--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a man, cautious, hides his limp…" description: "\"If a man, cautious, hides his limp, Somebody has to limp it! Things do it; the surroundings limp. House walls get scars, the car breaks down; matter, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb2/robert-bly-3269_break_if-a-man-cautious-hides-his-limp-somebod_774540.png" --- # If a man, cautious, hides his limp, Somebody has to limp… ![“If a man, cautious, hides his limp, Somebody has to limp it! Things do it; the surroundings limp. House walls get scars, the car breaks down; matter, in drudgery, takes it up.” quote by Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb2/robert-bly-3269_break_if-a-man-cautious-hides-his-limp-somebod_774540.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb2/robert-bly-3269_break_if-a-man-cautious-hides-his-limp-somebod_774540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb2/robert-bly-3269_break_if-a-man-cautious-hides-his-limp-somebod_774540.png) > “If a man, cautious, hides his limp, Somebody has to limp it! Things do it; the surroundings limp. House walls get scars, the car breaks down; matter, in drudgery, takes it up.” [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem suggests that hidden weaknesses inevitably surface, affecting both individuals and their environment, leading to damage and decay. **In simple terms:** Hidden flaws eventually manifest and cause damage around them. Key Takeaway Address personal vulnerabilities before they spread. Themes human condition vulnerability consequence Mood thoughtful motivational Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - self‑help - therapy - conflict resolution - community building Key Concepts psychology social impact Questions to Reflect On - What hidden issues are you ignoring? - How can you confront them constructively? A Different Perspective Denial can prevent early intervention, worsening outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaking down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaking-down/) [Cautious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cautious/) [Compensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensation/) [Drudgery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drudgery/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Surroundings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surroundings/) [Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wall/) ## Related quotes > [ “‎"If we are truly the Lord's, we all walk with a limp" ~R. Alan Woods \[2012\] \*Note: 'Jacobs Ladder'.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-alan-woods/if-we-are-truly-the-lord-s-we-all-walk-with-a-limp-r-alan-woods-2012/) [R. Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [“Don’t be a critic. The critic is to art what the limp penis is to sex.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/don-t-be-a-critic-the-critic-is-to-art-what-the-limp-penis-is-to-sex/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [I almost shouldn't be in Limp Bizkit; it's like I got matched in the factory with the wrong band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-borland/i-almost-shouldn-t-be-in-limp-bizkit-it-s-like-i-got-matched-in-the/) [Wes Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-borland/) > [God would prefer we have an occasional limp than a perpetual strut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/god-would-prefer-we-have-an-occasional-limp-than-a-perpetual-strut/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [ Do not limp before the lame. \[Old Fr., Ne clochez pas devant les boyteus.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/do-not-limp-before-the-lame-old-fr-ne-clochez-pas-devant-les-boyteus/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [I rinse my hair with Coca-Cola sometimes. I don't like my hair when it's washed - it's fine and limp - but Coca-Cola makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suki-waterhouse/i-rinse-my-hair-with-coca-cola-sometimes-i-don-t-like-my-hair-when-it/) [Suki Waterhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suki-waterhouse/) > [We went through ten years of the Limp Bizkit thing, and I didn't know what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/we-went-through-ten-years-of-the-limp-bizkit-thing-and-i-didn-t-know/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [I wake up sometimes, and I have this limp, and I'm, like, What if someone chases me, and it's on a bad-knee day? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-cannavale/i-wake-up-sometimes-and-i-have-this-limp-and-i-m-like-what-if-someone/) [Bobby Cannavale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-cannavale/) > [“The truth may roar, but it's roaring does not terrify the blameless. Guilty conscience needs neither a critic nor an accuser. Remember, the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-truth-may-roar-but-it-s-roaring-does-not-terrify-the-blameless/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“So limp of brain that for them to conceive an idea is to risk a haemorrhage. So limp of body that their purple dresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/so-limp-of-brain-that-for-them-to-conceive-an-idea-is-to-risk-a/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) > [“What do you know of poetry?” Ambrose said without bothering to turn around. “I know a limping verse when I hear it,” I said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/what-do-you-know-of-poetry-ambrose-said-without-bothering-to-turn/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Every summer in my old area, Bow, these kids from across the road used to bring out quad bikes in the park. They let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/every-summer-in-my-old-area-bow-these-kids-from-across-the-road-used/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) > [You are good when you walk to your goal firmly and with bold steps. Yet you are not evil when you go thither limping.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/you-are-good-when-you-walk-to-your-goal-firmly-and-with-bold-steps/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“I walk with a purpose. And a limp. (The limp helps serve my purpose, which is to gain sympathy.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-walk-with-a-purpose-and-a-limp-the-limp-helps-serve-my-purpose/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Never trust a baserunner with a limp. Comes a base hit and you'll think he just got back from Lourdes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/never-trust-a-baserunner-with-a-limp-comes-a-base-hit-and-you-ll/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) ## More by Robert Bly > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [All of Japan once a year will get up on their rooftops, because that's the night that the shepherd boy from one side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/all-of-japan-once-a-year-will-get-up-on-their-rooftops-because-that-s/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [I got about half the time I wanted to write poetry. I got about half the time I needed to be a father. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-got-about-half-the-time-i-wanted-to-write-poetry-i-got-about-half/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Every noon as the clock hands arrive at twelve, I want to tie the two arms together, And walk out of the bank carrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/every-noon-as-the-clock-hands-arrive-at-twelve-i-want-to-tie-the-two/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Rumi is astounding, fertile, abundant, almost more an excitable library of poetry than a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/rumi-is-astounding-fertile-abundant-almost-more-an-excitable-library/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [One could say the higher the spirit goes, the more deeply the soul sinks down into the waters of melancholy and tragedy. Drowning in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/one-could-say-the-higher-the-spirit-goes-the-more-deeply-the-soul/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Don't go outside your house to see flowers. My friend, don't bother with that excursion. Inside your body there are flowers. One flower has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/don-t-go-outside-your-house-to-see-flowers-my-friend-don-t-bother/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [The models of adulthood are disappearing fast. How can two people have a new marriage if neither of them is an adult?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/the-models-of-adulthood-are-disappearing-fast-how-can-two-people-have/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [I have spent many years trying to recover a common language, one that can cross the distance between people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-have-spent-many-years-trying-to-recover-a-common-language-one-that/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [One out of three black men are in the criminal justice system in some form. Their despair is beginning to resonate through the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/one-out-of-three-black-men-are-in-the-criminal-justice-system-in-some/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Sociological prose is generally written without images in an exact form for an academic audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/sociological-prose-is-generally-written-without-images-in-an-exact/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [We spend our life until we’re twenty deciding what parts of ourself to put into the bag, and we spend the rest of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/we-spend-our-life-until-we-re-twenty-deciding-what-parts-of-ourself/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [Every modern male has, lying at the bottom of his psyche, a large, primitive being covered with hair down to his feet. Making contact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/every-modern-male-has-lying-at-the-bottom-of-his-psyche-a-large/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [My feeling is that poetry is also a healing process, and then when a person tries to write poetry with depth or beauty, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/my-feeling-is-that-poetry-is-also-a-healing-process-and-then-when-a/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [The ancestors are very much invested in the children, because the children are the ones who are going to continue the world that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/the-ancestors-are-very-much-invested-in-the-children-because-the/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) [Explore all 135 Robert Bly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) ## More Break quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. 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No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/your-pain-is-the-breaking-of-the-shell-that-encloses-your/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I hadn't worked for a year when I had my Prison Break audition and it was the easiest audition I've ever had. I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-hadn-t-worked-for-a-year-when-i-had-my-prison-break-audition-and-it/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [If you strike upon a thought that baffles you, break off from that entanglement and try another, so shall your wits be fresh to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/if-you-strike-upon-a-thought-that-baffles-you-break-off-from-that/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Motor racing's less of a sport these days than a commercial break doing 150 mph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dunne/motor-racing-s-less-of-a-sport-these-days-than-a-commercial-break/) Peter Dunne > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [The purpose is to be in gratitude forever. 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