--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes history turns on that little: a…" description: "\"“Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a single bullet.”\" — Phillip DePoy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg" --- # Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a… ![“Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a single bullet.” quote by Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg) > ““Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a single bullet.”” [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A pivotal event can hinge on a single, seemingly minor detail. **In simple terms:** Small moments can change history. Key Takeaway Pay attention to tiny details. Themes history chance impact Mood reflective thoughtful Type analytical inspirational When to use this quote - political decisions - military actions - personal choices Key Concepts determinism contingency Questions to Reflect On - What tiny detail could you influence today? - How do you assess the weight of a single event? A Different Perspective Not all outcomes are solely due to one moment; broader forces matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bullet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-turns-611941/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) [Single Bullet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-bullet-4198798/) [Single moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I am a single bullet. It has no heart. Therefore, it does not think. It just flies straight towards its target.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanzaki-h-aria/i-am-a-single-bullet-it-has-no-heart-therefore-it-does-not-think-it/) [Kanzaki H Aria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanzaki-h-aria/) > [It has occurred to me that if everyone could be there just once to see for themselves what white phosphorous does to the face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/it-has-occurred-to-me-that-if-everyone-could-be-there-just-once-to/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [“One writer said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. If we were to apply that maxim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/one-writer-said-that-the-door-of-history-turns-on-small-hinges-and-so/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [The real movement of history, it turns out, is fueled not by matter but by spirit, by the will to freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-himmelfarb/the-real-movement-of-history-it-turns-out-is-fueled-not-by-matter-but/) [Gertrude Himmelfarb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-himmelfarb/) > [It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so do people's lives. The choices we make determine our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/it-has-been-said-that-the-gate-of-history-turns-on-small-hinges-and/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [History turns me on. I was terrible at it at in school, but as I get older, I get more and more into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lincoln/history-turns-me-on-i-was-terrible-at-it-at-in-school-but-as-i-get/) [Andrew Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lincoln/) > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Life is fleeting. Don't waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/life-is-fleeting-don-t-waste-a-single-moment-of-your-precious-life/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [I think 'The X-Files' was a very important moment in TV history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mckean/i-think-the-x-files-was-a-very-important-moment-in-tv-history/) [Michael McKean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mckean/) > [“I am going to tell a story now, and though I've made a life out of writing words, this is the first time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-palmer/i-am-going-to-tell-a-story-now-and-though-i-ve-made-a-life-out-of/) [Dexter Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-palmer/) > [“Blurring the line between possible and impossible, linear and non-linear time, fiction and reality, fate and free will, 1Q84 is both a metaphysical mind-teaser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/blurring-the-line-between-possible-and-impossible-linear-and-non/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“And the saddest of all may be when we give away our lives to insignificant things, things we didn’t realize we subconsciously loved. Turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/and-the-saddest-of-all-may-be-when-we-give-away-our-lives-to/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [The moment I lost you, the Sun simply went out. For a time, I wandered in Darkness absolute, understanding truly, the bottomless depths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/the-moment-i-lost-you-the-sun-simply-went-out-for-a-time-i-wandered/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [The true definition of life will always remain the same It Goes On roll with it and make the best of every single moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/the-true-definition-of-life-will-always-remain-the-same-it-goes-on/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [Every single moment, an ignorant discovers an idea that has been known for centuries!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-single-moment-an-ignorant-discovers-an-idea-that-has-been-known/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Phillip DePoy > [“Given my upbringing and my life in general, it's not so hard to imagine that my mind would capsize eventually.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/given-my-upbringing-and-my-life-in-general-it-s-not-so-hard-to/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) > [“The Internet is to our intellectual life what the universal unconscious is to our psychological life. In fact, the Internet is the new universal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/the-internet-is-to-our-intellectual-life-what-the-universal/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) > [“No, I mean, this is a problem that most people have. A problem of the human condition. We get ahold of some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/no-i-mean-this-is-a-problem-that-most-people-have-a-problem-of-the/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) > [“It happened in the autumn of the year, when murder feels at home, because so many other things are dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/it-happened-in-the-autumn-of-the-year-when-murder-feels-at-home/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) > [“For reasons I can only guess, my mother always instructed me that it was impolite to tell the truth...Whatever she lacked in versimilitude, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/for-reasons-i-can-only-guess-my-mother-always-instructed-me-that-it/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) > [“I had learned many times that the more you try to get people to deny their illusions, the stronger the illusions can become. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/i-had-learned-many-times-that-the-more-you-try-to-get-people-to-deny/) [Phillip DePoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) [Explore all 7 Phillip DePoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/) ## More Bullet quotes > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Lately, it had been an endless procession of long, black nights and gray mornings, when her sense of failure swept over her like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-flagg/lately-it-had-been-an-endless-procession-of-long-black-nights-and/) [Fannie Flagg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-flagg/) > [So far I'm still standing on 'Sons of Anarchy' but all the rest of the people on the show have me in their crosshairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-pileggi/so-far-i-m-still-standing-on-sons-of-anarchy-but-all-the-rest-of-the/) [Mitch Pileggi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-pileggi/) > [The bullet that will kill me is not yet cast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/the-bullet-that-will-kill-me-is-not-yet-cast/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [When a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing will win arguments and straighten people out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/when-a-person-has-a-gun-sometimes-their-mind-clicks-that-this-thing/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [When you give someone a second chance, you're giving them an extra bullet to shoot you with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-give-someone-a-second-chance-you-re-giving-them-an-extra/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If mankind's destined to bite the bullet, let's bite it and be damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-mankind-s-destined-to-bite-the-bullet-let-s-bite-it-and-be-damned/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [This is like playing Russian roulette with a Luger rather than a revolver. One bullet, one chamber - and we're pulling the trigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lynas/this-is-like-playing-russian-roulette-with-a-luger-rather-than-a/) [Mark Lynas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lynas/) > [For Whom Would You Take This Bullet ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-bassam/for-whom-would-you-take-this-bullet/) [Ali Bassam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-bassam/) > [“I don’t know how these things died without benefit of a bullet to the brain pan. They seemed to exist in an eternal twilight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-ramirez/i-don-t-know-how-these-things-died-without-benefit-of-a-bullet-to-the/) [Steven Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-ramirez/) > [I was playing in the league when Ray Guy was playing in the league. He was the best kicker I've ever seen. He could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gale-sayers/i-was-playing-in-the-league-when-ray-guy-was-playing-in-the-league-he/) [Gale Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gale-sayers/) > [I carved your name into this bullet so that everyone would know that you were the last thing going through my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-carved-your-name-into-this-bullet-so-that-everyone-would-know-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you take a shot at someone, you keep firing until they can no longer return fire. Wound them, and you have an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-traviss/if-you-take-a-shot-at-someone-you-keep-firing-until-they-can-no/) [Karen Traviss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-traviss/) > [“So I heard the boom of my father's rifle when he shot my best friend. A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/so-i-heard-the-boom-of-my-father-s-rifle-when-he-shot-my-best-friend/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [I'll be your number one with a bullet. A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fall-out-boy/i-ll-be-your-number-one-with-a-bullet-a-loaded-god-complex-cock-it/) [Fall Out Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fall-out-boy/) [Browse all 493 Bullet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bullet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a single bullet.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Phillip DePoy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a-single-moment-a-single-bullet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bullet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a-single-moment-a-single-bullet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a1/phillip-depoy-50437_bullet_sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a_2308026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes history turns on that little: a single moment, a single bullet.” — Phillip DePoy", "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": "Phillip DePoy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-depoy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes history turns on that little:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a-single-moment-a-single-bullet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-depoy/sometimes-history-turns-on-that-little-a-single-moment-a-single-bullet/#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 } } ] } ```