---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All I can think about is that boy’s…"
description: "\"“All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a heid at all, just like a broken silly pup..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png"
---

#  All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the…

![“All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a heid at all, just like a broken silly puppet face, about how when you destroy something, when you brutalise it, it always looks warped and disfigured and slightly unreal and unhuman and…” quote by Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png)

> ““All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a heid at all, just like a broken silly puppet face, about how when you destroy something, when you brutalise it, it always looks warped and disfigured and slightly unreal and unhuman and that’s what makes it easier for you to go on brutalising it, go on fucking it and hurting it and mashing until you’ve destroyed it completely, proving that destruction is natural in the human spirit, that nature has devices to enable us to destroy, to make it easier for us; a way of making righteous people who want to act do things without the fear of consequence, a way of making us less than human, as we break the laws . . .””

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

## About This Quote

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

He describes how repeated violence desensitizes people, making further cruelty easier, suggesting a cycle of dehumanization.

**In simple terms:** Repeated brutality numbs us, making more cruelty seem normal.

Key Takeaway

Break the cycle by confronting and rejecting violence.

Themes

violence desensitization human nature

Mood

dark critical

Type

analytical cautionary

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- empathy training
- mental health awareness

Key Concepts

psychology moral decay

Questions to Reflect On

- What mechanisms can prevent desensitization?
- How can society foster empathy after trauma?

A Different Perspective

Not all individuals become desensitized; context matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Human spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-spirit/)

## Related quotes

> [The one process now going on that will take millions of years to correct is the loss of genetic and species diversity by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-one-process-now-going-on-that-will-take-millions-of-years-to/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [No civilization has survived the ongoing destruction of its natural support systems. Nor will ours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/no-civilization-has-survived-the-ongoing-destruction-of-its-natural/)

[Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/)

> [This other war, the war upon destruction of natural assets is one that will never be finished. Our weakness in this vast war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-bromfield/this-other-war-the-war-upon-destruction-of-natural-assets-is-one-that/)

[Louis Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-bromfield/)

> [Parents fear the destruction of natural affection in their children. What is this natural principle so liable to decay? Habit is a second nature,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/parents-fear-the-destruction-of-natural-affection-in-their-children/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [The destruction of the natural beauty, the ecosystems, and the majesty of mountains affect us in ways we're not even aware of. Every time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-reuben/the-destruction-of-the-natural-beauty-the-ecosystems-and-the-majesty/)

[Gloria Reuben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-reuben/)

> [The worst thing that will probably happen-in fact is already well underway-is not energy depletion, economic collapse, conventional war, or the expansion of totalitarian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/the-worst-thing-that-will-probably-happen-in-fact-is-already-well/)

[E. O. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/)

> [“It's whatever you make of it, whatever you want to take away. Because like all of the best virtual realities, Disneyland interacts with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-le-mon/it-s-whatever-you-make-of-it-whatever-you-want-to-take-away-because/)

[Leslie Le Mon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-le-mon/)

> [“Be okay with having health-essential boundaries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-s-works/be-okay-with-having-health-essential-boundaries/)

Gregory S. Works

> [“We are built to desire free will and to choose our own destiny. It's not about being right or wrong; it's about the celebration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deiamor-verus/we-are-built-to-desire-free-will-and-to-choose-our-own-destiny-it-s/)

DeiAmor Verus

> [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [“You and I, however, were so created that by anything and everything we do, we are saying to our Creator either “God, I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-ian-thomas/you-and-i-however-were-so-created-that-by-anything-and-everything-we/)

[W. Ian Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-ian-thomas/)

> [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fritz/the-human-spirit-will-not-invest-itself-in-a-compromise/)

[Robert Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fritz/)

> [The family remains the basic unit of society and the first school in which children learn the human, spiritual and moral values which enable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-family-remains-the-basic-unit-of-society-and-the-first-school-in/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

## More by Irvine Welsh

> [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [He emphasised basic truths: you are not dying yet, you have to live your life until you are. Underpinning them was the belief that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/he-emphasised-basic-truths-you-are-not-dying-yet-you-have-to-live/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [“Without this kickstart to my day, I'd be lost. A day without a morning run is a day you fumble through, rather than one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/without-this-kickstart-to-my-day-i-d-be-lost-a-day-without-a-morning/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [“There's nae reasoning wi some cats. You say 'reason', they mew 'treason'. Ken?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nae-reasoning-wi-some-cats-you-say-reason-they-mew-treason-ken/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [It's crazy for somebody who's kind of empowered and wealthy like myself to say, "Oh, I don't need to be patronized by the state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/it-s-crazy-for-somebody-who-s-kind-of-empowered-and-wealthy-like/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [When you go away, you see where you come from in a different light. I see Scotland, and the rest of Britain, as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/when-you-go-away-you-see-where-you-come-from-in-a-different-light-i/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [If it's something that I feel uncomfortable with, that's a reason for me to write it. I kind of like to make myself feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-it-s-something-that-i-feel-uncomfortable-with-that-s-a-reason-for/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [There's nothing worse than a violent beating from an unremarkable person. Physical violence with someone is too much like shagging them. Too much id…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-violent-beating-from-an-unremarkable/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [If I stop working and publishing, and TV, and film and all that, I would be dead within a couple of weeks. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-i-stop-working-and-publishing-and-tv-and-film-and-all-that-i-would/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [I can see why the Russians love Robert Burns, I think that Russians and Koreans have a very similar outlook to Scots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-can-see-why-the-russians-love-robert-burns-i-think-that-russians/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [If you continue to transfer the wealth of the population of the planet to a very small amount of people, it becomes untenable at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/if-you-continue-to-transfer-the-wealth-of-the-population-of-the/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Most middle-class people I know don't really live like me. Middle-class people worry a lot about money. They worry a lot about job security,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/most-middle-class-people-i-know-don-t-really-live-like-me-middle/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [As soon as you've written it, you're thinking about how it can move into different mediums.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/as-soon-as-you-ve-written-it-you-re-thinking-about-how-it-can-move/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [“Begbie doesnae even notice; he's in his element, particularly good at funerals in the way a lot ay psychopaths tend tae be. Ah suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/begbie-doesnae-even-notice-he-s-in-his-element-particularly-good-at/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [I'm more of a warrior than you'll ever be. I believe in the class war. I believe in the battle of the sexes. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-more-of-a-warrior-than-you-ll-ever-be-i-believe-in-the-class-war/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

[Explore all 348 Irvine Welsh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

## More Fear quotes

> [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/)

[Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/)

> [“That horrible stinging sensation returned, the muscles behind my eyes straining as the first tear began to fall. “I’m scared, too. For eighteen months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-ashley/that-horrible-stinging-sensation-returned-the-muscles-behind-my-eyes/)

[Devon Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-ashley/)

> [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/)

Nagisa Tatsumi

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/)

[Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“Snip off the little worries and expressions of worry” like little branches atop a tall tree.28 If you are truly worried, sharing your concerns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sanders/snip-off-the-little-worries-and-expressions-of-worry-like-little/)

[Tim Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sanders/)

> [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/)

[Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/)

> [“Carrie Fisher. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/carrie-fisher-stay-afraid-but-do-it-anyway/)

[Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/)

[Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

[Browse all 35,569 Fear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a heid at all, just like a broken silly puppet face, about how when you destroy something, when you brutalise it, it always looks warped and disfigured and slightly unreal and unhuman and that’s what makes it easier for you to go on brutalising it, go on fucking it and hurting it and mashing until you’ve destroyed it completely, proving that destruction is natural in the human spirit, that nature has devices to enable us to destroy, to make it easier for us; a way of making righteous people who want to act do things without the fear of consequence, a way of making us less than human, as we break the laws . . .”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Irvine Welsh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skull-bashed-in-the-way-his-head/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fear"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skull-bashed-in-the-way-his-head/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/574/irvine-welsh-843_fear_all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skul_1121077.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“All I can think about is that boy’s skull, bashed in, the way his head was caved in and how it wasn’t like a…” — Irvine Welsh",
                "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": "Irvine Welsh",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“All I can think about is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skull-bashed-in-the-way-his-head/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/all-i-can-think-about-is-that-boy-s-skull-bashed-in-the-way-his-head/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
