--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If he had his wits about him Bunny would…" description: "\"If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his mouth shut; but now, with his subconscious mind knocked loose from its perch and flapping in t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg" --- # If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his… ![“If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his mouth shut; but now, with his subconscious mind knocked loose from its perch and flapping in the hollow corridors of his skull as erratically as a bat, there was no way to be sure of anything he might do.” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg) > “If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his mouth shut; but now, with his subconscious mind knocked loose from its perch and flapping in the hollow corridors of his skull as erratically as a bat, there was no way to be sure of anything he might do.” [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character's chaotic mind leads to unpredictable actions, making outcomes uncertain. **In simple terms:** A disturbed mind creates unpredictable behavior. Key Takeaway Seek mental stability to reduce chaos. Themes psychology chaos uncertainty behavior Mood tense intriguing Type psychological literary When to use this quote - therapy - risk assessment - character analysis Key Concepts mind subconscious control Questions to Reflect On - What triggers mental instability? - How to predict erratic actions? A Different Perspective Instability can be managed with support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bats/) [Bunnies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bunnies/) [Conscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conscious-mind/) [Flapping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flapping/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Knocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-knocked-3161203/) [Mouth Shut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-shut/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Skull Erratically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skull-erratically-3161204/) [Skulls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skulls/) [Subconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious/) [Subconscious mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious-mind/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) [Wits Bunny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wits-bunny-3161202/) ## Related quotes > [The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-snow-in-the-mountains-was-melting-and-bunny-had-been-dead-for/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [I must confess that I and a few others are burdened with heavy responsibilities regarding the future of criticism. 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So, turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-was-awakened-at-midnight-by-some-heavy-low-flying-bird-probably-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Fractal litigation, whereby the flapping of a butterfly’s wings on one side of the world resulted in a massive compensation claim on the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/fractal-litigation-whereby-the-flapping-of-a-butterfly-s-wings-on-one/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [Here in this ocean, in the midst of all this water, with the red flags on those distant buoys flapping in the sea breeze,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/here-in-this-ocean-in-the-midst-of-all-this-water-with-the-red-flags/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [ From the time of Dante \[Alighieri\], when you have the Ptolemaic universe, you had God on the outside like a hypersphere, and then in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-laffoley/from-the-time-of-dante-alighieri-when-you-have-the-ptolemaic-universe/) [Paul Laffoley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-laffoley/) > [It's awful undermining to the intellect, German is; you want to take it in small doses, or first you know your brains all run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-s-awful-undermining-to-the-intellect-german-is-you-want-to-take-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [But the owls themselves are not hard to find, silent and on the wing, with their ear tufts flat against their heads as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/but-the-owls-themselves-are-not-hard-to-find-silent-and-on-the-wing/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place, but there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-excitement-that-has-found-a-settling-down-place-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Donna Tartt > [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. But that Sunday afternoon, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-month-or-two-before-i-would-have-been-appalled-at-the-idea-of-any/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Well, I think storytellers have always found murder a fascinating device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/well-i-think-storytellers-have-always-found-murder-a-fascinating/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Always remember, the person we’re really working for is the person who’s restoring the piece a hundred years from now. He’s the one we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/always-remember-the-person-we-re-really-working-for-is-the-person-who/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The silence between us was happy and strange, connected by the cord and the icy voices thinly echoing. “You don’t have to talk,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-silence-between-us-was-happy-and-strange-connected-by-the-cord/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You didn’t meet many people who moved freely through the world with such a vigorous contempt for it and at the same time such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-didn-t-meet-many-people-who-moved-freely-through-the-world-with/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“maybe that’s what’s waiting for us at the end of the journey, a majesty unimaginable until the very moment we find ourselves walking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/maybe-that-s-what-s-waiting-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-journey-a/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-great-sorrow-and-one-that-i-am-only-beginning-to-understand-we-don/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his 'Asiatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/upon-meeting-julian-morrow-one-has-the-impression-that-he-is-a-man-of/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) [Explore all 590 Donna Tartt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More Bats quotes > [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [When (the Reds) won, we loved it because we ran into the locker room and touched all the bats and gloves and got some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr-2/when-the-reds-won-we-loved-it-because-we-ran-into-the-locker-room-and/) [Ken Griffey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr-2/) > [It's good to find the barrel of the bat again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chase-utley/it-s-good-to-find-the-barrel-of-the-bat-again/) [Chase Utley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chase-utley/) > [A lot of hitters stay away from the plate, some are close up, some are forward, some are back. The thing about hitting is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-musial/a-lot-of-hitters-stay-away-from-the-plate-some-are-close-up-some-are/) [Stan Musial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-musial/) > [Mass-market movies have become about one thing. They kind of declare themselves right off the bat. . . . But when I go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/mass-market-movies-have-become-about-one-thing-they-kind-of-declare/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Went out again to the harbour in sydney... and saw some bats that were probably bigger than meowingtons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-zimmerman/went-out-again-to-the-harbour-in-sydney-and-saw-some-bats-that-were/) [Joel Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-zimmerman/) > [Isn't it odd? A guy bats .301 and has 35 homers. Then everybody starts to tell him what a good fielder he has become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-stuart/isn-t-it-odd-a-guy-bats-301-and-has-35-homers-then-everybody-starts/) [Dick Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-stuart/) > [The beanball is one of the meanest things on Earth and no decent fellow would use it. The beanball is a potential murderer. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-johnson/the-beanball-is-one-of-the-meanest-things-on-earth-and-no-decent/) [Walter Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-johnson/) > [Pro-rated at 500 at-bats a year that means that for two years out of the fourteen I played, I never even touched the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-cash/pro-rated-at-500-at-bats-a-year-that-means-that-for-two-years-out-of/) [Norm Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-cash/) > [(At the back of the cave, Phoebe placed her hand against one of the stones where a spring release opened an elevator door. Chris…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/at-the-back-of-the-cave-phoebe-placed-her-hand-against-one-of-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [A failure becomes just one time at bat if you refuse to let it defeat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marv-levy/a-failure-becomes-just-one-time-at-bat-if-you-refuse-to-let-it-defeat/) [Marv Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marv-levy/) > [Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/don-t-pick-on-your-sister-when-she-s-holding-a-baseball-bat/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [The fans know that I don't give at-bats away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ortiz/the-fans-know-that-i-don-t-give-at-bats-away/) [David Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ortiz/) > [I grew up in the '60s, which was a creative time, so it wasn't that big of a stretch to go from a baseball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/i-grew-up-in-the-60s-which-was-a-creative-time-so-it-wasn-t-that-big/) [Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/) [Browse all 576 Bats quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bats/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his mouth shut; but now, with his subconscious mind knocked loose from its perch and flapping in the hollow corridors of his skull as erratically as a bat, there was no way to be sure of anything he might do.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Tartt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would-surely-keep-his-mouth-shut/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bats" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would-surely-keep-his-mouth-shut/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f0/donna-tartt-391_bats_if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would_2759803.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If he had his wits about him Bunny would surely keep his mouth shut; but now, with his subconscious mind…” — Donna Tartt", "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": "Donna Tartt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If he had his wits about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would-surely-keep-his-mouth-shut/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/if-he-had-his-wits-about-him-bunny-would-surely-keep-his-mouth-shut/#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 } } ] } ```