--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother…" description: "\"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.\" — Harper Lee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harper-lee-451_arms_when-he-was-nearly-thirteen-my-brother-j_1272626.png" --- # When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm… ![“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” quote by Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harper-lee-451_arms_when-he-was-nearly-thirteen-my-brother-j_1272626.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harper-lee-451_arms_when-he-was-nearly-thirteen-my-brother-j_1272626.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/42b/harper-lee-451_arms_when-he-was-nearly-thirteen-my-brother-j_1272626.png) > “When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.” [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A childhood memory of a sibling’s severe injury highlights vulnerability and fear. **In simple terms:** Brother broke his arm at thirteen. Key Takeaway Recognize how early trauma shapes empathy. Themes family injury childhood vulnerability Mood reflective somber Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - family dynamics - health care - personal growth Key Concepts pain memory emotional development Questions to Reflect On - How did this event affect your view of resilience? - What coping mechanisms emerged? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex family relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken Elbow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-elbow-3726316/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brother Jem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother-jem-2271083/) [Elbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elbows/) [Jem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jem/) [My brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-brother/) [Nearly Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nearly-thirteen-4084791/) [Thirteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen/) [Thirteen Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirteen-brother-4084790/) ## Related quotes > [I've had extraordinary good luck with my health, other than a broken elbow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-ve-had-extraordinary-good-luck-with-my-health-other-than-a-broken/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The Brother's hood fell back, and his silvery hair shone out in the dim chamber like starlight. All the air rushed out of Tessa's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/the-brother-s-hood-fell-back-and-his-silvery-hair-shone-out-in-the/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Thirteen was my brother's number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-ingram/thirteen-was-my-brother-s-number/) [Brandon Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-ingram/) > [“When he was nearly thirty-six, my brother Jem got his heart badly broken when his fourth marriage fell apart, mostly because his wife never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/when-he-was-nearly-thirty-six-my-brother-jem-got-his-heart-badly/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [I was not so sure, but Jem told me I was being a girl, that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-was-not-so-sure-but-jem-told-me-i-was-being-a-girl-that-girls/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness' sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/when-a-child-asks-you-something-answer-him-for-goodness-sake/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I had never thought about it, but summer was Dill by the fishpool smoking string, Dill's eyes alive with complicated plans to make Boo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-had-never-thought-about-it-but-summer-was-dill-by-the-fishpool/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else for us to learn, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/as-i-made-my-way-home-i-thought-jem-and-i-would-get-grown-but-there/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [See there?" Jem was scowling triumphantly. "Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl its mortifyin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/see-there-jem-was-scowling-triumphantly-nothin-to-it-i-swear-scout/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [No, everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-everybody-s-gotta-learn-nobody-s-born-knowin-that-walter-s-as/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [He turned out the light and went into Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/he-turned-out-the-light-and-went-into-jem-s-room-he-would-be-there/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Before Jem looks at anyone else he looks at me, and I’ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/before-jem-looks-at-anyone-else-he-looks-at-me-and-i-ve-tried-to-live/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [...but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/but-before-i-can-live-with-other-folks-i-ve-got-to-live-with-myself/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Jem, naturally, was Boo: he went under the front steps and shrieked and howled from time to time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/jem-naturally-was-boo-he-went-under-the-front-steps-and-shrieked-and/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Calpurnia evidently remembered a rainy Sunday when we were both fatherless and teacherless. Let to its own devices, the class tied Eunice Ann Simpson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/calpurnia-evidently-remembered-a-rainy-sunday-when-we-were-both/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More by Harper Lee > [“No jury in this part of the world's going to say, "We think you're guilty, but not very," on a charge like that. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/no-jury-in-this-part-of-the-world-s-going-to-say-we-think-you-re/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/that-proves-something-that-a-gang-of-wild-animals-can-be-stopped/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wanted-you-to-see-something-about-her-i-wanted-you-to-see-what-real/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It's a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/any-writer-worth-his-salt-writes-to-please-himself-it-s-a-self/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“folks don’t like to have somebody around knowin’ more than they do. It aggravates ’em. You’re not gonna change any of them by talkin’…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/folks-don-t-like-to-have-somebody-around-knowin-more-than-they-do-it/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [ “...\[Summer\] was a thousand colors in a parched landscape...” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/summer-was-a-thousand-colors-in-a-parched-landscape/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/it-s-never-an-insult-to-be-called-what-somebody-thinks-is-a-bad-name/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I wonder how much of the day I spend just callin' after you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-wonder-how-much-of-the-day-i-spend-just-callin-after-you/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [Writing is something you'll never learn in any university or at any school. It's something that is within you, and if it isn't there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/writing-is-something-you-ll-never-learn-in-any-university-or-at-any/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence that the crime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/to-begin-with-this-case-should-never-have-come-to-trial-the-state-has/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“Naw, Jem. I think that there is just one kind of folks. Folks." Jen turned and punched his pillow. WHen he settle back his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/naw-jem-i-think-that-there-is-just-one-kind-of-folks-folks-jen-turned/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The course of English Literature would have been decidedly different had Mr. Wordsworth owned a power mower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-course-of-english-literature-would-have-been-decidedly-different/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I would like to be the chronicler of something that I think is going down the drain very swiftly, and that is small-town, middle-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-would-like-to-be-the-chronicler-of-something-that-i-think-is-going/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [“The gum looked fresh. I sniffed it and it smelled all right. I licked it and waited for a while. When I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/the-gum-looked-fresh-i-sniffed-it-and-it-smelled-all-right-i-licked/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) > [I just thought you'd like to know I can read. You got anything needs readin' I can do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/i-just-thought-you-d-like-to-know-i-can-read-you-got-anything-needs/) [Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) [Explore all 494 Harper Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. 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Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? 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