---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it might fly around and around in…"
description: "\"“I think it might fly around and around in there like a witch on a broomstick flies round the sky, and go right on hurting invisible parts of the perso..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg"
---

#  I think it might fly around and around in there like a…

![“I think it might fly around and around in there like a witch on a broomstick flies round the sky, and go right on hurting invisible parts of the person you don’t even know you’re hurting, because you can’t see all the ways their insides are connected to the mean thing you did to their outside And…” quote by David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg)

> ““I think it might fly around and around in there like a witch on a broomstick flies round the sky, and go right on hurting invisible parts of the person you don’t even know you’re hurting, because you can’t see all the ways their insides are connected to the mean thing you did to their outside And from them on, maybe that hump of mean energy sits inside the hurt person like a coiled-up hose or a rattlesnake, just waiting in there. And someday, when that person touches somebody else, maybe even way in the future, that rattlesnake energy might come humping up out of them by accident and hurt that next person too, even though they didn’t mean to, and even though the person didn’t deserve it.””

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

## About This Quote

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

Unseen emotional trauma can linger and affect others unintentionally, spreading harm like a hidden toxin.

**In simple terms:** Hidden hurt can spread to others.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address hidden emotional wounds.

Themes

emotional health interpersonal impact trauma responsibility

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- counseling sessions
- family gatherings
- conflict resolution
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

psychology energy metaphor intergenerational trauma

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you notice invisible wounds in yourself?
- Can you prevent passing on hidden hurt?

A Different Perspective

Healing requires conscious effort; not all damage is visible.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Broomstick Flies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broomstick-flies-4548017/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Hurt Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-person/) [Hurting Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurting-ways-4548018/) [Mean person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean-person/)

## Related quotes

> [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [“My heart feels like a piece of glass that’s been slammed against a ceramic floor. It’s completely and utterly shattered. I’ve hurt the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-de-jong/my-heart-feels-like-a-piece-of-glass-that-s-been-slammed-against-a/)

[Lisa De Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-de-jong/)

> [I would love to be able to swim in the ocean in Malibu. But that is asking for a bikini shot. That's inviting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kate-olsen/i-would-love-to-be-able-to-swim-in-the-ocean-in-malibu-but-that-is-2/)

[Mary-Kate Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kate-olsen/)

> [I'm not a mean person, so it kind of hurts when people are mean to me, but that's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-brown/i-m-not-a-mean-person-so-it-kind-of-hurts-when-people-are-mean-to-me/)

[Kane Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-brown/)

> [My previous visits to Australia created fantastic memories, so I'm definitely looking forward to another visit. It is one of the most beautiful places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-nichols/my-previous-visits-to-australia-created-fantastic-memories-so-i-m/)

[Joe Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-nichols/)

> [I’m not a mean person, but I have a capacity for it. I have the biting comment formed somewhere in the back of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/i-m-not-a-mean-person-but-i-have-a-capacity-for-it-i-have-the-biting/)

[Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/)

> [Ugly live up on the inside. Ugly be a hurtful, mean person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/ugly-live-up-on-the-inside-ugly-be-a-hurtful-mean-person/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [“The first time I was ever called ugly, I was thirteen. It was a rich friend of my brother Carlton's over to shoot guns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/the-first-time-i-was-ever-called-ugly-i-was-thirteen-it-was-a-rich/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

> [Sincerity doesn't mean anything. A person can be sincere and be more destructive than a person who is insincere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/sincerity-doesn-t-mean-anything-a-person-can-be-sincere-and-be-more/)

[Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/)

> [To me, the most important thing was to treat people the way you want to be treated. Some people say that I'm a mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mustaine/to-me-the-most-important-thing-was-to-treat-people-the-way-you-want/)

[Dave Mustaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mustaine/)

> [“It's so difficult to be a mean person when u were born to make people laugh…. when people are mean towards u and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peekey/it-s-so-difficult-to-be-a-mean-person-when-u-were-born-to-make-people/)

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

> [I don't care if someone makes fun of me, but if someone calls me a mean person or something, I reply. If you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-charles/i-don-t-care-if-someone-makes-fun-of-me-but-if-someone-calls-me-a/)

[James Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-charles/)

> [Patience, I AM NOT A MEAN PERSON-OH MY GOSH. I AM NOT A MEAN AND NASTY PERSON TO OTHER PEOPLE. I DO NOT CALL…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare/patience-i-am-not-a-mean-person-oh-my-gosh-i-am-not-a-mean-and-nasty/)

[CLARE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare/)

> [“Or let’s say you have an anger problem. You get pissed off at the stupidest, most inane stuff, and you have no idea why.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/or-let-s-say-you-have-an-anger-problem-you-get-pissed-off-at-the/)

[Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/)

> [Your value is nothing if you cannot honor your word. If you do not mean what you say, you are the most mean person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/your-value-is-nothing-if-you-cannot-honor-your-word-if-you-do-not/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

## More by David James Duncan

> [“Because I wasn’t anything anymore. Not anythingI love or know or care about. Because thou shalt not kill, Kade. Thou shalt not kill. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/because-i-wasn-t-anything-anymore-not-anythingi-love-or-know-or-care/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“It was so good to see him in there, yet so funny to find him so much like me, and so tiny. "Nice kingdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/it-was-so-good-to-see-him-in-there-yet-so-funny-to-find-him-so-much/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Bobby Edson, like most coaches, was a kind of mystic: he believed the cosmos was endowed with an ineffable muffling system that rendered all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/bobby-edson-like-most-coaches-was-a-kind-of-mystic-he-believed-the/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [--I truly and deeply wanted to kill him. And I believe I could have done it, with nothing but my hands. But all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-truly-and-deeply-wanted-to-kill-him-and-i-believe-i-could-have-done/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Papa was no longer fixing a carburetor: he was setting up a greasy little Cuban missile base smack-dab in the middle of Mama’s immaculate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/papa-was-no-longer-fixing-a-carburetor-he-was-setting-up-a-greasy/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“The Austrian writer Robert Musil summed up the Fanatic's great rhetorical advantage in just ten words: There is no truth which stupidity can't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-austrian-writer-robert-musil-summed-up-the-fanatic-s-great/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Is the work of sun worshippers to honor those who think they can see the sun? Or to worship the sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/is-the-work-of-sun-worshippers-to-honor-those-who-think-they-can-see/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“Peter didn’t want to change the world: he wanted to fully comprehend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/peter-didn-t-want-to-change-the-world-he-wanted-to-fully-comprehend-it/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“It is a rare high school teacher who enjoys seeing their world being enormously improved upon by youths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/it-is-a-rare-high-school-teacher-who-enjoys-seeing-their-world-being/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [The principles that will save Earth's life are the same principles that save the living souls of humans: ineluctable spiritual principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/the-principles-that-will-save-earth-s-life-are-the-same-principles/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“I’m just saying that his card-burning would have meant far more, on the day he did it, if he hadn’t already incinerated his life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-m-just-saying-that-his-card-burning-would-have-meant-far-more-on/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“I gave him everything from my lunches I hate, which is called Charity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-gave-him-everything-from-my-lunches-i-hate-which-is-called-charity/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [“If we can’t be ballplayers together, maybe I can start bein’ a Buddhist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/if-we-can-t-be-ballplayers-together-maybe-i-can-start-bein-a-buddhist/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

> [As a lifelong student of the world’s wisdom literature, it is my duty to inform students that “ridding the world of evil” is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/as-a-lifelong-student-of-the-world-s-wisdom-literature-it-is-my-duty/)

[David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

[Explore all 85 David James Duncan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/)

## More Hurt quotes

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/)

[Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/)

[Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/)

> [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/)

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

> [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/)

[Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/)

> [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/)

[Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/)

> [A HURTED HEART IS LIKE SMALL BABY WHICH CAN ONLY CRY BT IT WONT B ABLE 2 EXPRESS ITS FEELINGS.SO DONT HURT ANYBODY IN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/a-hurted-heart-is-like-small-baby-which-can-only-cry-bt-it-wont-b/)

[Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/)

> [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

> [Some things hurt, you know, and there's pain. But we magnify the suffering of it often, I think, by our reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/some-things-hurt-you-know-and-there-s-pain-but-we-magnify-the/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

> [You can't force any one to love you, and fighting it, you just gonna hurt yourself badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mongotleng/you-can-t-force-any-one-to-love-you-and-fighting-it-you-just-gonna/)

[Edward Mongotleng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mongotleng/)

> [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/)

[Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aviation/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Browse all 13,577 Hurt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I think it might fly around and around in there like a witch on a broomstick flies round the sky, and go right on hurting invisible parts of the person you don’t even know you’re hurting, because you can’t see all the ways their insides are connected to the mean thing you did to their outside And from them on, maybe that hump of mean energy sits inside the hurt person like a coiled-up hose or a rattlesnake, just waiting in there. And someday, when that person touches somebody else, maybe even way in the future, that rattlesnake energy might come humping up out of them by accident and hurt that next person too, even though they didn’t mean to, and even though the person didn’t deserve it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David James Duncan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-in-there-like-a-witch-on-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hurt"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-in-there-like-a-witch-on-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/david-james-duncan-8032_hurt_i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-i_2155187.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think it might fly around and around in there like a witch on a broomstick flies round the sky, and go…” — David James Duncan",
                "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 James Duncan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I think it might fly around...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-in-there-like-a-witch-on-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/i-think-it-might-fly-around-and-around-in-there-like-a-witch-on-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
