--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So far he’s never been bit, but there was…" description: "\"“So far he’s never been bit, but there was once, deer hunt, climbing a bluff and he’d slipped, rolled down a shale slide into some kind of grotto and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/roy-kesey-30889_rattlesnake_so-far-he-s-never-been-bit-but-there-was_2625191.jpg" --- # So far he’s never been bit, but there was once, deer hunt… ![“So far he’s never been bit, but there was once, deer hunt, climbing a bluff and he’d slipped, rolled down a shale slide into some kind of grotto and the whole place started buzzing. Big rattlesnake nest, twenty or so, all small but they’ll kill you just the same and he’d scrambled and cranked…” quote by Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/roy-kesey-30889_rattlesnake_so-far-he-s-never-been-bit-but-there-was_2625191.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/roy-kesey-30889_rattlesnake_so-far-he-s-never-been-bit-but-there-was_2625191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/231/roy-kesey-30889_rattlesnake_so-far-he-s-never-been-bit-but-there-was_2625191.jpg) > ““So far he’s never been bit, but there was once, deer hunt, climbing a bluff and he’d slipped, rolled down a shale slide into some kind of grotto and the whole place started buzzing. Big rattlesnake nest, twenty or so, all small but they’ll kill you just the same and he’d scrambled and cranked round after round through the bolt, felt a hot white pain in his leg, dropped the gun and jumped. Once he was out of it he pulled down his pants, found the bite but it wasn’t a bite, just the one hole and too big, something lodged under the skin. He cut at it for a time. Piece of copper jacket from one of his own bullets, turned out. Stood there, sun in his eyes, blood on his hands, pants full of blood and bunched at his ankles, happy as he’d been in a while. - "Any Deadly Thing”” [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A harrowing encounter with a rattlesnake bite reveals both physical danger and a surreal, almost ecstatic reaction to survival and pain. **In simple terms:** A dangerous bite leads to shock, pain, and a strange exhilaration. Key Takeaway Stay alert to hidden hazards and trust instincts. Themes survival danger pain adrenaline unexpected joy Mood tense thrilling reflective Type anecdotal survival. When to use this quote - outdoor adventures - hunting trips - first‑aid training - extreme sports - military missions Key Concepts risk nature human resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you react under sudden life‑threatening stress? - What lessons does this teach about respecting nature? A Different Perspective The story may romanticize danger, overlooking long‑term consequences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big Rattlesnake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-rattlesnake-2143213/) [Bite Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bite-wasn-2143212/) [Rattlesnake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rattlesnake/) [Rattlesnake Nest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rattlesnake-nest-2143215/) [Wasn Bite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-bite-2143214/) ## Related quotes > [“Then, I reached for my sandwich and took a bite. It wasn’t the same as biting a person, but the chewing helped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/then-i-reached-for-my-sandwich-and-took-a-bite-it-wasn-t-the-same-as/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [Your bark was loud, but your bite wasn't vicious And them rhymes you were kickin were quite bootylicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/your-bark-was-loud-but-your-bite-wasn-t-vicious-and-them-rhymes-you/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It doesn’t take time to change once you understand the problem...Somebody hands you a rattlesnake, it doesn’t take long to drop it, does it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/it-doesn-t-take-time-to-change-once-you-understand-the-problem/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Somewhere, a rattlesnake strike makes the dance begin. Three hawks float in the light blue sky overhead. Crows caw and the sweet seduction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-jones/somewhere-a-rattlesnake-strike-makes-the-dance-begin-three-hawks/) [Hunter S. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-jones/) > [To the goggling unbeliever Texans say, as people always say about their mangier dishes, 'But it's just like chicken, only tenderer.' Rattlesnake is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-the-goggling-unbeliever-texans-say-as-people-always-say-about/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [RATTLESNAKE, n. Our prostrate brother, "Homo ventrambulans".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rattlesnake-n-our-prostrate-brother-homo-ventrambulans/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/after-a-hard-day-of-basic-training-you-could-eat-a-rattlesnake/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [“The only reason, for example, that you are not a rattlesnake is that your mother and father weren't rattlesnakes. You deserve very little credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-only-reason-for-example-that-you-are-not-a-rattlesnake-is-that/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navjot-singh-sidhu/he-will-fight-a-rattlesnake-and-give-it-the-first-two-bites-too/) [Navjot Singh Sidhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navjot-singh-sidhu/) > [When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck to crush him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/when-you-see-a-rattlesnake-poised-to-strike-you-do-not-wait-until-he/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [WHEN AUGUSTUS CAME OUT on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/when-augustus-came-out-on-the-porch-the-blue-pigs-were-eating-a/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Slapping a rattlesnake across the face with the back of your hand is safer than trying to fool Henry Aaron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-osteen/slapping-a-rattlesnake-across-the-face-with-the-back-of-your-hand-is/) [Claude Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-osteen/) > [Just because they're drop dead gorgeous, with a killer figure. Doesn't mean they're not hiding, a personality of a rattlesnake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/just-because-they-re-drop-dead-gorgeous-with-a-killer-figure-doesn-t/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [“The bank man had been standing quietly by our picnic table, waiting to lock up the house. Around his waist he wore a live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-medford/the-bank-man-had-been-standing-quietly-by-our-picnic-table-waiting-to/) [C.E. Medford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-medford/) > [“You can be bit in the leg by a rattlesnake and seek help to heal your wound, or you can run after it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-be-bit-in-the-leg-by-a-rattlesnake-and-seek-help-to-heal-your/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) ## More by Roy Kesey > [Some writers keep a tighter rein on that than others. For short story collections I'm definitely in the loose-rein camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/some-writers-keep-a-tighter-rein-on-that-than-others-for-short-story/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [What I like about organizing things that way is that each story gets nearly full reign over its own space, but all of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/what-i-like-about-organizing-things-that-way-is-that-each-story-gets/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [“Reynaldo says that the pacazo is nothing but an uncommonly large iguana. I prefer to believe that it is some imp of history, coincidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/reynaldo-says-that-the-pacazo-is-nothing-but-an-uncommonly-large/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [The biggest experiment there - and I was convinced for a really long time that it was going to fail horribly - had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/the-biggest-experiment-there-and-i-was-convinced-for-a-really-long/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [Very often, or perhaps more often, and even in very good collections - even in some of the best collections ever written, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/very-often-or-perhaps-more-often-and-even-in-very-good-collections/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [For whatever reason, thus far it's been important to me not to write that kind of collection. Which means that I've spent months playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/for-whatever-reason-thus-far-it-s-been-important-to-me-not-to-write/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [“The birds are catching fire again. I keep shouting up to them, Fly lower, fly lower! They never listen. They’re dropping all around us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/the-birds-are-catching-fire-again-i-keep-shouting-up-to-them-fly/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [If you're paying attention to human interactions - to the gap between who we are and who we think we are, or the gap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/if-you-re-paying-attention-to-human-interactions-to-the-gap-between/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [The most basic organizing principle was pretty straightforward, and is frankly pretty common: the shorter of what are by my lights the two most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/the-most-basic-organizing-principle-was-pretty-straightforward-and-is/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [I start every first draft with voice rather than theme or image or even character as such, so it isn't like I'm ever rubbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/i-start-every-first-draft-with-voice-rather-than-theme-or-image-or/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [We should absolutely be concerned with ethical questions - to exactly the same degree as everyone else. It's never my intention to sneak any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/we-should-absolutely-be-concerned-with-ethical-questions-to-exactly/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [You know how some people say that they can only read one story a day from this or that collection? If that's simply the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/you-know-how-some-people-say-that-they-can-only-read-one-story-a-day/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [Realism's anxieties are not my anxieties, but I think I've had its tools close at hand all along. It may be that I'm reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/realism-s-anxieties-are-not-my-anxieties-but-i-think-i-ve-had-its/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [When you spend so much time trying to father well, and failing, and trying again, and hopefully failing better, it's going to seep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/when-you-spend-so-much-time-trying-to-father-well-and-failing-and/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) > [I didn't intentionally emplace the raw material needed for political/allegorical readings into any of the first drafts, but sooner or later I saw it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-kesey/i-didn-t-intentionally-emplace-the-raw-material-needed-for-political/) [Roy Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) [Explore all 17 Roy Kesey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-kesey/) ## More Rattlesnake quotes > [“You can be bit in the leg by a rattlesnake and seek help to heal your wound, or you can run after it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-be-bit-in-the-leg-by-a-rattlesnake-and-seek-help-to-heal-your/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“The bank man had been standing quietly by our picnic table, waiting to lock up the house. Around his waist he wore a live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-medford/the-bank-man-had-been-standing-quietly-by-our-picnic-table-waiting-to/) [C.E. Medford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-medford/) > [Just because they're drop dead gorgeous, with a killer figure. Doesn't mean they're not hiding, a personality of a rattlesnake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/just-because-they-re-drop-dead-gorgeous-with-a-killer-figure-doesn-t/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [Slapping a rattlesnake across the face with the back of your hand is safer than trying to fool Henry Aaron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-osteen/slapping-a-rattlesnake-across-the-face-with-the-back-of-your-hand-is/) [Claude Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-osteen/) > [WHEN AUGUSTUS CAME OUT on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/when-augustus-came-out-on-the-porch-the-blue-pigs-were-eating-a/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [When you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck to crush him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/when-you-see-a-rattlesnake-poised-to-strike-you-do-not-wait-until-he/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navjot-singh-sidhu/he-will-fight-a-rattlesnake-and-give-it-the-first-two-bites-too/) [Navjot Singh Sidhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navjot-singh-sidhu/) > [“The only reason, for example, that you are not a rattlesnake is that your mother and father weren't rattlesnakes. You deserve very little credit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-only-reason-for-example-that-you-are-not-a-rattlesnake-is-that/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/after-a-hard-day-of-basic-training-you-could-eat-a-rattlesnake/) [Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/) > [RATTLESNAKE, n. Our prostrate brother, "Homo ventrambulans".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/rattlesnake-n-our-prostrate-brother-homo-ventrambulans/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [To the goggling unbeliever Texans say, as people always say about their mangier dishes, 'But it's just like chicken, only tenderer.' Rattlesnake is, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-cooke/to-the-goggling-unbeliever-texans-say-as-people-always-say-about/) [Alistair Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-cooke/) > [“Somewhere, a rattlesnake strike makes the dance begin. Three hawks float in the light blue sky overhead. Crows caw and the sweet seduction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-jones/somewhere-a-rattlesnake-strike-makes-the-dance-begin-three-hawks/) [Hunter S. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-jones/) > [It doesn’t take time to change once you understand the problem...Somebody hands you a rattlesnake, it doesn’t take long to drop it, does it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/it-doesn-t-take-time-to-change-once-you-understand-the-problem/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Skunks can and will eat a rattlesnake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-anderson/skunks-can-and-will-eat-a-rattlesnake/) [Adam Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-anderson/) > [“Low enough to put on a tophat and crawl under a rattlesnake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/low-enough-to-put-on-a-tophat-and-crawl-under-a-rattlesnake/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 35 Rattlesnake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rattlesnake/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“So far he’s never been bit, but there was once, deer hunt, climbing a bluff and he’d slipped, rolled down a shale slide into some kind of grotto and the whole place started buzzing. Big rattlesnake nest, twenty or so, all small but they’ll kill you just the same and he’d scrambled and cranked round after round through the bolt, felt a hot white pain in his leg, dropped the gun and jumped. Once he was out of it he pulled down his pants, found the bite but it wasn’t a bite, just the one hole and too big, something lodged under the skin. He cut at it for a time. Piece of copper jacket from one of his own bullets, turned out. 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