--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you…" description: "\"“Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you can fix it, but it’ll be miserable, and you’d rather haul it to the dump and start from scratch.” “Piece of jun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png" --- # Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you can fix it, but… ![“Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you can fix it, but it’ll be miserable, and you’d rather haul it to the dump and start from scratch.” “Piece of junk,” groused Zee. “What’s not rusted to pieces is bent. If you took all the good parts and put them in a pile, you could carry them out in your…” quote by Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png) > ““Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you can fix it, but it’ll be miserable, and you’d rather haul it to the dump and start from scratch.” “Piece of junk,” groused Zee. “What’s not rusted to pieces is bent. If you took all the good parts and put them in a pile, you could carry them out in your pocket.” There was a little pause. “Even if you only had a small pocket.” I patted the car. “Don’t you listen to him,” I whispered to it. “You’ll be out of here and back on the road in no time.” Zee propelled himself all the way under the car so his head stuck out by my feet. “Don’t you promise something you can’t deliver,” he snarled. I raised my eyebrows, and said in dulcet tones, “Are you telling me you can’t fix it? I’m sorry. I distinctly remember you saying that there is nothing you can’t fix. I must have been mistaken, and it was someone else wearing your mouth.” He gave a growl that would have done Sam credit, and pushed himself back under again, muttering,“Deine Mutter war ein Cola-Automat!” “Her mama might have been a pop machine,” I said, responding to one of the remarks I understood even at full Zee-speed. “Your mama . . .” sounds the same in a number of languages. “But she was a beauty in her day.” I grinned at Gabriel. “We women have to stick together.”” [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mechanic debates whether to repair a broken car or abandon it, reflecting on optimism versus realism and the limits of promises. **In simple terms:** Choosing to fix or discard depends on realistic expectations and willingness to accept imperfections. Key Takeaway Assess what truly can be salvaged before committing. Themes optimism realism repair promise teamwork Mood determined reflective humorous Type advice conversational narrative When to use this quote - auto repair - friendship - project management - personal relationships Key Concepts resourcefulness limitations communication Questions to Reflect On - What are the realistic limits of your abilities? - How do you decide when to fix versus replace? A Different Perspective Promises may be overconfident and lead to disappointment if not grounded in reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Mercy-thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy-thompson/) [Rusted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rusted/) [Stick together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stick-together/) ## Related quotes > [“Kelly looked at the cop, then sighed. “What a cluster. 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I raised my eyebrows, and said in dulcet tones, “Are you telling me you can’t fix it? I’m sorry. I distinctly remember you saying that there is nothing you can’t fix. I must have been mistaken, and it was someone else wearing your mouth.” He gave a growl that would have done Sam credit, and pushed himself back under again, muttering,“Deine Mutter war ein Cola-Automat!” “Her mama might have been a pop machine,” I said, responding to one of the remarks I understood even at full Zee-speed. “Your mama . . .” sounds the same in a number of languages. “But she was a beauty in her day.” I grinned at Gabriel. “We women have to stick together.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patricia Briggs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fix-it-but-it-ll-be-miserable/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cars" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fix-it-but-it-ll-be-miserable/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa0/patricia-briggs-571_cars_hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fi_2794986.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take it that you can fix it, but it’ll be miserable, and you’d rather haul it to the…” — Patricia Briggs", "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": "Patricia Briggs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Hey, Zee,” I said. “I take...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fix-it-but-it-ll-be-miserable/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/hey-zee-i-said-i-take-it-that-you-can-fix-it-but-it-ll-be-miserable/#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 } } ] } ```