--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The kid who didn't go back when he should…" description: "\"The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that pr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg" --- # The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now… ![“The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that promise, the war is over - not the big war, but the war that matters, the one in the battlefield of his heart. Because promises matter. They matter…” quote by Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg) > “The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that promise, the war is over - not the big war, but the war that matters, the one in the battlefield of his heart. Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.” [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character struggles with broken promises, seeing personal vows as crucial battles within his heart, emphasizing the weight of integrity. **In simple terms:** Broken promises feel like inner wars; keeping them matters. Key Takeaway Uphold promises to protect inner peace. Themes integrity promise inner conflict war heart Mood reflective serious hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - conflict resolution Key Concepts morality psychology redemption Questions to Reflect On - What promises are you holding onto? - How does breaking a promise affect your self‑esteem? A Different Perspective People may forget promises under pressure, leading to regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Zombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie/) ## Related quotes > [Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/because-promises-matter-they-matter-now-more-than-ever/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“They made a major mistake," he blurted out, "the dumb bastards, when they didn't start by killing you first." "Benjamin Thomas Parish, that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/they-made-a-major-mistake-he-blurted-out-the-dumb-bastards-when-they/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“And, for one– ten thousandth of a second, all of it fell away, the despair and grief and anger and pain and hunger, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/and-for-one-ten-thousandth-of-a-second-all-of-it-fell-away-the/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“God promises that no matter how dismal the picture, He will take our problem and turn it into an opportunity for our growth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-elizabeth-anderson/god-promises-that-no-matter-how-dismal-the-picture-he-will-take-our/) [Suzanne Elizabeth Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-elizabeth-anderson/) > [It's fucking terrifying that no matter how many promises they made, no matter how long you've been together, someone can get up & walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-derrah/it-s-fucking-terrifying-that-no-matter-how-many-promises-they-made-no/) Larissa Derrah > [“A cemetery?" I chuckle, but the pitch is a bit higher than I expected. "At night? With a full moon? Um ... did you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaughn-r-demont/a-cemetery-i-chuckle-but-the-pitch-is-a-bit-higher-than-i-expected-at/) [Vaughn R. Demont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaughn-r-demont/) > [“I walked to the table and picked it up, doing as he asked. And then it struck me that I was setting a so-called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-habel/i-walked-to-the-table-and-picked-it-up-doing-as-he-asked-and-then-it/) [Lia Habel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-habel/) > [“Private Zombie, did your mother have any children that lived?" "Sir! Yes, sir!" "I bet when you were born she took one look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/private-zombie-did-your-mother-have-any-children-that-lived-sir-yes/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I brought Sammy inside and put him to bed. Said his prayer with him. “‘Now I lay me down to sleep…’” To me, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-brought-sammy-inside-and-put-him-to-bed-said-his-prayer-with-him/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“I can’t leave him. I made a promise.” I start to explain it, but I don’t even know how to begin. How do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-can-t-leave-him-i-made-a-promise-i-start-to-explain-it-but-i-don-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“A Zombie. Okay. Whew. All right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-st-crow/a-zombie-okay-whew-all-right/) [Lili St. Crow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lili-st-crow/) > [Where did you find that one?" "I have no idea. I'm a magnet for crazies, I guess." "They must be able to sense a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/where-did-you-find-that-one-i-have-no-idea-i-m-a-magnet-for-crazies-i/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [I think that voodoo as a spiritual tradition has been demonized for so long in popular culture. I wanted to write against that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-think-that-voodoo-as-a-spiritual-tradition-has-been-demonized-for/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [I think zombies have always been an easy metaphor for hard times. Because they're this big, faceless, brainless group of evil things that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/i-think-zombies-have-always-been-an-easy-metaphor-for-hard-times/) [Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/) > [I'm like my zombies. I won't stay dead!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-a-romero/i-m-like-my-zombies-i-won-t-stay-dead/) [George A. Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-a-romero/) ## More by Rick Yancey > [“Don't you get it yet? The minute we decide that one person doesn't matter anymore, they've won."..."Beneath a sky crowded with a billion stars.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/don-t-you-get-it-yet-the-minute-we-decide-that-one-person-doesn-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [The way we learn to write is the way we learn to talk: We listen to others and start mimicking speech, and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-way-we-learn-to-write-is-the-way-we-learn-to-talk-we-listen-to/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I have a very low tolerance for boredom and often think I would have missed out on books entirely if Id grown up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-have-a-very-low-tolerance-for-boredom-and-often-think-i-would-have/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [There are things that are too terrible to remember, and there are things that are almost too wonderful to recall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/there-are-things-that-are-too-terrible-to-remember-and-there-are/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I've loved sci-fi and speculative fiction since I was a kid. It was inevitable I'd try my hand at it at some point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-ve-loved-sci-fi-and-speculative-fiction-since-i-was-a-kid-it-was/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“I can’t leave him. I made a promise.” I start to explain it, but I don’t even know how to begin. How do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-can-t-leave-him-i-made-a-promise-i-start-to-explain-it-but-i-don-t/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“That's my big problem. That's it! Before the Arrival,guys like Evan Walker never looked twice at me, much less shot wild game for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/that-s-my-big-problem-that-s-it-before-the-arrival-guys-like-evan/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I'm one, too," he said. "What?" He spit a wad of blood and mucus into the dirt. "A virgin." What a shock. "What makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-m-one-too-he-said-what-he-spit-a-wad-of-blood-and-mucus-into-the/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [Good God, man, what is that smell?" He eyed with disgust the doctor's filthy cloak. "Life," answered the doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/good-god-man-what-is-that-smell-he-eyed-with-disgust-the-doctor-s/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“He drops into the room, landing on the balls of his feet like a cat. I'm in his arms in the time it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/he-drops-into-the-room-landing-on-the-balls-of-his-feet-like-a-cat-i/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“All things do happen for a reason... . Is this not the foundation of our faith? You are here-all of us-because we are but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/all-things-do-happen-for-a-reason-is-this-not-the-foundation-of-our/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Her raised his face to the weeping sky, closed his dark eyes, and sighed deeply, a smile playing on his sensuous lips. "The bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/her-raised-his-face-to-the-weeping-sky-closed-his-dark-eyes-and/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [To hold on, you have to find something you’re willing to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/to-hold-on-you-have-to-find-something-you-re-willing-to-die-for/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I brought Sammy inside and put him to bed. Said his prayer with him. “‘Now I lay me down to sleep…’” To me, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-brought-sammy-inside-and-put-him-to-bed-said-his-prayer-with-him/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [A moment comes in war when the last line must be crossed. The line that separates what you hold dear from what total war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/a-moment-comes-in-war-when-the-last-line-must-be-crossed-the-line/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) [Explore all 342 Rick Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie, who made a promise, and if he breaks that promise, the war is over - not the big war, but the war that matters, the one in the battlefield of his heart. Because promises matter. They matter now more than ever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rick Yancey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-should-have-and-now-goes-back-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-should-have-and-now-goes-back-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/973/rick-yancey-831_bigs_the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-shoul_2925985.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The kid who didn't go back when he should have and now goes back when he shouldn't. The kid called Zombie…” — Rick Yancey", "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": "Rick Yancey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The kid who didn't go back...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-should-have-and-now-goes-back-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/the-kid-who-didn-t-go-back-when-he-should-have-and-now-goes-back-when/#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 } } ] } ```