--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If somebody is really trying to take your…" description: "\"If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand there and turn the other cheek,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png" --- # If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a… ![“If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand there and turn the other cheek, so he or she can get a better angle at taking your head off.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png) > “If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand there and turn the other cheek, so he or she can get a better angle at taking your head off.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A warning that passive tolerance of extreme aggression can invite further harm; sometimes self‑defense is necessary. **In simple terms:** Passive tolerance can enable aggression. Key Takeaway Know when to defend yourself. Themes Power dynamics Self‑preservation Violence Moral dilemmas Boundaries Mood defervent Defiant Cautious Type Aphorism Warning Social commentary When to use this quote - Facing physical threats - Dealing with abusive relationships - Negotiating hostile negotiations - Surviving bullying - Confronting intimidation Key Concepts Aggression Self‑defense Ethics Survival Practical Applications - Self‑defense training - Legal advice on personal safety Questions to Reflect On - When does protecting yourself become aggression? - How can you balance compassion with self‑preservation? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Turn the other cheek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-the-other-cheek/) ## Related quotes > [...they'd just tell you to turn the other cheek, wouldn't they?...Trouble is, Mrs. Dowdel observed, after you've turned the other cheek four times, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/they-d-just-tell-you-to-turn-the-other-cheek-wouldn-t-they-trouble-is/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) > [“Just like Jesus’ call to turn the other cheek recognizes that, under normal circumstances, one would hit back. To refrain from violence is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-steenwyk-mark/just-like-jesus-call-to-turn-the-other-cheek-recognizes-that-under/) Van Steenwyk, Mark > [“I only turn the other cheek to avoid blood spatter.” \*”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-lee-deleo/i-only-turn-the-other-cheek-to-avoid-blood-spatter/) Bernard Lee DeLeo > [“I’d spurned a king and had the nerve to suggest that he turn the other cheek and take it like a champ.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-bonilla/i-d-spurned-a-king-and-had-the-nerve-to-suggest-that-he-turn-the/) [Amanda Bonilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-bonilla/) > [God says, Turn the other cheek. So there's no way I could play in a man's game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-howard/god-says-turn-the-other-cheek-so-there-s-no-way-i-could-play-in-a-man/) [Dwight Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-howard/) > [Please don't be a bully. Turn the other cheek. Have compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/please-don-t-be-a-bully-turn-the-other-cheek-have-compassion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't want you to turn the other cheek, it's just as ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-want-you-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-s-just-as-ugly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How'd you turn the other cheek, to save a sorry soul like me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-rhett/how-d-you-turn-the-other-cheek-to-save-a-sorry-soul-like-me/) [Thomas Rhett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-rhett/) > [Nobody should teach the black man in America to turn the other cheek, unless someone is teaching the white man in America to turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/nobody-should-teach-the-black-man-in-america-to-turn-the-other-cheek/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“I say yes, turn the other cheek, and let me slap your butt again. Forgiveness can be oh so naughty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-say-yes-turn-the-other-cheek-and-let-me-slap-your-butt-again/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-rogers/it-won-t-mean-you-re-weak-if-you-turn-the-other-cheek/) [Kenny Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-rogers/) > [They'll call you soft for turning the other cheek. But soon you'll have helped them heal. And then they'll learn to turn the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-ll-call-you-soft-for-turning-the-other-cheek-but-soon-you-ll/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jesus asked you to turn the other cheek, not for you to hide from darkness, but for you to confront darkness with light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/jesus-asked-you-to-turn-the-other-cheek-not-for-you-to-hide-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It takes quite a spine to turn the other cheek. It takes phenomenal fortitude to love your enemy. It takes firm resolve to pray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/it-takes-quite-a-spine-to-turn-the-other-cheek-it-takes-phenomenal/) [Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/) > [They call him the Streak, he likes to turn the other cheek. He's always making the news, wearing just his tennis shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stevens/they-call-him-the-streak-he-likes-to-turn-the-other-cheek-he-s-always/) [Ray Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stevens/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## More Angle quotes > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [I like small things, I like small moments that are almost elliptical, that are not necessarily linear; they're natural things that happen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-small-things-i-like-small-moments-that-are-almost-elliptical/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Los Angles to me seems to be a little bit more forgiving. They're just as rowdy and they're just as excited but they understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cole/los-angles-to-me-seems-to-be-a-little-bit-more-forgiving-they-re-just/) [Adam Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cole/) > [Our mind is a flowing something. It oscillates. Concentration is merely the continuous return to the same problem from a million angles… So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/our-mind-is-a-flowing-something-it-oscillates-concentration-is-merely/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) > [There's only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today’s society. Sometimes we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-s-only-a-very-small-representation-of-girls-among-you-too/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The genius is a genius by the first look he casts on any object. Is his eye creative? Does he not rest in angles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-genius-is-a-genius-by-the-first-look-he-casts-on-any-object-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [I have known a very good, fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/i-have-known-a-very-good-fisher-angle-diligently-four-or-six-hours/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) Psixaristw > [He was not as soft as when I'd first met him, not as young, but the angles of his face, his quick gestures, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-was-not-as-soft-as-when-i-d-first-met-him-not-as-young-but-the/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Sometimes I sit and look at life from a different angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/sometimes-i-sit-and-look-at-life-from-a-different-angle/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Kurt Angle and Matt Hardy... I have so much respect for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-piper/kurt-angle-and-matt-hardy-i-have-so-much-respect-for-them/) [Roddy Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-piper/) Browse all 645 Angle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand there and turn the other cheek, so he or she can get a better angle at taking your head off.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maya Angelou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Angle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/500/maya-angelou-104_angle_if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-you_64695.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're…” — Maya Angelou", "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": "Maya Angelou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If somebody is really trying to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/#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 } } ] } ```