---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Last year when my grandma fell and broke…"
description: "\"Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa started doing it for her, even after he fell an..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png"
---

#  Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she…

![“Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa started doing it for her, even after he fell and broke his hip, too. For me, that's love.” quote by David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png)

> “Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa started doing it for her, even after he fell and broke his hip, too. For me, that's love.”

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Grandparents caring for each other after injuries illustrates love as self‑sacrifice and mutual support despite personal hardship.

**In simple terms:** Love shows through caring for each other.

Key Takeaway

Practice selfless care.

Themes

family love agingility aging

Mood

empathetic warm

Type

family inspirational

When to use this quote

- caregiving
- intergenerational support
- community programs

Key Concepts

psychology relationships gerontology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can families support aging members?
- What resources aid mutual caregiving?

A Different Perspective

Physical limits can strain caregivers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broke/) [Grandma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandma/) [Grandma Fell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandma-fell-930294/) [Grandpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandpa/) [Grandpa Started](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandpa-started-930296/) [Hips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hips/) [Last year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-year/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [My grandma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-grandma/) [Paint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint/) [Paint Toenails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paint-toenails-930295/) [Toenails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toenails/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [I painted my toenails before Dennis Rodman. One time at training camp, I stubbed my toe and the nail came loose. My mom gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-painted-my-toenails-before-dennis-rodman-one-time-at-training-camp/)

[Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/)

> [My grandpa was the one; he started taking up golf when I was about two and introduced me to the game as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-fowler/my-grandpa-was-the-one-he-started-taking-up-golf-when-i-was-about-two/)

[Rickie Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-fowler/)

> [“I bet it’s never happened to you." She was right. But that was only because I’d been five years old when Grandpa had started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyxandra-harvey/i-bet-it-s-never-happened-to-you-she-was-right-but-that-was-only/)

[Alyxandra Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyxandra-harvey/)

> [We have to start spreading that news - that real men change poopy diapers and coach the soccer team and let their daughters paint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-carter/we-have-to-start-spreading-that-news-that-real-men-change-poopy/)

[Lynda Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-carter/)

> [“Kabul was fairly peaceful now and Grandpa seemed to have started wasting away since the bombing stopped. For the past twenty-three years the excitement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-proch-zkov/kabul-was-fairly-peaceful-now-and-grandpa-seemed-to-have-started/)

[Petra Procházková](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-proch-zkov/)

> [Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/everyone-needs-to-have-access-both-to-grandparents-and-grandchildren/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I'd have had them first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-wyse/if-i-had-known-how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-have-grandchildren-i-d/)

[Lois Wyse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-wyse/)

> [We should all have one person who knows how to bless us despite the evidence, Grandmother was that person to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-grissim-theroux/we-should-all-have-one-person-who-knows-how-to-bless-us-despite-the/)

[Phyllis Grissim-Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-grissim-theroux/)

> [When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/when-grandparents-enter-the-door-discipline-flies-out-the-window-2/)

[Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/)

> [I loved their home. Everything smelled older, worn but safe; the food aroma had baked itself into the furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-strasberg/i-loved-their-home-everything-smelled-older-worn-but-safe-the-food/)

[Susan Strasberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-strasberg/)

> [A grandma's name is little less in love than is the doting title of a mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-grandma-s-name-is-little-less-in-love-than-is-the-doting-title-of-a/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [A grandparent is old on the outside but young on the inside. If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-bloomingdale/a-grandparent-is-old-on-the-outside-but-young-on-the-inside-if-your/)

[Teresa Bloomingdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-bloomingdale/)

> [I heard some famous people had an anniversary, five long years together, it was Hollywood history. Now my grandma and grandpa never made no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-walker/i-heard-some-famous-people-had-an-anniversary-five-long-years/)

[Clay Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-walker/)

> [What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/what-children-need-most-are-the-essentials-that-grandparents-provide/)

[Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/)

> [Her grandmother, as she gets older, is not fading but rather becoming more concentrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-alden/her-grandmother-as-she-gets-older-is-not-fading-but-rather-becoming/)

[Paulette Alden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-alden/)

## More by David Ebershoff

> [Isn't it interesting what a stranger can offer? A little wisdom, a little mercy, a little love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/isn-t-it-interesting-what-a-stranger-can-offer-a-little-wisdom-a/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“There is nothing more alarming to a boy than seeing a mother, or a father, buckling. It says to him that all will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/there-is-nothing-more-alarming-to-a-boy-than-seeing-a-mother-or-a/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Even though she was sitting next to the man, she couldn't believe he had noticed her. It felt to her as if no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/even-though-she-was-sitting-next-to-the-man-she-couldn-t-believe-he/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“My duty, I know, is to lead. I cannot offer an array of options. I must offer a long but narrow path to Salvation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/my-duty-i-know-is-to-lead-i-cannot-offer-an-array-of-options-i-must/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“I suppose my greatest disappointment has been realizing my father, like Joseph and Brigham before him, tried to shroud his passions in the mantle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/i-suppose-my-greatest-disappointment-has-been-realizing-my-father/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [I trust you have seen the ocean. If you have, then you have witnessed the divine. How barren the ground is in comparison! If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/i-trust-you-have-seen-the-ocean-if-you-have-then-you-have-witnessed/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“A final note on numbers: My research shows Ann Eliza was most likely Brigham's 52 of 55 wives. As far as I can tell,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/a-final-note-on-numbers-my-research-shows-ann-eliza-was-most-likely/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/faith-i-tell-them-is-a-mystery-elusive-to-many-and-never-easy-to/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [The agony of martyrdom is almost too much to bear. In the early hours, when the loss is fresh, there is no comfort in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/the-agony-of-martyrdom-is-almost-too-much-to-bear-in-the-early-hours/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“When my mom pulled the trigger my dad had a full house, three fives and a pair of ducks. He was all in. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/when-my-mom-pulled-the-trigger-my-dad-had-a-full-house-three-fives/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Do you know what I miss most about Rosemary? Simply knowing she was there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/do-you-know-what-i-miss-most-about-rosemary-simply-knowing-she-was/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Anna's voice wasn't a beautiful voice - rough edged and sorrowful, a bit used, somehow male and female at once. Yet it had more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/anna-s-voice-wasn-t-a-beautiful-voice-rough-edged-and-sorrowful-a-bit/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Isn't a gay Mormon like an oxymoron?' 'Do I look like an oxymoron to you?' 'An oxymormon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/isn-t-a-gay-mormon-like-an-oxymoron-do-i-look-like-an-oxymoron-to-you/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [I must say a few words about memory. It is full of holes. If you were to lay it out upon a table, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/i-must-say-a-few-words-about-memory-it-is-full-of-holes-if-you-were/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

> [“Under what circumstances does such outrage thrive? The territory of Utah, glorious as it may be, spiked by granite peaks and red jasper rocks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/under-what-circumstances-does-such-outrage-thrive-the-territory-of/)

[David Ebershoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

[Explore all 17 David Ebershoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/)

## More Broke quotes

> [I rap when I'm rich. I rap when I'm broke. I rap when I'm bullshit in the street. I rap about only having one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/killer-mike/i-rap-when-i-m-rich-i-rap-when-i-m-broke-i-rap-when-i-m-bullshit-in/)

[Killer Mike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/killer-mike/)

> [At least I'm not a celebrity and if I was, the whole world would have known that I broke up with my girlfriend last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/at-least-i-m-not-a-celebrity-and-if-i-was-the-whole-world-would-have/)

[Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/)

> [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/)

[Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/)

> [Nothing is really broke, so it's not like I can fix it. I just have to keep trying to find what I'm looking for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/nothing-is-really-broke-so-it-s-not-like-i-can-fix-it-i-just-have-to/)

[Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/)

> [You're the one who broke my heart you're the reason my world fell apart you're the one who made me cry and I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-the-one-who-broke-my-heart-you-re-the-reason-my-world-fell/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [My mother loved my father. From my view, she let him get away with too much. It broke my heart to see him in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/my-mother-loved-my-father-from-my-view-she-let-him-get-away-with-too/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [I broke up with my first girlfriend because I was out of love. I was crushing so hard on her for a whole year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-and-the-queens/i-broke-up-with-my-first-girlfriend-because-i-was-out-of-love-i-was/)

[Christine and the Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-and-the-queens/)

> [You have to be nicer to me," I said. Again he laughed. "What? I'm the King of nice. What are you talking about?" "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-myracle/you-have-to-be-nicer-to-me-i-said-again-he-laughed-what-i-m-the-king/)

[Lauren Myracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-myracle/)

> [If you sleep now tomorrow you will be broke, Work hard now and sleep later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-fwea-d/if-you-sleep-now-tomorrow-you-will-be-broke-work-hard-now-and-sleep/)

[G-Fwea D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-fwea-d/)

> [IMAGINE if Facebook, Twitter, and msn all broke at the same time. We might have to actually get lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brown-ladyy/imagine-if-facebook-twitter-and-msn-all-broke-at-the-same-time-we/)

[Brown Ladyy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brown-ladyy/)

> [Well I think they broke the mould when they made me and being humble is one of my great assets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hagman/well-i-think-they-broke-the-mould-when-they-made-me-and-being-humble/)

[Larry Hagman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hagman/)

> [By disgracing and degrading the presidency of the United States, by fleeing the White House like a diseased cur, Richard Nixon broke the heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/by-disgracing-and-degrading-the-presidency-of-the-united-states-by/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“She plucked a twig and broke it, but she found no spring in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/she-plucked-a-twig-and-broke-it-but-she-found-no-spring-in-it/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [The man who begins to speculate in stocks with the intention of making a fortune usually goes broke, whereas the man who trades with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dow/the-man-who-begins-to-speculate-in-stocks-with-the-intention-of/)

[Charles Dow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dow/)

> [Thousands of Americans have given their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq upholding their oaths and defending this nation. Chelsea Manning broke her oath and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/thousands-of-americans-have-given-their-lives-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/)

[John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/)

[Browse all 2,091 Broke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broke/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa started doing it for her, even after he fell and broke his hip, too. For me, that's love.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Ebershoff"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke-her-hip-she-couldn-t-paint/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Broke"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke-her-hip-she-couldn-t-paint/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/453/david-ebershoff-29756_broke_last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke_1678341.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Last year when my grandma fell and broke her hip she couldn't paint her toenails anymore. So my grandpa…” — David Ebershoff",
                "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": "David Ebershoff",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ebershoff/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Last year when my grandma fell...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke-her-hip-she-couldn-t-paint/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ebershoff/last-year-when-my-grandma-fell-and-broke-her-hip-she-couldn-t-paint/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
