--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a…" description: "\"“I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't know was there. All I could think of was one of those medical shows. They're operating on some ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png" --- # I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't… ![“I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't know was there. All I could think of was one of those medical shows. They're operating on some poor slob, they accidentally nick an artery, and he starts gushing. 'We got a bleeder!' the surgeon yells, and everybody comes rushing to the…” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png) > ““I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't know was there. All I could think of was one of those medical shows. They're operating on some poor slob, they accidentally nick an artery, and he starts gushing. 'We got a bleeder!' the surgeon yells, and everybody comes rushing to the operating table. Nobody was rushing to me, though.”” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected pain can feel like a sudden, graphic injury, shocking the mind. **In simple terms:** Sudden shock feels like a bleeding wound. Key Takeaway Recognize and process unexpected emotional pain. Themes trauma surprise psychology Mood introspective empathetic Type narrative metaphorical When to use this quote - grief - breakup - health diagnosis - traumatic news Key Concepts shock emotional injury mind-body metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What metaphor best describes your hidden pain? - How can you support others in shock? A Different Perspective Painful experiences may be processed differently by others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Raw and delicate, poignant and poetic, Shelby Smoak’s Bleeder exposes the sorrow and sometimes sweetness of coming to age with HIV. In a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-boully/raw-and-delicate-poignant-and-poetic-shelby-smoak-s-bleeder-exposes/) [Jenny Boully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-boully/) > [I'm not a fighter, I'm a bleeder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fighter-i-m-a-bleeder/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I mean, you start to think about it, particularly when you get a little older. And, you know, a dentist shouldn't have bad teeth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-dubrow/i-mean-you-start-to-think-about-it-particularly-when-you-get-a-little/) [Terry Dubrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-dubrow/) > [I would like to see the day when somebody would be appointed surgeon somewhere who had no hands, for the operative part is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-cushing/i-would-like-to-see-the-day-when-somebody-would-be-appointed-surgeon/) [Harvey Cushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-cushing/) > [I'm the son of a surgeon and the grandson of a surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-m-the-son-of-a-surgeon-and-the-grandson-of-a-surgeon/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [My dad was a surgeon in Egypt. He was a general surgeon. As a little boy I always admired what he was doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdi-yacoub/my-dad-was-a-surgeon-in-egypt-he-was-a-general-surgeon-as-a-little/) [Magdi Yacoub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdi-yacoub/) > [War is the only proper school of the surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/war-is-the-only-proper-school-of-the-surgeon/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [My dad was a doctor and surgeon. He was the fifth generation of his family to become a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kercheval/my-dad-was-a-doctor-and-surgeon-he-was-the-fifth-generation-of-his/) [Ken Kercheval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kercheval/) > [I'd rather spend half an hour in the company of a top carpenter, than three hours in the company of an average brain surgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-d-rather-spend-half-an-hour-in-the-company-of-a-top-carpenter-than/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I do not intend to use the Surgeon General's Office as a bully pulpit for gun control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-do-not-intend-to-use-the-surgeon-general-s-office-as-a-bully-pulpit/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [You can be anything. You could be the President of the United States or the inventor of the next Internet or a ninja cardio-thoracic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/you-can-be-anything-you-could-be-the-president-of-the-united-states/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [“The reader, knowing nothing about the ‘dark continent,’ filled in the blanks. Pictured Stone in a tent, kerosene lamp held up by a Hottentot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/the-reader-knowing-nothing-about-the-dark-continent-filled-in-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“I could see that the almost mystical aura of this legendary surgeon -- the single-mindedness, the dedication, the skill -- was mere surface. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-could-see-that-the-almost-mystical-aura-of-this-legendary-surgeon/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“A trained surgeon is also a potential killer, and an important bit of the training lies in accepting the fact. Your intent is entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/a-trained-surgeon-is-also-a-potential-killer-and-an-important-bit-of/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) [Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## More Surgeon quotes > [“A trained surgeon is also a potential killer, and an important bit of the training lies in accepting the fact. Your intent is entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/a-trained-surgeon-is-also-a-potential-killer-and-an-important-bit-of/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“I could see that the almost mystical aura of this legendary surgeon -- the single-mindedness, the dedication, the skill -- was mere surface. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-could-see-that-the-almost-mystical-aura-of-this-legendary-surgeon/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“The reader, knowing nothing about the ‘dark continent,’ filled in the blanks. Pictured Stone in a tent, kerosene lamp held up by a Hottentot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/the-reader-knowing-nothing-about-the-dark-continent-filled-in-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [You can be anything. You could be the President of the United States or the inventor of the next Internet or a ninja cardio-thoracic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/you-can-be-anything-you-could-be-the-president-of-the-united-states/) [Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/) > [I do not intend to use the Surgeon General's Office as a bully pulpit for gun control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/i-do-not-intend-to-use-the-surgeon-general-s-office-as-a-bully-pulpit/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [I'd rather spend half an hour in the company of a top carpenter, than three hours in the company of an average brain surgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-d-rather-spend-half-an-hour-in-the-company-of-a-top-carpenter-than/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [My dad was a doctor and surgeon. He was the fifth generation of his family to become a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kercheval/my-dad-was-a-doctor-and-surgeon-he-was-the-fifth-generation-of-his/) [Ken Kercheval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kercheval/) > [War is the only proper school of the surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hippocrates/war-is-the-only-proper-school-of-the-surgeon/) [Hippocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hippocrates/) > [My dad was a surgeon in Egypt. He was a general surgeon. As a little boy I always admired what he was doing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdi-yacoub/my-dad-was-a-surgeon-in-egypt-he-was-a-general-surgeon-as-a-little/) [Magdi Yacoub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdi-yacoub/) > [I'm the son of a surgeon and the grandson of a surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-m-the-son-of-a-surgeon-and-the-grandson-of-a-surgeon/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [I would like to see the day when somebody would be appointed surgeon somewhere who had no hands, for the operative part is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-cushing/i-would-like-to-see-the-day-when-somebody-would-be-appointed-surgeon/) [Harvey Cushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-cushing/) > [I mean, you start to think about it, particularly when you get a little older. And, you know, a dentist shouldn't have bad teeth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-dubrow/i-mean-you-start-to-think-about-it-particularly-when-you-get-a-little/) [Terry Dubrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-dubrow/) > [A lot of people have misconceptions about what the surgeon general does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-murthy/a-lot-of-people-have-misconceptions-about-what-the-surgeon-general/) [Vivek Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-murthy/) > [When I was 16, I played Macbeth at school and my English teacher said, 'I think you may have acting talent. Try to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suchet/when-i-was-16-i-played-macbeth-at-school-and-my-english-teacher-said/) [David Suchet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suchet/) Browse all 193 Surgeon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't know was there. All I could think of was one of those medical shows. They're operating on some poor slob, they accidentally nick an artery, and he starts gushing. 'We got a bleeder!' the surgeon yells, and everybody comes rushing to the operating table. Nobody was rushing to me, though.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Neal Shusterman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-place-i-didn-t-know-was-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Surgeon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-place-i-didn-t-know-was-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/265/neal-shusterman-412_surgeon_i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-p_1047525.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I wasn't expecting that. It hit me in a place I didn't know was there. All I could think of was one of those…” — Neal Shusterman", "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": "Neal Shusterman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I wasn't expecting that. It hit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-place-i-didn-t-know-was-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-wasn-t-expecting-that-it-hit-me-in-a-place-i-didn-t-know-was-there/#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 } } ] } ```