--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel…" description: "\"“Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel something. Something besides hungry. Something besides afraid. Weird. I always thought cutters were sick. Sicker ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/ellen-hopkins-475_blade_yeah-it-stings-but-at-least-i-feel-somet_2578934.png" --- # Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel something. Something… ![“Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel something. Something besides hungry. Something besides afraid. Weird. I always thought cutters were sick. Sicker than me, even. But with a single swipe I understand why they do it. Why they like it, even though they hate it. I let the water run over the cut…” quote by Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/ellen-hopkins-475_blade_yeah-it-stings-but-at-least-i-feel-somet_2578934.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/ellen-hopkins-475_blade_yeah-it-stings-but-at-least-i-feel-somet_2578934.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d5/ellen-hopkins-475_blade_yeah-it-stings-but-at-least-i-feel-somet_2578934.png) > ““Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel something. Something besides hungry. Something besides afraid. Weird. I always thought cutters were sick. Sicker than me, even. But with a single swipe I understand why they do it. Why they like it, even though they hate it. I let the water run over the cut, ratchet it hotter, watch the blood slow, stutter, almost halt. I like the way the exposed flesh looks, all pinkish white. It looks new, although I know that isn't right. It's the same age as my skin, as my bones. Me. It's been there with me since the beginning. Been with me through thick. Thin. Daddy. Suddenly, I don't like how it looks at all.”” [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes a paradoxical attraction to self‑harm, feeling both pain and a strange comfort, revealing how trauma can create a conflicted relationship with one's own body. **In simple terms:** Self‑harm can feel both painful and oddly soothing, reflecting inner conflict. Key Takeaway Seek healthier ways to process pain and find comfort. Themes trauma self‑harm conflict identity psychology Mood introspective disturbing Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - support groups - personal journaling - emergency crisis intervention Key Concepts addiction coping mechanisms body image Questions to Reflect On - What underlying emotions drive the desire for self‑harm? - How can you replace harmful coping with constructive outlets? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize self‑injury, potentially influencing vulnerable readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“He lowered his gaze to her breasts. 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He was a smart, tough guy from Poland, a cutter of lady's handbags, an old socialist-unionist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-king/my-father-was-a-dreamer-my-hero-he-was-a-smart-tough-guy-from-poland/) [Alan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-king/) > [The Unexpected stalks a farm in big boots like a vagrant bent on havoc. Not every farmer is an inventor, but the good ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/verlyn-klinkenborg/the-unexpected-stalks-a-farm-in-big-boots-like-a-vagrant-bent-on/) [Verlyn Klinkenborg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/verlyn-klinkenborg/) > [I found I'm quite happy working on a sentence for an hour or more, searching for the right phrase, the right word. I compare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-doerr/i-found-i-m-quite-happy-working-on-a-sentence-for-an-hour-or-more/) [Harriet Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-doerr/) > [Also, worldbuilding touches all aspects of your story. It touches plot and character as well. If you don't know the culture your character comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/also-worldbuilding-touches-all-aspects-of-your-story-it-touches-plot/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [All the earth is at rest and is quiet: they are bursting into song. Even the trees of the wood are glad over you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah/all-the-earth-is-at-rest-and-is-quiet-they-are-bursting-into-song/) [Isaiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah/) ## More by Ellen Hopkins > [“I've been alone since my mom met Scott. He sucked the nectar from her heart like a famished butterfly. No nurture, no nourishment left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-ve-been-alone-since-my-mom-met-scott-he-sucked-the-nectar-from-her/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [I wonder how long it would take him to realize I'm right as sin - it's the rest of the world that's wrong. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-wonder-how-long-it-would-take-him-to-realize-i-m-right-as-sin-it-s/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Do you know how beautiful you are?' I shook my head 'I'm not. But you make me fell like I am.' I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/do-you-know-how-beautiful-you-are-i-shook-my-head-i-m-not-but-you/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [That's what I'll be. A silhouette, rarely seen, and yet believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/that-s-what-i-ll-be-a-silhouette-rarely-seen-and-yet-believed-in/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [One foot in front of the other, counting tiles on the floor so I don't have to focus the blur of painted smiles, fake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-counting-tiles-on-the-floor-so-i-don-t/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [...life is all about chances. You might be safer not taking any. But playing it totally safe means you're only existing. Not living. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/life-is-all-about-chances-you-might-be-safer-not-taking-any-but/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [The truth is, I don't have a real clue what love is - how to find it, how to give it. Once upon a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-truth-is-i-don-t-have-a-real-clue-what-love-is-how-to-find-it-how/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [But death doesn't scare me. To know exactly when I might expect it, up close and in my face, would actually be a comfort.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-death-doesn-t-scare-me-to-know-exactly-when-i-might-expect-it-up/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [So You Want to Know All about her. Who she really is. (Was?) Why she swerved off the high road. Hard left to nowhere,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/so-you-want-to-know-all-about-her-who-she-really-is-was-why-she/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“I don’t belong here. I know that. But I don’t belong anywhere else, either. And that is at the heart of the black depression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/i-don-t-belong-here-i-know-that-but-i-don-t-belong-anywhere-else/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Six months since we met up again we are inseparable, an intricate weave. No longer do I believe this is a temporary fling. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/six-months-since-we-met-up-again-we-are-inseparable-an-intricate/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“But who ever said the easiest path is the one you should choose?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/but-who-ever-said-the-easiest-path-is-the-one-you-should-choose/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Afraid to Die Loveless Because I think if you die without knowing love in this life, that's how you'll spend eternity. Alone. Frozen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/afraid-to-die-loveless-because-i-think-if-you-die-without-knowing/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Every high has an equal, measurable low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/every-high-has-an-equal-measurable-low/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [Don't Stop ...down, ...Down there ...down where ...monsters, ...Run!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/don-t-stop-down-down-there-down-where-monsters-run/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) [Explore all 534 Ellen Hopkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) ## More Blade quotes > [Cutting myself at school people staring at my blood digging my razor and fingernails deep down in my pale white skin people callin me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/cutting-myself-at-school-people-staring-at-my-blood-digging-my-razor/) Im Nothing > [Worry is only rust on the blade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-hughes/worry-is-only-rust-on-the-blade/) Henry Ward Hughes > [“Anger dulls the blade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hollow/anger-dulls-the-blade/) Hollow > [As I stare at myself in the mirror, I wonder what I did to be this miserable. But, shake it off and pick up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-heideman/as-i-stare-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-wonder-what-i-did-to-be-this/) [Bailey Heideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-heideman/) > [How the world looks from my suicidal eyes razor: you can slit your wrists with me bridge: you can jump off me and fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-the-world-looks-from-my-suicidal-eyes-razor-you-can-slit-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I remember going to the cinema to watch 'Blade Runner' when I was 14 or 15. It was a huge flop when it came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-stephens/i-remember-going-to-the-cinema-to-watch-blade-runner-when-i-was-14-or/) [Toby Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-stephens/) > [Sorry, the knife just slipped, I didn't mean to cut my wrists. I was just thinking of all the bad things that happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-the-knife-just-slipped-i-didn-t-mean-to-cut-my-wrists-i-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know what to do anymore. It's like every time someone tells me I'm not good enough or I'm doing something the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiana-webb/i-don-t-know-what-to-do-anymore-it-s-like-every-time-someone-tells-me/) [Tiana Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiana-webb/) > [And with a shattered mirror And a bleeding 0 up And with a shattered mirror And a bleeding fist You hold that blade Against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fading-scars/and-with-a-shattered-mirror-and-a-bleeding-0-up-and-with-a-shattered/) Fading\_scars > [My cuts have spread from my wrists to my thighs. One day I'll be covered in red ribbons of blood, but the only cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie/my-cuts-have-spread-from-my-wrists-to-my-thighs-one-day-i-ll-be/) [Leslie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie/) > [Everything dies, from the smallest blade of grass to the biggest galaxy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-donaldson/everything-dies-from-the-smallest-blade-of-grass-to-the-biggest-galaxy/) [Stephen R. Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-donaldson/) > [“Oh, hell, no. We want you,” Blade declared. A jolt of pure need slammed into her, knocking every sane thought out of her head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hayes/oh-hell-no-we-want-you-blade-declared-a-jolt-of-pure-need-slammed/) Susan Hayes > [You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isoroku-yamamoto/you-cannot-invade-the-mainland-united-states-there-would-be-a-rifle/) [Isoroku Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isoroku-yamamoto/) > [FlashForward' was a dream come true. I had auditioned for David Goyer for 'Blade: Trinity' and didn't get the part, but I guess he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-knighton/flashforward-was-a-dream-come-true-i-had-auditioned-for-david-goyer/) [Zachary Knighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-knighton/) > [“She likes me. The shock of it sent a jolt of wild joy through him that stole his breath and robbed him momentarily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaelen-foley/she-likes-me-the-shock-of-it-sent-a-jolt-of-wild-joy-through-him-that/) [Gaelen Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaelen-foley/) Browse all 238 Blade quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yeah, it stings. But at least I feel something. Something besides hungry. Something besides afraid. Weird. I always thought cutters were sick. Sicker than me, even. But with a single swipe I understand why they do it. Why they like it, even though they hate it. I let the water run over the cut, ratchet it hotter, watch the blood slow, stutter, almost halt. I like the way the exposed flesh looks, all pinkish white. It looks new, although I know that isn't right. It's the same age as my skin, as my bones. Me. It's been there with me since the beginning. Been with me through thick. Thin. 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