---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Punch after punch after punch. February…"
description: "\"Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully. Nothing could be worse - except August.\" — Katherine Paterson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png"
---

#  Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully…

![“Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully. Nothing could be worse - except August.” quote by Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png)

> “Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully. Nothing could be worse - except August.”

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

## About This Quote

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

Repeated harshness feels like a relentless bully, especially in February, with August being even worse.

**In simple terms:** Harsh times feel like bullying, especially in February and August.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and address cyclical negativity.

Themes

bullying seasonality emotional cycles

Mood

frustrated reflective

Type

observational personal

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- workplace
- school
- family

Key Concepts

psychology resilience seasonal affect

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you cope with seasonal negativity?
- What strategies lessen the impact of harsh periods?

A Different Perspective

Not all months are equally difficult for everyone.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [Bully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bully/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [February](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/february/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/)

## Related quotes

> [I am sick and tired of all the meanness and drama that goes on at school and at home on the internet. People have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth/i-am-sick-and-tired-of-all-the-meanness-and-drama-that-goes-on-at/)

[Elizabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth/)

> [“Just because someone’s bullying you doesn’t mean you have to bully you as well. Katrina’s flipping cartwheels in your mind, having the time of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-jacobs/just-because-someone-s-bullying-you-doesn-t-mean-you-have-to-bully/)

[J.D. Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-jacobs/)

> [People often talk about the characters in books as if they were considering whom to invite to a dinner party. 'Oh, I just hated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-dolnick/people-often-talk-about-the-characters-in-books-as-if-they-were/)

[Ben Dolnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-dolnick/)

> [“Just because you're bigger doesn't mean you have to be a bully." "Just because you're a woman doesn't mean I'm going to let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/just-because-you-re-bigger-doesn-t-mean-you-have-to-be-a-bully-just/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

> [“The world's nothing but a mean bully, that's a fact. Even when you've big misfortunes threatening to drop on your head, small ones still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/the-world-s-nothing-but-a-mean-bully-that-s-a-fact-even-when-you-ve/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [January cold and desolate; February dripping wet; March wind ranges; April changes; Birds sing in tune To flowers of May, And sunny June Brings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/january-cold-and-desolate-february-dripping-wet-march-wind-ranges/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [I'm like really bad at like remembering all these things, but basically we finished...we wrapped in August and we locked in February. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-stoller/i-m-like-really-bad-at-like-remembering-all-these-things-but/)

[Nicholas Stoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-stoller/)

> [December is the toughest month of the year. Others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, October, August, and February.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/december-is-the-toughest-month-of-the-year-others-are-july-january/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Tinsel in February, tinsel in August. There are things in a man besides his reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/tinsel-in-february-tinsel-in-august-there-are-things-in-a-man-besides/)

[Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/)

> [the reason God made February short a few days was because he knew that by the time people came to the end of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/the-reason-god-made-february-short-a-few-days-was-because-he-knew/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [“I used to try to decide which was the worst month of the year. In the winter I would choose February. I had it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-used-to-try-to-decide-which-was-the-worst-month-of-the-year-in-the/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [February is just plain malicious. It knows your defenses are down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/february-is-just-plain-malicious-it-knows-your-defenses-are-down/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [“I had it figured out that the reason God made February short a few days was because he knew that by the time people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-had-it-figured-out-that-the-reason-god-made-february-short-a-few/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [February 18 is the most awesome day of the year!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-chica15/february-18-is-the-most-awesome-day-of-the-year/)

[Yo-chica15](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-chica15/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

## More by Katherine Paterson

> [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [“You're the proverbial diamond in the rough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/you-re-the-proverbial-diamond-in-the-rough/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [We do have trouble dealing with death, but it's the one thing that is guaranteed we are all going to have to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-do-have-trouble-dealing-with-death-but-it-s-the-one-thing-that-is/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Everybody gets scared sometimes, May Belle. You don't have to be ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everybody-gets-scared-sometimes-may-belle-you-don-t-have-to-be-ashamed/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Obviously, I love to do both contemporary and historical fiction. When a hint of a story grabs me, I try to go with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/obviously-i-love-to-do-both-contemporary-and-historical-fiction-when/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [I woke up one morning and realized that what I wanted to say to everyone - children, young people, adults - was: Read for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-woke-up-one-morning-and-realized-that-what-i-wanted-to-say-to/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Our fundamental task as human beings is to seek out connections-to exercise our imaginations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/our-fundamental-task-as-human-beings-is-to-seek-out-connections-to/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [a work that intends to be art must first be entertaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/a-work-that-intends-to-be-art-must-first-be-entertaining/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [I do know that I need solitude, not only to write but to nourish myself (being, like most writers, an introvert) so that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-do-know-that-i-need-solitude-not-only-to-write-but-to-nourish/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [Everything comes in useful once in a hundred years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/everything-comes-in-useful-once-in-a-hundred-years/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [“I had no study in those days, not even a desk or file or bookcase to call mine alone…It might have happened sooner \[the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-had-no-study-in-those-days-not-even-a-desk-or-file-or-bookcase-to/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [The challenge for those of us who care about our faith and about a hurting world is to tell stories which will carry the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/the-challenge-for-those-of-us-who-care-about-our-faith-and-about-a/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [One thing living in Japan did for me was to make me feel that what is left out of a work of art is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/one-thing-living-in-japan-did-for-me-was-to-make-me-feel-that-what-is/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [“We need a place," she said, "just for us. It would be so secret that we would never tell anyone in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/we-need-a-place-she-said-just-for-us-it-would-be-so-secret-that-we/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

[Explore all 166 Katherine Paterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

## More August quotes

> [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/)

[Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/)

> [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/)

[Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/)

> [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/)

[Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/)

> [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/)

[Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/)

> [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/)

William Doyle

> [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/)

[Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/)

> [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/)

[Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/)

> [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/)

[Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/)

> [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/)

[William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/)

> [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/)

[Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/)

> [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/)

Carl Spitteler

[Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully. Nothing could be worse - except August.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katherine Paterson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-is-a-mean-bully-nothing-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "August"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-is-a-mean-bully-nothing-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8de/katherine-paterson-2365_august_punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-i_1135135.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Punch after punch after punch. February is a mean bully. Nothing could be worse - except August.” — Katherine Paterson",
                "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": "Katherine Paterson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Punch after punch after punch. February...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-is-a-mean-bully-nothing-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/punch-after-punch-after-punch-february-is-a-mean-bully-nothing-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
