---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.”…"
description: "\"“Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I piss the bed,” he admits. “Probably twice a month. I don’t ever remember the bloodydamn dreams..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg"
---

#  Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I…

![“Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I piss the bed,” he admits. “Probably twice a month. I don’t ever remember the bloodydamn dreams, but my body sure as hell does.” He was in the thick of the fighting to free Mars. The tunnel wars there were even nastier than the block fighting…” quote by Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg)

> ““Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I piss the bed,” he admits. “Probably twice a month. I don’t ever remember the bloodydamn dreams, but my body sure as hell does.” He was in the thick of the fighting to free Mars. The tunnel wars there were even nastier than the block fighting on Luna. Even the Obsidians don’t sing songs of their victories in the tunnels. The Rat War, they call it. Over the course of three years, Dancer personally liberated over a hundred mines with the Sons of Ares. If Fitchner is the father of the Rising, it’d be fair to call Dancer the favorite uncle, despite the dissolution of the Sons of Ares.””

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A soldier reflects on fragmented memory and bodily trauma amid relentless war, highlighting how physical experiences persist even when conscious recall fails.

**In simple terms:** War leaves lasting physical marks even if memories fade.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge hidden wounds.

Themes

war memory trauma

Mood

somber reflective

Type

literary fictional

When to use this quote

- soldier life
- post‑war recovery
- mental health support

Key Concepts

psychology combat stress

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize unseen scars?
- What role does sharing play in healing?

A Different Perspective

Physical trauma can be invisible to others.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Favorite uncle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-uncle/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“I will learn to lead �eets. I will win. I will sharpen myself into a sword. I will give my soul. I will dive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/i-will-learn-to-lead-eets-i-will-win-i-will-sharpen-myself-into-a/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [Does the fighting ever end...? Seems like it never will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/storm-shadowheart/does-the-fighting-ever-end-seems-like-it-never-will/)

Storm Shadowheart

> [And I will not be beaten by that jackass." "Jackass?" said Foaly, wounded. "My favorite uncle is a jackass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/and-i-will-not-be-beaten-by-that-jackass-jackass-said-foaly-wounded/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [“You’ve never called the baby by name before.” This earned her a twitch of his lips, maybe impatience, maybe humor. “We’re drinking companions now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-burrowes/you-ve-never-called-the-baby-by-name-before-this-earned-her-a-twitch/)

[Grace Burrowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-burrowes/)

> [“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-ve-watched-through-his-eyes-i-ve-listened-through-his-ears-and-i-2/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [China's Premier Zhao Ziyang, for all of his billion constituents, seemed in the evening's lovely flow like a favorite uncle, smiling a little too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-sidey/china-s-premier-zhao-ziyang-for-all-of-his-billion-constituents/)

[Hugh Sidey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-sidey/)

> [My favorite uncle died when I was eleven, and that was two months after 9/11, so that was a particularly difficult time with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/my-favorite-uncle-died-when-i-was-eleven-and-that-was-two-months/)

[Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/)

> [“My favorite uncle was gay,” she says, “and he doesn’t like to dance, either.” She looks at Chad. “I don’t like that word. Fag.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-warman/my-favorite-uncle-was-gay-she-says-and-he-doesn-t-like-to-dance/)

[Jessica Warman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-warman/)

> [“The “rising tide” theory rested on a notion of separate but equal class ladders. And so there was a class of black poor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-rising-tide-theory-rested-on-a-notion-of-separate-but-equal-class/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [My uncle Claude was my favorite uncle he was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/my-uncle-claude-was-my-favorite-uncle-he-was-also-my-godfather-he-and/)

[Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/)

> [ People say, "Look, your book \[Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle\] is about tall tales." And I said, "No, you don't understand,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/people-say-look-your-book-tales-and-wisdom-from-duck-dynasty-s/)

[Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Oooh, if you have never been to Alaska, go there while it is still wild. My favorite uncle asked me if I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/oooh-if-you-have-never-been-to-alaska-go-there-while-it-is-still-wild/)

[Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/)

## More by Pierce Brown

> [“Where did you hear that song?" I ask her without sitting up. "From the HC," she says, blushing. "A little girl sang it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/where-did-you-hear-that-song-i-ask-her-without-sitting-up-from-the-hc/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“Men call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/men-call-him-father-liberator-warlord-slave-king-reaper-but-he-feels/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“The floor is made of condensed air, so we are suspended above a mile vertical drop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/the-floor-is-made-of-condensed-air-so-we-are-suspended-above-a-mile/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“She said she would protect us…” I whisper. “Who?” “The Sovereign…” He’s silent for a long moment. “I know it may be impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/she-said-she-would-protect-us-i-whisper-who-the-sovereign-he-s-silent/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“can nearly smell the pencil-shaving scent of him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/can-nearly-smell-the-pencil-shaving-scent-of-him/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“Sometimes, little one, it’s best if the worlds think you a little mad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/sometimes-little-one-it-s-best-if-the-worlds-think-you-a-little-mad/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“Snorting, Sevro drops back to where the legendary Obsidian, Sefi Volarus, stands in her customary silence. He feigns an air of domesticity, but next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/snorting-sevro-drops-back-to-where-the-legendary-obsidian-sefi/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“And now that her dream has spread, he wonders if she would recognize it. And he wonders too if he were to die today,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/and-now-that-her-dream-has-spread-he-wonders-if-she-would-recognize/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“ 'And now I Carve the things I saw in my fever dreams, just as they always wished. I dreamed of you, I think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/and-now-i-carve-the-things-i-saw-in-my-fever-dreams-just-as-they/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“All wounds heal. Even these." "That's a lie." I tell him. I'll never be healed of Eo. That pain will last forever. "Some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/all-wounds-heal-even-these-that-s-a-lie-i-tell-him-i-ll-never-be/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“I'm a sheep wearing wolves' clothing in a pack of wolves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/i-m-a-sheep-wearing-wolves-clothing-in-a-pack-of-wolves/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“Sevro…are you going to be civil?” He shrugs. “Good enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/sevro-are-you-going-to-be-civil-he-shrugs-good-enough/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“New’ generally means someone’s just trying to make money off something old.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/new-generally-means-someone-s-just-trying-to-make-money-off-something/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

> [“WE HURTLE LIKE A black thunderbolt over a pale waste of silicate dust and sulfur dioxide frost in a starship adorned with electric dragons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/we-hurtle-like-a-black-thunderbolt-over-a-pale-waste-of-silicate-dust/)

[Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

[Explore all 307 Pierce Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/)

## More Favorite uncle quotes

> [And I will not be beaten by that jackass." "Jackass?" said Foaly, wounded. "My favorite uncle is a jackass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/and-i-will-not-be-beaten-by-that-jackass-jackass-said-foaly-wounded/)

[Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [ People say, "Look, your book \[Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty's Favorite Uncle\] is about tall tales." And I said, "No, you don't understand,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/people-say-look-your-book-tales-and-wisdom-from-duck-dynasty-s/)

[Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/)

> [My uncle Claude was my favorite uncle he was also my godfather. He and I were really, really close. He used to take me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/my-uncle-claude-was-my-favorite-uncle-he-was-also-my-godfather-he-and/)

[Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/)

> [“The “rising tide” theory rested on a notion of separate but equal class ladders. And so there was a class of black poor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/the-rising-tide-theory-rested-on-a-notion-of-separate-but-equal-class/)

[Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/)

> [“My favorite uncle was gay,” she says, “and he doesn’t like to dance, either.” She looks at Chad. “I don’t like that word. Fag.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-warman/my-favorite-uncle-was-gay-she-says-and-he-doesn-t-like-to-dance/)

[Jessica Warman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-warman/)

> [My favorite uncle died when I was eleven, and that was two months after 9/11, so that was a particularly difficult time with my family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-silvera/my-favorite-uncle-died-when-i-was-eleven-and-that-was-two-months/)

[Adam Silvera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-silvera/)

> [China's Premier Zhao Ziyang, for all of his billion constituents, seemed in the evening's lovely flow like a favorite uncle, smiling a little too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-sidey/china-s-premier-zhao-ziyang-for-all-of-his-billion-constituents/)

[Hugh Sidey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-sidey/)

> [“I’ve watched through his eyes, I’ve listened through his ears, and I tell you he’s the one. Or at least as close as we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-ve-watched-through-his-eyes-i-ve-listened-through-his-ears-and-i-2/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [“You’ve never called the baby by name before.” This earned her a twitch of his lips, maybe impatience, maybe humor. “We’re drinking companions now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-burrowes/you-ve-never-called-the-baby-by-name-before-this-earned-her-a-twitch/)

[Grace Burrowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-burrowes/)

> [Oooh, if you have never been to Alaska, go there while it is still wild. My favorite uncle asked me if I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/oooh-if-you-have-never-been-to-alaska-go-there-while-it-is-still-wild/)

[Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/)

[Browse all 12 Favorite uncle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/favorite-uncle/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I piss the bed,” he admits. “Probably twice a month. I don’t ever remember the bloodydamn dreams, but my body sure as hell does.” He was in the thick of the fighting to free Mars. The tunnel wars there were even nastier than the block fighting on Luna. Even the Obsidians don’t sing songs of their victories in the tunnels. The Rat War, they call it. Over the course of three years, Dancer personally liberated over a hundred mines with the Sons of Ares. If Fitchner is the father of the Rising, it’d be fair to call Dancer the favorite uncle, despite the dissolution of the Sons of Ares.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Pierce Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-bastard-i-piss-the-bed-he/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Favorite uncle"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-bastard-i-piss-the-bed-he/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/195/pierce-brown-1011_favorite-uncle_can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-ba_2971148.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.” “Lucky bastard. I piss the bed,” he admits. “Probably twice a month. I…” — Pierce Brown",
                "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": "Pierce Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Can you sleep?” he asks. “Sometimes.”...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-bastard-i-piss-the-bed-he/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/can-you-sleep-he-asks-sometimes-lucky-bastard-i-piss-the-bed-he/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
