--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once in a while you have to bite the hand…" description: "\"Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you.\" — Tina Brown" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png" --- # Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you. ![“Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you.” quote by Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png) > “Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you.” [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sometimes you must confront or even reject the very source that defines you, symbolized by biting the hand that reads you. **In simple terms:** Challenge the narratives that shape you. Key Takeaway Question your influences. Themes self‑awareness rebellion identity growth Mood cautious determined Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - career changes - creative pursuits - personal reinvention - social activism Key Concepts critical theory personal narrative power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When have you resisted a defining influence? - What costs arise from defying expectations? A Different Perspective Biting the hand can damage relationships and credibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bite/) [Bite Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bite-hand-777470/) [Bites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bites/) [Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand/) [Hand Reads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hand-reads-1482013/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Reads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reads/) ## Related quotes > [I may be an old lion, but I can still bite someone's hand off if he puts it in my mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/i-may-be-an-old-lion-but-i-can-still-bite-someone-s-hand-off-if-he/) [Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/) > [I wanna bite the hand that feeds me. I wanna bite that hand so badly. I want to make them wish they'd never seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-wanna-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-me-i-wanna-bite-that-hand-so-badly-i/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [An artist should always bite the hand that feeds him - but not too hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nam-june-paik/an-artist-should-always-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-him-but-not-too-hard/) [Nam June Paik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nam-june-paik/) > [Dont bite the hand that feeds you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never bite the hand that feeds you. Always watch the hand thats cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/never-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-always-watch-the-hand-thats-cooking/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [I don't bite the hand that feeds me. I'm a little smarter than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-marchand/i-don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-me-i-m-a-little-smarter-than-that/) [Brad Marchand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-marchand/) > [Don't bite the hand that feeds u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-u/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never bite the hand that feeds you. You just might need that hand to pick you back up when you fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-you-just-might-need-that-hand-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You must bite the hand that feeds you. You are perhaps always told the opposite of this. The opposite of this is often said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/you-must-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-you-are-perhaps-always-told-the/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“Don't bite the hand that feeds you - especially if you're dining alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-especially-if-you-re-dining-alone/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [Don't bite the hand that feeds you for the one who's petting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-for-the-one-who-s-petting-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You never want to bite the hand that feeds you, but you also do not want to be aiding and abetting problematic behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-lindsay/you-never-want-to-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-but-you-also-do-not/) [Rachel Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-lindsay/) > [Never bite the hand that feeds you, especially never turn your back on those who love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you-especially-never-turn-your-back-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tomorrow we bite The hand that feeds us today Either way, we'll eat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-dahlen/tomorrow-we-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-us-today-either-way-we-ll-eat/) [Chris Dahlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-dahlen/) > [“We set ourselves to bite the hand that feeds us”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/we-set-ourselves-to-bite-the-hand-that-feeds-us/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) ## More by Tina Brown > [Admitting weakness seems to be such a severe psychic threat for Bush that when he makes a mistake it's safer just to reinforce it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/admitting-weakness-seems-to-be-such-a-severe-psychic-threat-for-bush/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Oprah's stock in trade has always been her powerful unmediated connection. She could feel your pain and empower you to talk about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/oprah-s-stock-in-trade-has-always-been-her-powerful-unmediated/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [The digitally native generation has no idea what has been lost to the freedom of intimacy that has no fear of being recorded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/the-digitally-native-generation-has-no-idea-what-has-been-lost-to-the/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Obama can't change his cool disposition, though it would be nice if he lost the vaguely grudging air he gives off that problems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/obama-can-t-change-his-cool-disposition-though-it-would-be-nice-if-he/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [I'm trying to be entertaining without being mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/i-m-trying-to-be-entertaining-without-being-mean/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > ['America' is synonymous with opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/america-is-synonymous-with-opportunity/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Washington's Alfalfa Club dinner is a populist's nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/washington-s-alfalfa-club-dinner-is-a-populist-s-nightmare/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Politicians have always been required to be fake, but now the career havoc wrought by a stray, flying sound bite means they have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/politicians-have-always-been-required-to-be-fake-but-now-the-career/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [American newspapers are dying mostly because they were so dull for so long, a whole generation gave up on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/american-newspapers-are-dying-mostly-because-they-were-so-dull-for-so/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Powerful women always interpret hostility as unrequited love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/powerful-women-always-interpret-hostility-as-unrequited-love/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Obama's great asset has always been an ability to maintain his air of authority without being baritone about it. He can be boring, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/obama-s-great-asset-has-always-been-an-ability-to-maintain-his-air-of/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > ['The Daily Beast' and Howard Kurtz have parted company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/the-daily-beast-and-howard-kurtz-have-parted-company/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [The women of Afghanistan, left behind as their men fought, did what the women of World War II did - used their wits and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/the-women-of-afghanistan-left-behind-as-their-men-fought-did-what-the/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Your normal Wall Street big-swinging Richard has enough of a lingering moral compass to at least tell himself that his wizardry benefits somebody or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/your-normal-wall-street-big-swinging-richard-has-enough-of-a/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) > [Manners are the ability to put someone else at their ease...by turning any answer into another question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/manners-are-the-ability-to-put-someone-else-at-their-ease-by-turning/) [Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) [Explore all 166 Tina Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/) ## More Bite quotes > [In every country dogges bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/in-every-country-dogges-bite/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [I don't bite you know ... unless it's called for,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/i-don-t-bite-you-know-unless-it-s-called-for/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [“You don’t see someone flying and you begin to bite yourself for not being able to do that. You do what you can.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-don-t-see-someone-flying-and-you-begin-to-bite-yourself-for-not/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I didn't respond to people thrusting microphones at me and asking me questions that were unanswerable in a sound bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-didn-t-respond-to-people-thrusting-microphones-at-me-and-asking-me/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [“The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-nakoneczny-high-school-track-coach/the-best-way-to-eat-an-elephant-is-one-bite-at-a-time/) [Wayne Nakoneczny high school track coach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-nakoneczny-high-school-track-coach/) > [“A werewolf bite turned me gay?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tielle-st-clare/a-werewolf-bite-turned-me-gay/) [Tielle St. Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tielle-st-clare/) > [“All the better to bite you, my dear!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mari-mancusi/all-the-better-to-bite-you-my-dear/) [Mari Mancusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mari-mancusi/) > [If the first bite is with the eye and the second with the nose, some people will never take that third, actual bite if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/if-the-first-bite-is-with-the-eye-and-the-second-with-the-nose-some/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) > [“What animal would do this?"he said harshly. "No, little one, animals might scratch you, or bite you, or even rip you apart in hunger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-animal-would-do-this-he-said-harshly-no-little-one-animals-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been known not to bite my tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-gibbs/i-ve-been-known-not-to-bite-my-tongue/) [Freddie Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-gibbs/) > [“Bite your tongue. Don't let anyone bite it off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/bite-your-tongue-don-t-let-anyone-bite-it-off/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [“Hold me like you hold the hand of a little kid who needs you in loneliness, bite my fingers like you bite a giggling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/hold-me-like-you-hold-the-hand-of-a-little-kid-who-needs-you-in/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“He pulled away from me and held his hands in the air like he was weighing something. “Keep Sophie safe or let Sophie die.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micalea-smeltzer/he-pulled-away-from-me-and-held-his-hands-in-the-air-like-he-was/) [Micalea Smeltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micalea-smeltzer/) > [“Once the hand that feeds you fails, you are free to bite away!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/once-the-hand-that-feeds-you-fails-you-are-free-to-bite-away/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [If you live among dogs, keep a stick. After all, this is what a hound has teeth for-to bite when he feels like it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-live-among-dogs-keep-a-stick-after-all-this-is-what-a-hound/) [Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/) [Browse all 516 Bite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tina Brown" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-hand-that-reads-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bite" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-hand-that-reads-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/650/tina-brown-2434_bite_once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-han_927197.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once in a while you have to bite the hand that reads you.” — Tina Brown", "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": "Tina Brown", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once in a while you have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-hand-that-reads-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/once-in-a-while-you-have-to-bite-the-hand-that-reads-you/#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 } } ] } ```