Self‑knowledge existential angst mythic symbolism Questions to Reflect On - What personal “thorns” are you nurturing? - Can letting go change your path? A Different Perspective Denial can trap individuals in endless cycles of suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Bird Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird-thorn-331646/) [Breasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breasts/) [Celtic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celtic/) [Cost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cost/) [Create Thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-thorns-1646913/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-self-1882233/) [Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heard/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Legends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legends/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Scream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scream/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thorns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thorns/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wonderful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Worth it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-it/) ## Related quotes > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“We can know what we do wrong even before we do it, but self-knowledge can't affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/we-can-know-what-we-do-wrong-even-before-we-do-it-but-self-knowledge/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [When you know you are dying, self-deceptions fly from your bedside like embers off a bonfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darin-strauss/when-you-know-you-are-dying-self-deceptions-fly-from-your-bedside/) [Darin Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darin-strauss/) > [“When leaders die to pushing their own agendas and realize that leadership is the act of dying to self, those around them are profoundly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-sayers/when-leaders-die-to-pushing-their-own-agendas-and-realize-that/) [Mark Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-sayers/) > [“The one true way of dying to self is the way of patience, meekness, humility, and resignation to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-murray/the-one-true-way-of-dying-to-self-is-the-way-of-patience-meekness/) [Andrew Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-murray/) > [“But we, when we put the thorns in our breasts, we know. We understand. And still we do it. Still we do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/but-we-when-we-put-the-thorns-in-our-breasts-we-know-we-understand/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [I loved that pressure. That's what fuels you as a player. That achievement of playing for Celtic is massive. All the fans put that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-sinclair/i-loved-that-pressure-that-s-what-fuels-you-as-a-player-that/) [Scott Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-sinclair/) > [Eriugena and other Celtic teachers speak of Christ as our memory, as the one who leads us to our deepest identity, as the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philip-newell/eriugena-and-other-celtic-teachers-speak-of-christ-as-our-memory-as/) [John Philip Newell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philip-newell/) > [The early Celtic Christians called the Holy Spirit 'the wild goose.' And the reason why is they knew that you cannot tame him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/the-early-celtic-christians-called-the-holy-spirit-the-wild-goose-and/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [I find very reasonable the Celtic belief that the souls of our dearly departed are trapped in some inferior being, in an animal, aplant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-find-very-reasonable-the-celtic-belief-that-the-souls-of-our-dearly/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [If I can achieve for Celtic what I have achieved for Hibs, then I feel I will have done well for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jock-stein/if-i-can-achieve-for-celtic-what-i-have-achieved-for-hibs-then-i-feel/) [Jock Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jock-stein/) > [I feel like I was born a Celtic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-rozier/i-feel-like-i-was-born-a-celtic/) [Terry Rozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-rozier/) > [I did think there were one or two referees who had a personal thing against me. It wasn't them versus Celtic - it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-strachan/i-did-think-there-were-one-or-two-referees-who-had-a-personal-thing/) [Gordon Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-strachan/) > [I have always been interested in mythology and history. The more I read, the more I realized that there have always been people at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott/i-have-always-been-interested-in-mythology-and-history-the-more-i/) [Michael Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scott/) > [Being at Celtic gave me some of the best moments of my career. I absolutely loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-sinclair/being-at-celtic-gave-me-some-of-the-best-moments-of-my-career-i/) [Scott Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-sinclair/) ## More by Colleen McCullough > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/for-the-best-is-only-bought-at-the-cost-of-great-pain/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [My fictitious characters will take the bit between their teeth and gallop off and do something that I hadn't counted on. However, I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/my-fictitious-characters-will-take-the-bit-between-their-teeth-and/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [I want to know what they look like, their height, and colouring, physique and speech pattens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/i-want-to-know-what-they-look-like-their-height-and-colouring/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Old age is an ordeal, of flesh and mind. Of winding down, of slowing down, of dying cells. It's accepting the loss of physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/old-age-is-an-ordeal-of-flesh-and-mind-of-winding-down-of-slowing/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“But not we men. We weren't fit to be told. For so you women think, and hug your mysteries, getting your backs on us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/but-not-we-men-we-weren-t-fit-to-be-told-for-so-you-women-think-and/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [How frightening, that one person could mean so much, so many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/how-frightening-that-one-person-could-mean-so-much-so-many-things/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“It's not worth getting upset about, Mrs. Dominic. Down in the city they don't know how the other half lives, and they can afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/it-s-not-worth-getting-upset-about-mrs-dominic-down-in-the-city-they/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“You still think love can save us. It's more killing than hate. Hate is so clean, so simple. Like being in the ring. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/you-still-think-love-can-save-us-it-s-more-killing-than-hate-hate-is/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“You still think love can save us. It’s more killing than hate. Hate is so clean, so simple. Like being in the ring. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/you-still-think-love-can-save-us-it-s-more-killing-than-hate-hate-is-2/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [If you love people, they kill you. If you need people, they kill you. They do I tell you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/if-you-love-people-they-kill-you-if-you-need-people-they-kill-you/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [“The law should not be a huge and weighty slab which falls upon a man and squashes him into a uniform shape, for men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-law-should-not-be-a-huge-and-weighty-slab-which-falls-upon-a-man/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [duty, the most indecent of all obsessions, was only another name for love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/duty-the-most-indecent-of-all-obsessions-was-only-another-name-for/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [There is no doubt that it is more difficult to read and more difficult to write but I still manage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/there-is-no-doubt-that-it-is-more-difficult-to-read-and-more/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [It's a woman's book but I think the men will read it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/it-s-a-woman-s-book-but-i-think-the-men-will-read-it-too/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) [Explore all 82 Colleen McCullough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) ## More Bird quotes > [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/) [Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/) > [Some minds corrode and grow inactive under the loss of personal liberty; others grow morbid and irritable; but it is the nature of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/some-minds-corrode-and-grow-inactive-under-the-loss-of-personal/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [Set the bird's wings with gold and it will never again soar in thesky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/set-the-bird-s-wings-with-gold-and-it-will-never-again-soar-in-thesky/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) [Nina Schuyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-schuyler/) > [I would rather learn from one bird how to sing than to teach 10,000 stars how not to dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/i-would-rather-learn-from-one-bird-how-to-sing-than-to-teach-10-000/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [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/) > [And wheresoever, in his rich creation, Sweet music breathes--in wave, or bird, or soul-- 'Tis but the faint and far reverberation Of that great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-sargent-osgood/and-wheresoever-in-his-rich-creation-sweet-music-breathes-in-wave-or/) [Frances Sargent Osgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-sargent-osgood/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Real like sucks the life out of losers. if you want to fuck with the eagles, you must learn how to fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-like-sucks-the-life-out-of-losers-if-you-want-to-fuck-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Browse all 4,802 Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Each of us has something within us which won't be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are what we are, that's all. Like the old Celtic legend of the bird with the thorn in its breast, singing its heart out and dying. Because it has to, its self-knowledge can't affect or change the outcome, can it? Everyone singing his own little song, convinced it's the most wonderful song the world has ever heard. Don't you see? We create our own thorns, and never stop to count the cost. All we can do is suffer the pain, and tell ourselves it was well worth it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colleen McCullough" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which-won-t-be-denied-even-if-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bird" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which-won-t-be-denied-even-if-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a84/colleen-mccullough-7229_bird_each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which_973080.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Each of us has something within us which won't be denied, even if it makes us scream aloud to die. We are…” — Colleen McCullough", "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": "Colleen McCullough", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Each of us has something within...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which-won-t-be-denied-even-if-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/each-of-us-has-something-within-us-which-won-t-be-denied-even-if-it/#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 } } ] } ```