--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sticks and stones may break my bones but…" description: "\"“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my soul.”\" — Kathryn Lopez" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg" --- # Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break… ![“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my soul.” quote by Kathryn Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg) > ““Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my soul.”” [Kathryn Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lopez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words can cause deep emotional damage, breaking the soul more profoundly than physical harm. **In simple terms:** Harsh words wound the soul. Key Takeaway Choose words that uplift, not hurt. Themes bullying emotional health psychology communication self‑esteem Mood sad empathetic protective Type bullying:1 depression:1 sadness:1 sticks and stones:0 sticks stones:0 stones break:0 bones words:0 words break:0 break soul:1 When to use this quote - school environments - online interactions - workplace culture - personal relationships - family dynamics Key Concepts psychological trauma verbal aggression emotional resilience mental health awareness Questions to Reflect On - How do you repair emotional wounds? - What language promotes healing? A Different Perspective Physical injuries are visible; emotional wounds are often hidden. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bones Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bones-words/) [Break Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-soul-819377/) [Bullying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sticks and stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks-and-stones/) [Sticks Stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticks-stones/) [Stones Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stones-break/) [Words Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-break-523786/) ## Related quotes > [“Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/sticks-and-stones-may-break-our-bones-but-words-will-break-our-hearts/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will break our hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fulghum/sticks-and-stones-will-break-our-bones-but-words-will-break-our-hearts/) [Robert Fulghum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fulghum/) > [“Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can break hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones-but-words-can-break-hearts/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will make me go in a corner and cry by myself for hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-make-me-go-in-a/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [“Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me unless they are written on sticks and stones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nitya-prakash/sticks-and-stones-can-break-my-bones-but-words-can-never-hurt-me/) [Nitya Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nitya-prakash/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can make me think I deserved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-can-make-me-think-i/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words have the power to destroy me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-messe/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-have-the-power-to/) [Ellie Messe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-messe/) > [sticks and stones can only break bones; but words can shatter the soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-savage/sticks-and-stones-can-only-break-bones-but-words-can-shatter-the-soul/) [Adam Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-savage/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-may-never-hurt-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The old saw that "sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never harm me" does not, in fact, hold true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/the-old-saw-that-sticks-and-stones-can-break-my-bones-but-words-will/) [Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/) > [“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always hurt me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-always-hurt-me-2/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Sticks and stones will break your bones, but now words can kill, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/sticks-and-stones-will-break-your-bones-but-now-words-can-kill-too/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will make me cry by myself in a corner for hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/sticks-and-stones-will-break-my-bones-but-words-will-make-me-cry-by/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words are what will kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-are-what-will-kill-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can do much worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madi/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-can-do-much-worse/) [Madi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madi/) ## More Bullying quotes > [When it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/when-it-comes-to-bullying-small-businesses-donald-trump-is-the-poster/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [I never caught on to being a bully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-nolte/i-never-caught-on-to-being-a-bully/) [Nick Nolte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-nolte/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) [Vashti Quiroz-Vega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vashti-quiroz-vega/) > [I think the sooner that all of us in society stop accepting any type of bullying or harassment from other people - in spite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-priestley/i-think-the-sooner-that-all-of-us-in-society-stop-accepting-any-type/) [Jason Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-priestley/) > [Have a heart, Lend a hand, To help a friend, Stop bullying!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/have-a-heart-lend-a-hand-to-help-a-friend-stop-bullying/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Any kind of restrictions put on free speech would have worse consequences than bullying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-starlight/any-kind-of-restrictions-put-on-free-speech-would-have-worse/) [Lady Starlight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-starlight/) > [I think everyone has been annoyed at school or in their life, that's a type of bullying. 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It is the most devastating, draining, misunderstood, and ultimately futile experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/nothing-can-prepare-you-for-living-or-working-with-a-sociopathic/) [Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/) [Browse all 1,611 Bullying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my soul.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathryn Lopez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lopez/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-break-my-soul/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bullying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lopez/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-break-my-soul/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/kathryn-lopez-252500_bullying_sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but_1239269.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will break my soul.” — Kathryn Lopez", "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": "Kathryn Lopez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lopez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sticks and stones may break my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lopez/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-break-my-soul/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lopez/sticks-and-stones-may-break-my-bones-but-words-will-break-my-soul/#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 } } ] } ```