--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ways I could hurt her and hurt…" description: "\"The ways I could hurt her and hurt myself. Those two things were intertwined somehow. It's hard to explain, but when you were as closed off as I was th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/kami-garcia-543_church_the-ways-i-could-hurt-her-and-hurt-mysel_1899710.png" --- # The ways I could hurt her and hurt myself. Those two… ![“The ways I could hurt her and hurt myself. Those two things were intertwined somehow. It's hard to explain, but when you were as closed off as I was the past few months, opening felt as wrong as stripping naked in church.” quote by Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/kami-garcia-543_church_the-ways-i-could-hurt-her-and-hurt-mysel_1899710.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/kami-garcia-543_church_the-ways-i-could-hurt-her-and-hurt-mysel_1899710.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6e/kami-garcia-543_church_the-ways-i-could-hurt-her-and-hurt-mysel_1899710.png) > “The ways I could hurt her and hurt myself. Those two things were intertwined somehow. It's hard to explain, but when you were as closed off as I was the past few months, opening felt as wrong as stripping naked in church.” [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes how emotional intimacy can feel both painful and dangerous when one is guarded, making vulnerability feel like a betrayal of personal boundaries. **In simple terms:** Opening up feels risky when you’re closed off. Key Takeaway Allow yourself safe vulnerability. Themes vulnerability relationships self‑protection Mood anxious reflective Type advice personal When to use this quote - dating - therapy - personal growth - friendship Key Concepts psychology emotional intimacy Questions to Reflect On - What fears keep you closed off? - How can you create safe space for openness? A Different Perspective Vulnerability can be misinterpreted as weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Hard To Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-to-explain/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) ## Related quotes > [“when you were as closed off as I was the past few months, opening up felt about as wrong as stripping naked in church.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/when-you-were-as-closed-off-as-i-was-the-past-few-months-opening-up/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [There are many ways that we hurt ourselves when we don't like who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-many-ways-that-we-hurt-ourselves-when-we-don-t-like-who-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There were plenty of ways to hurt someone without using your fists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-simmons/there-were-plenty-of-ways-to-hurt-someone-without-using-your-fists/) [Kristen Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-simmons/) > [“I tally all the reasons why not, all the ways it could hurt. 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Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [The more you show your feelings, the more people can find ways to hurt you !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron/the-more-you-show-your-feelings-the-more-people-can-find-ways-to-hurt/) [AaRon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron/) > [The more you show your true feelings, the more people find ways to hurt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-you-show-your-true-feelings-the-more-people-find-ways-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Even the very best people found ways to hurt the ones they loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystal-sutherland/even-the-very-best-people-found-ways-to-hurt-the-ones-they-loved/) [Krystal Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krystal-sutherland/) > [The more you show your true love feelings, the more people find ways to hurt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-more-you-show-your-true-love-feelings-the-more-people-find-ways/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“There are many ways that I have hurt and harmed others, have betrayed or abandoned them, caused them suffering, knowingly or unknowingly, out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/there-are-many-ways-that-i-have-hurt-and-harmed-others-have-betrayed/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Of all the ways we have found to hurt ourselves, the worse has been through love. We are always suffering because of someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/of-all-the-ways-we-have-found-to-hurt-ourselves-the-worse-has-been/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“It sure is ugly.” “Ugly, never hurt a thing.” I scoffed. “Oh, ugly has hurt some things. It’s just that pretty hurts more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-sure-is-ugly-ugly-never-hurt-a-thing-i-scoffed-oh-ugly-has-hurt/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“He felt crazy sometimes. Real depravity. Late at night an electric sizzle came into his blood, a tight pumped-up killing rage, and he couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/he-felt-crazy-sometimes-real-depravity-late-at-night-an-electric/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## More by Kami Garcia > [High school sucked. 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