---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She hit bottom when she physically…"
description: "\"“She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute. This was a boy of fourteen, a beloved neighborhood figure who delivered for the nearby deli.”..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png"
---

#  She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute…

![“She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute. This was a boy of fourteen, a beloved neighborhood figure who delivered for the nearby deli.” quote by David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png)

> ““She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute. This was a boy of fourteen, a beloved neighborhood figure who delivered for the nearby deli.””

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

## About This Quote

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

A violent act against a vulnerable person marks a personal low point, highlighting moral collapse and the need for empathy.

**In simple terms:** A violent act shows a personal low point.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and change harmful behavior.

Themes

morality violence empathy selfreflection

Mood

disturbed reflective

Type

narrative cautionary

When to use this quote

- school bullying
- family conflict
- selfassessment
- rehabilitation

Key Concepts

ethical decline human dignity personal crisis

Questions to Reflect On

- What could have prevented this act?
- How does empathy change outcomes?

A Different Perspective

The quote lacks context about why the act occurred, limiting understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I haven't physically attacked anyone in a couple of years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-malkovich/i-haven-t-physically-attacked-anyone-in-a-couple-of-years/)

[John Malkovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-malkovich/)

> [Messi is the world's best and gets physically attacked every game but all he ever does is get up and get on with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-moyes/messi-is-the-world-s-best-and-gets-physically-attacked-every-game-but/)

[David Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-moyes/)

> [I've been extremely lucky having been in the army when I was a boy of fourteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-wisdom/i-ve-been-extremely-lucky-having-been-in-the-army-when-i-was-a-boy-of/)

[Norman Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-wisdom/)

> [For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/for-every-southern-boy-fourteen-years-old-not-once-but-whenever-he/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [I was probably about fourteen I think, and probably like every boy who's fourteen that writes a song, it was about a girl. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-boyd/i-was-probably-about-fourteen-i-think-and-probably-like-every-boy-who/)

[Billy Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-boyd/)

> [“The Little Mute Boy" The little boy was looking for his voice. (The king of the crickets had it.) In a drop of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/the-little-mute-boy-the-little-boy-was-looking-for-his-voice-the-king-2/)

[Federico García Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/)

> [Everyone was laughin'. Even that deaf mute boy was breathing heavy and pointing at me. Which is laughter to their kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-attell/everyone-was-laughin-even-that-deaf-mute-boy-was-breathing-heavy-and/)

[Dave Attell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-attell/)

> [The Little Mute Boy The little boy was looking for his voice. (The king of the crickets had it.) In a drop of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/the-little-mute-boy-the-little-boy-was-looking-for-his-voice-the-king/)

[Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/)

> [“The little boy was looking for his voice. (The king of the crickets had it.) In a drop of water the little boy was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/the-little-boy-was-looking-for-his-voice-the-king-of-the-crickets-had/)

[Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/)

> [“Do you mean you were attacked from behind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/do-you-mean-you-were-attacked-from-behind/)

[Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/)

[Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/)

> [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/)

[John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/)

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

## More by David Sedaris

> [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“never fall asleep in a Dumpster, never underestimate a bee, never drive a convertible behind a flatbed truck, never get old, never get drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/never-fall-asleep-in-a-dumpster-never-underestimate-a-bee-never-drive/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“It was a father, one hand resting teapot-style on his hip, and the other - what would be the spout - formed into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/it-was-a-father-one-hand-resting-teapot-style-on-his-hip-and-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“A Japanese woman we’d met in Paris came to the apartment yesterday and spent several hours explaining our appliances. The microwave, the water kettle,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/a-japanese-woman-we-d-met-in-paris-came-to-the-apartment-yesterday/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [One thing I like about the United States, and I kind of miss about the United States, is there's an election coming up here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/one-thing-i-like-about-the-united-states-and-i-kind-of-miss-about-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [When you read comic material and people aren't laughing how do you know they're listening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/when-you-read-comic-material-and-people-aren-t-laughing-how-do-you/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“You have how many children in your family?" the teacher would ask. "I'm guessing you must be Catholic, am I right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-have-how-many-children-in-your-family-the-teacher-would-ask-i-m/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“Like most seasoned phonies, I roundly suspect that everyone is as disingenuous as I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/like-most-seasoned-phonies-i-roundly-suspect-that-everyone-is-as/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [As a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/as-a-child-i-assumed-that-when-i-reached-adulthood-i-would-have-grown/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [“You just take and take don´t you? Out there with your thumb in the air—not a care in the world, just grabbing whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/you-just-take-and-take-don-t-you-out-there-with-your-thumb-in-the-air/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [In other parts of the country people tried to stay together for the sake of the children. In New York they tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-other-parts-of-the-country-people-tried-to-stay-together-for-the/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [My boyfriend got me a computer three years ago. I'll admit it does make things a lot easier. When I was working on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/my-boyfriend-got-me-a-computer-three-years-ago-i-ll-admit-it-does/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I spent months searching for some secret code before I realized that common sense has nothing to do with it. Hysteria, psychosis, torture, depression:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-spent-months-searching-for-some-secret-code-before-i-realized-that/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [I hated leaving a hole in the smoking world, and so I recruited someone to take my place. People have given me a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hated-leaving-a-hole-in-the-smoking-world-and-so-i-recruited/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Write relentlessly, until you find your voice. Then, use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/write-relentlessly-until-you-find-your-voice-then-use-it/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

[Explore all 667 David Sedaris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

## More Attacked quotes

> [It is truly vital for the United States to assure that it is not attacked with weapons of mass destruction; to prevent wars in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-kinzer/it-is-truly-vital-for-the-united-states-to-assure-that-it-is-not/)

[Stephen Kinzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-kinzer/)

> [It turns out that this part of the brain is one of the first areas that's attacked by Alzheimer's disease. So we can now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-o-keefe/it-turns-out-that-this-part-of-the-brain-is-one-of-the-first-areas/)

[John O'Keefe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-o-keefe/)

> [With what all these people are saying, do you think that anybody wants to be around me? They all think that I did this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/with-what-all-these-people-are-saying-do-you-think-that-anybody-wants/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [Nine out of every 10 large corporations and government agencies have been attacked by computer intruders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mitnick/nine-out-of-every-10-large-corporations-and-government-agencies-have/)

[Kevin Mitnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mitnick/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [“Do you mean you were attacked from behind?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christa-faust/do-you-mean-you-were-attacked-from-behind/)

[Christa Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christa-faust/)

> [I am one of the most attacked persons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jair-bolsonaro/i-am-one-of-the-most-attacked-persons/)

[Jair Bolsonaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jair-bolsonaro/)

> [I'm always ready to be attacked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-votto/i-m-always-ready-to-be-attacked/)

[Joey Votto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-votto/)

> [I prefer to be at home with my husband and children than attacked by photographers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-princess-of-hanover/i-prefer-to-be-at-home-with-my-husband-and-children-than-attacked-by/)

[Caroline, Princess of Hanover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-princess-of-hanover/)

> [When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-gingrich-attacked-cnn-s-john-king-for-bringing-up-his-alleged/)

[Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/)

> [Progress is always relative: to the oppressed, it can only be viewed as an all or nothing deal - if oppression continues, even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/progress-is-always-relative-to-the-oppressed-it-can-only-be-viewed-as/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [ \[On her seven-month-old son:\] When people see me carrying him in the street they think I'm being attacked by a short, bald man. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hurley/on-her-seven-month-old-son-when-people-see-me-carrying-him-in-the/)

[Elizabeth Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hurley/)

> [I have been attacked and mistreated for my skin colour since I was a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/i-have-been-attacked-and-mistreated-for-my-skin-colour-since-i-was-a/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [Therefore, if you are attacked, retaliate instantly. Be sudden. Be quick. Speed is your salvation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-cooper/therefore-if-you-are-attacked-retaliate-instantly-be-sudden-be-quick/)

[Jeff Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-cooper/)

> [“His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/his-life-was-a-constant-war-with-insensate-objects-that-fell-apart-or/)

[Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/)

Browse all 244 Attacked quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute. This was a boy of fourteen, a beloved neighborhood figure who delivered for the nearby deli.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Sedaris"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attacked-a-deaf-mute-this-was-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attacked"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attacked-a-deaf-mute-this-was-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/david-sedaris-333_attacked_she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attac_2622228.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She hit bottom when she physically attacked a deaf-mute. This was a boy of fourteen, a beloved neighborhood…” — David Sedaris",
                "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 Sedaris",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“She hit bottom when she physically...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attacked-a-deaf-mute-this-was-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/she-hit-bottom-when-she-physically-attacked-a-deaf-mute-this-was-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
