--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The day it all went wrong for me was 11…" description: "\"The day it all went wrong for me was 11 August 1989. That was the day I killed a man for the first time.\" — Simon Kernick" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/simon-kernick-46864_august_the-day-it-all-went-wrong-for-me-was-11_1489800.png" --- # The day it all went wrong for me was 11 August 1989. That… ![“The day it all went wrong for me was 11 August 1989. That was the day I killed a man for the first time.” quote by Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/simon-kernick-46864_august_the-day-it-all-went-wrong-for-me-was-11_1489800.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/simon-kernick-46864_august_the-day-it-all-went-wrong-for-me-was-11_1489800.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c91/simon-kernick-46864_august_the-day-it-all-went-wrong-for-me-was-11_1489800.png) > “The day it all went wrong for me was 11 August 1989. That was the day I killed a man for the first time.” [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator recalls the precise date he first took a life, marking a turning point into guilt and consequence. **In simple terms:** He first killed a man on 11 August 1989, a day that changed everything. Key Takeaway Recognize how pivotal moments shape identity. Themes guilt consequence identity Mood reflective somber Type personal confessional When to use this quote - crime investigation - personal confession - legal proceedings Key Concepts Moral reckoning psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this date symbolize for you? - How do you confront past actions? A Different Perspective The reflection may overlook broader societal factors influencing violence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [In August of 1989, we arrived in Los Angeles where we had family. With their help, along with that of Jewish resettlement organizations like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milana-vayntrub/in-august-of-1989-we-arrived-in-los-angeles-where-we-had-family-with/) [Milana Vayntrub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milana-vayntrub/) > [“Hey hey Susan Day have you killed any kids today?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/hey-hey-susan-day-have-you-killed-any-kids-today/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The Turks moved in the next day and killed everyone in sight, including the staff of the nursing home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/the-turks-moved-in-the-next-day-and-killed-everyone-in-sight/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [“He spat into the ocean and said, “Eat that, galanos. And make a dream you’ve killed a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/he-spat-into-the-ocean-and-said-eat-that-galanos-and-make-a-dream-you/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“I knew then what I had done. I had killed a man. I had killed a man to get a woman. I had put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/i-knew-then-what-i-had-done-i-had-killed-a-man-i-had-killed-a-man-to/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [“...it was absurd to have killed a man for nothing...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-absurd-to-have-killed-a-man-for-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can hardly open a newspaper without seeing that a woman has been killed by a man for clearly gender-related reasons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/you-can-hardly-open-a-newspaper-without-seeing-that-a-woman-has-been/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I never killed a man who didn't need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-allison/i-never-killed-a-man-who-didn-t-need-it/) Clay Allison > [“It’s been fifteen years since I’ve killed a man. At least a man against whom I held a grudge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-martin/it-s-been-fifteen-years-since-i-ve-killed-a-man-at-least-a-man/) L.J. Martin > [“I married the man who killed my man!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/i-married-the-man-who-killed-my-man/) [S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/) > [“I killed a man with a Yeti.” Bernice”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-smith/i-killed-a-man-with-a-yeti-bernice/) [C.P. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-smith/) > [“Nausea and panic rose in my throat. I had killed a man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-shepherd/nausea-and-panic-rose-in-my-throat-i-had-killed-a-man/) [A.B. Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-shepherd/) > [I never killed a man I didn't have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/i-never-killed-a-man-i-didn-t-have-to/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [“Really?” Mister Sun said. “You killed a man with the same knife you use to make brunch, and you’re suddenly squeamish about a hammer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/really-mister-sun-said-you-killed-a-man-with-the-same-knife-you-use/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [He was killed by a man with a switchblade knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-williams-jr/he-was-killed-by-a-man-with-a-switchblade-knife/) [Hank Williams Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-williams-jr/) ## More by Simon Kernick > [“Dennis, please. I don't know what-" "Shut the fuck up, and stop playing me for an idiot. And secondly, and more importantly, I've unearthed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/dennis-please-i-don-t-know-what-shut-the-fuck-up-and-stop-playing-me/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“It was the members of the public who didn't seem to care what was happening on the streets around them, who hurried on by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/it-was-the-members-of-the-public-who-didn-t-seem-to-care-what-was/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“I came very close to saying no, and I often wonder how things would have turned out if I had. I'm being honest when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/i-came-very-close-to-saying-no-and-i-often-wonder-how-things-would/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“wet with it. In that same moment the room beyond the doorway was”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/wet-with-it-in-that-same-moment-the-room-beyond-the-doorway-was/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“Chapter 1 I was sitting in Tina's Sunset Restaurant, watching the outriggers shuffle lazily through the clear waters of Sabang Bay, when Tomboy took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/chapter-1-i-was-sitting-in-tina-s-sunset-restaurant-watching-the/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“Contrary to popular belief, most detectives couldn't detect a heartbeat on a speed addict, but you never know when you might be up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/contrary-to-popular-belief-most-detectives-couldn-t-detect-a/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) > [“You're never so alive as when you're on the verge of death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kernick/you-re-never-so-alive-as-when-you-re-on-the-verge-of-death/) [Simon Kernick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) [Explore all 8 Simon Kernick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kernick/) ## More August quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) William Doyle > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/) Carl Spitteler [Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The day it all went wrong for me was 11 August 1989. 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