---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When your bow is broken and your last…"
description: "\"When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then shoot, shoot with your whole heart.\" — Roger Zelazny"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png"
---

#  When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then…

![“When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then shoot, shoot with your whole heart.” quote by Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png)

> “When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then shoot, shoot with your whole heart.”

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

## About This Quote

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

Even when resources are exhausted, give your all with passion.

**In simple terms:** Give your all despite setbacks.

Key Takeaway

Commit fully, even when depleted.

Themes

perseverance passion overcoming adversity

Mood

reflective determined

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- sports competition
- creative projects
- personal challenges

Key Concepts

resilience heartful effort

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it wise to keep pushing?
- How do you know when to conserve energy?

A Different Perspective

Risk of burnout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrow/) [Arrow Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrow-spent-1250794/) [Arrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrows/) [Bow Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bow-broken-1250792/) [Bows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bows/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-arrow-1250793/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Lasts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lasts/) [Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot/) [Shoot Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot-heart-444206/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/)

## Related quotes

> [I almost said no to 'Broken Arrow.' I ended up doing it on a lark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-long/i-almost-said-no-to-broken-arrow-i-ended-up-doing-it-on-a-lark/)

[Howie Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-long/)

> [Take away leisure and Cupid's bow is broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/take-away-leisure-and-cupid-s-bow-is-broken/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [I was just 20 years old when I wrote Broken Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/i-was-just-20-years-old-when-i-wrote-broken-arrow/)

[Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/)

> [My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/my-heart-is-like-a-singing-bird-whose-nest-is-in-a-water-d-shoot-my-2/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [My heart is like a singing bird Whose nest is in a water'd shoot; My heart is like an apple-tree Whose boughs are bent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/my-heart-is-like-a-singing-bird-whose-nest-is-in-a-water-d-shoot-my/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [It's basic research: shoot an arrow in the air. Where it lands, paint a bullseye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-streb/it-s-basic-research-shoot-an-arrow-in-the-air-where-it-lands-paint-a/)

[Elizabeth Streb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-streb/)

> [Game of Thrones. I'm all about it. I watch Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-r-mcqueen/game-of-thrones-i-m-all-about-it-i-watch-arrow/)

[Steven R. McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-r-mcqueen/)

> [If you shoot an arrow and it goes real high... Hooray for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-corey/if-you-shoot-an-arrow-and-it-goes-real-high-hooray-for-you/)

[Dorian Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-corey/)

> [Follow your arrow / Wherever it points,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/follow-your-arrow-wherever-it-points/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [When an archer desires to shoot his arrows successfully, he first takes great pains over his posture and aligns himself accurately with his mark.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/when-an-archer-desires-to-shoot-his-arrows-successfully-he-first/)

[Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/)

> [You don't want to put all your lead on the target. You want to leave some arrows in the quiver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foster-friess/you-don-t-want-to-put-all-your-lead-on-the-target-you-want-to-leave/)

[Foster Friess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foster-friess/)

> [Our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/our-children-take-their-flight-into-the-future-with-our-thrust-and/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [Famous archer, Howard Hill won all of the 267 archery contests he entered. He could hit a bullseye at 50 feet, then split first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/famous-archer-howard-hill-won-all-of-the-267-archery-contests-he/)

[Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/)

> [You have to relax when you're shooting an arrow. You can't be tense. And that just helps, in your day-to-day life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-amell/you-have-to-relax-when-you-re-shooting-an-arrow-you-can-t-be-tense/)

[Stephen Amell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-amell/)

## More by Roger Zelazny

> [“I was willing to die fighting, but it was senseless for all these men to go down with me. Perhaps my blood was tainted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-was-willing-to-die-fighting-but-it-was-senseless-for-all-these-men/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [I know, too, that death is the only god who comes when you call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-know-too-that-death-is-the-only-god-who-comes-when-you-call/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [There's no such thing as civilization. The word just means the art of living in cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/there-s-no-such-thing-as-civilization-the-word-just-means-the-art-of/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [“Time, too, is a function of Shadow, and even Dworkin did not know all of its ins and outs. Or perhaps he did. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/time-too-is-a-function-of-shadow-and-even-dworkin-did-not-know-all-of/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [I've always been impulsive. My thinking is usually pretty good, but I always seem to do it after I do my talking — by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-ve-always-been-impulsive-my-thinking-is-usually-pretty-good-but-i/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [“And again, damn. Of troubles I considered myself amply possessed. But those who have do seem to get. Some spiritual form of compound interest,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/and-again-damn-of-troubles-i-considered-myself-amply-possessed-but/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [“Far below, the ocean was a bluegray rug being pulled out from beneath us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/far-below-the-ocean-was-a-bluegray-rug-being-pulled-out-from-beneath/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [A powerful flight of the imagination . . . an entirely enjoyable reading experience, wrought by a pair of writers noted for excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/a-powerful-flight-of-the-imagination-an-entirely-enjoyable-reading/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [The function of criticism should not be confused with the function of reform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/the-function-of-criticism-should-not-be-confused-with-the-function-of/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [I always wanted to write, ever since I was a kid. I started writing at the age of 11. All I wanted to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-always-wanted-to-write-ever-since-i-was-a-kid-i-started-writing-at/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [While I had often said that I wanted to die in bed, what I really meant was that in my old age I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/while-i-had-often-said-that-i-wanted-to-die-in-bed-what-i-really/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [“That was the first time in my life that I knew the meaning of despair. I read, I worked, I drank, I whored, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/that-was-the-first-time-in-my-life-that-i-knew-the-meaning-of-despair/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [“I watched until the sizzlecloud drew its legs up into itself, hung like a burning cocoon, then died like an ember retreating into ash.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-watched-until-the-sizzlecloud-drew-its-legs-up-into-itself-hung/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [To waste! You are unknown and unwanted, save by me. This, because you are fairly adept at the various embalming arts and you occasionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/to-waste-you-are-unknown-and-unwanted-save-by-me-this-because-you-are/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [I watched the spinning stars, grateful, sad and proud, as only a man who has outlived his destiny and realizes he might yet forge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-watched-the-spinning-stars-grateful-sad-and-proud-as-only-a-man-who/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

[Explore all 220 Roger Zelazny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

## More Arrow quotes

> [I'll get that arrow, pretty boy, and I'll do it with my shirt \*on\*. -Yao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mulan/i-ll-get-that-arrow-pretty-boy-and-i-ll-do-it-with-my-shirt-on-yao/)

[Mulan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mulan/)

> [Enough for this bow &amp; arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/)

[Louaiq8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louaiq8/)

> [The main thing is to have strings to your bow. You get your badges, you see where life is, and then you see what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-campbell/the-main-thing-is-to-have-strings-to-your-bow-you-get-your-badges-you/)

[Sol Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-campbell/)

> [There are ceremonious bows that repel one like a cudgel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/there-are-ceremonious-bows-that-repel-one-like-a-cudgel/)

[Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/)

> [Game of Thrones. I'm all about it. I watch Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-r-mcqueen/game-of-thrones-i-m-all-about-it-i-watch-arrow/)

[Steven R. McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-r-mcqueen/)

> [“Took an arrow in the knee on my way through the Eld three summers ago. It gives out every now and then.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/took-an-arrow-in-the-knee-on-my-way-through-the-eld-three-summers-ago/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [My Band, Pierce the Arrow, is my other passion along with acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/my-band-pierce-the-arrow-is-my-other-passion-along-with-acting/)

[Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/)

> [If you shoot an arrow and it goes real high... Hooray for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-corey/if-you-shoot-an-arrow-and-it-goes-real-high-hooray-for-you/)

[Dorian Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-corey/)

> [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

> [“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-it-is-a-long-way-off-we-cannot/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Follow your arrow / Wherever it points,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/follow-your-arrow-wherever-it-points/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [If the work is high and far, You must not only aim aright, But draw the bow with all your might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-the-work-is-high-and-far-you-must-not-only-aim-aright-but-draw-the/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“How did you kill the Ashman in the forest last year?” “I shot him with an arrow.” “What kind of arrow?” “A sharp one.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-fine/how-did-you-kill-the-ashman-in-the-forest-last-year-i-shot-him-with/)

[Chelsea Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-fine/)

> [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/i-must-only-warn-you-of-one-thing-you-have-become-a-different-person/)

[Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/)

[Browse all 232 Arrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrow/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then shoot, shoot with your whole heart.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roger Zelazny"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-arrow-spent-then-shoot-shoot/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrow"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-arrow-spent-then-shoot-shoot/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f51/roger-zelazny-1604_arrow_when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-ar_1711527.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When your bow is broken and your last arrow spent, then shoot, shoot with your whole heart.” — Roger Zelazny",
                "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": "Roger Zelazny",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When your bow is broken and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-arrow-spent-then-shoot-shoot/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/when-your-bow-is-broken-and-your-last-arrow-spent-then-shoot-shoot/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
