--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it…" description: "\"It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she knew what to feel. A liquid trail of hate flooded her chest. Knowing that she would hate him l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/toni-morrison-271_anticipation_it-hit-her-like-a-sledgehammer-and-it-wa_445560.jpg" --- # It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she… ![“It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she knew what to feel. A liquid trail of hate flooded her chest. Knowing that she would hate him long and well filled her with pleasant anticipation, like when you know you are going to fall in love with someone and you wait for the happy signs…” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/toni-morrison-271_anticipation_it-hit-her-like-a-sledgehammer-and-it-wa_445560.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/toni-morrison-271_anticipation_it-hit-her-like-a-sledgehammer-and-it-wa_445560.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb3/toni-morrison-271_anticipation_it-hit-her-like-a-sledgehammer-and-it-wa_445560.jpg) > “It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she knew what to feel. A liquid trail of hate flooded her chest. Knowing that she would hate him long and well filled her with pleasant anticipation, like when you know you are going to fall in love with someone and you wait for the happy signs. Hating BoyBoy, she could get on with it, and have the safety, the thrill, the consistency of that hatred as long as she wanted or needed it to define and strengthen her or protect her from routine vulnerabilities.” [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Intense hatred can become a seductive, self‑reinforcing force that feels protective yet ultimately isolates. **In simple terms:** Hatred can feel safe but traps you. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge the allure of destructive emotions. Themes emotion psychology relationships Mood introspective somber Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - emotional health - conflict resolution Key Concepts addiction identity defense mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - Why does hatred feel comforting? - What healthier ways can you protect yourself from vulnerability? A Different Perspective Hatred’s “pleasant anticipation” may mask deeper trauma, hindering healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Consistency](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consistency/) [Fall in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-in-love/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Hatred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hatred/) [Routine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/routine/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrill/) [Trails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trails/) [Vulnerability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulnerability/) ## Related quotes > [We are not born knowing how to hate; we are taught how to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-hammer/we-are-not-born-knowing-how-to-hate-we-are-taught-how-to-hate/) [Bonnie Hammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-hammer/) > [If the masses can love without knowing why, they also hate without much foundation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-the-masses-can-love-without-knowing-why-they-also-hate-without/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When your beloved one do something again and again inspite of knowing that you hate it the most, is like someone is hitting your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-your-beloved-one-do-something-again-and-again-inspite-of-knowing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're not born knowing how to do math. You're taught that. You're not born knowing how to hate someone. You're taught that. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/draymond-green/you-re-not-born-knowing-how-to-do-math-you-re-taught-that-you-re-not/) [Draymond Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/draymond-green/) > [That is the charm of a map. It represents the other side of the horizon where everything is possible. It has the magic of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosita-forbes/that-is-the-charm-of-a-map-it-represents-the-other-side-of-the/) [Rosita Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosita-forbes/) > [Coming out of the closet as a gay man didn't cost me anything, but deep down it wasn't who I was. It was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lux-pascal/coming-out-of-the-closet-as-a-gay-man-didn-t-cost-me-anything-but/) [Lux Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lux-pascal/) > [“On Christmas morning, Dustin knocked on my door. “Miss Winters,” he said cheerfully. “Breakfast.” I didn’t move. My parents were dead. My boyfriend was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-woon/on-christmas-morning-dustin-knocked-on-my-door-miss-winters-he-said/) [Yvonne Woon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-woon/) > [I never knew I could feel so much pain, and yet be so in love with the person causing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami/i-never-knew-i-could-feel-so-much-pain-and-yet-be-so-in-love-with-the/) Jami > [I never knew that I could feel that much. and thats the way I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah/i-never-knew-that-i-could-feel-that-much-and-thats-the-way-i-love-you/) [Leah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah/) > [We knew that for E.T. to feel real, you had to have some connection to his eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-kennedy/we-knew-that-for-e-t-to-feel-real-you-had-to-have-some-connection-to/) [Kathleen Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-kennedy/) > ['I'm fine' = I wish you knew how I feel inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-fine-i-wish-you-knew-how-i-feel-inside/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He already knew to feel Atman in the depths of his being, indestructible, one with the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/he-already-knew-to-feel-atman-in-the-depths-of-his-being/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There were those emotions down there, and though she couldn't quite feel them, they were strong and she feared them. It was like watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/there-were-those-emotions-down-there-and-though-she-couldn-t-quite/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [I loved HER.. But could never TELL!! She KNEW that… But could never FEEL.!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k4u/i-loved-her-but-could-never-tell-she-knew-that-but-could-never-feel/) K4u > [“She (my mother) could still recite them (the poems) in full when she was lying helpless and nearly blind, in her bed, an old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/she-my-mother-could-still-recite-them-the-poems-in-full-when-she-was/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) ## More by Toni Morrison > [Perhaps that's what all human relationships boiled down to: Would you save my life? or would you take it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/perhaps-that-s-what-all-human-relationships-boiled-down-to-would-you/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [In times of dread, artists must never choose to remain silent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-times-of-dread-artists-must-never-choose-to-remain-silent/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Not know it was hard;knowing it was harder”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/not-know-it-was-hard-knowing-it-was-harder/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Didn’t everything on God’s earth have or acquire defense?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/didn-t-everything-on-god-s-earth-have-or-acquire-defense/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [If you can't count, they can cheat you. If you can't read, they can beat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/if-you-can-t-count-they-can-cheat-you-if-you-can-t-read-they-can-beat/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You looked at them and wondered why the were so ugly; you looked closely and could not find the source. Then you realized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-looked-at-them-and-wondered-why-the-were-so-ugly-you-looked/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [All she saw, down in the cellar well beneath the stoop, was a light yellow feather with a tip of green. And she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/all-she-saw-down-in-the-cellar-well-beneath-the-stoop-was-a-light/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [For me, Art is the restoration of order. It may discuss all sort of terrible things, but there must be satisfaction at the end.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/for-me-art-is-the-restoration-of-order-it-may-discuss-all-sort-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/to-sethe-the-future-was-a-matter-of-keeping-the-past-at-bay/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy's.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/hate-does-that-burns-off-everything-but-itself-so-whatever-your/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“You know how a star is supposed to twinkle? We say twinkle because that is how it looks, but when a star feels itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/you-know-how-a-star-is-supposed-to-twinkle-we-say-twinkle-because/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-is-no-bad-luck-in-the-world-but-whitefolks/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [My father saw two black men lynched on his street in Cartersville, as a child. And I think seeing two black businessmen - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/my-father-saw-two-black-men-lynched-on-his-street-in-cartersville-as/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“She was fierce in the presence of death, heroic even, as she was at no other time. Its threat gave her direction, clarity, audacity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/she-was-fierce-in-the-presence-of-death-heroic-even-as-she-was-at-no/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) [Explore all 774 Toni Morrison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## More Anticipation quotes > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) Paul Boateng > [“I can handle Evil, but I cannot handle Anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/i-can-handle-evil-but-i-cannot-handle-anticipation/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [Hope is itself a species of happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-is-itself-a-species-of-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) Browse all 758 Anticipation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It hit her like a sledgehammer, and it was then that she knew what to feel. A liquid trail of hate flooded her chest. Knowing that she would hate him long and well filled her with pleasant anticipation, like when you know you are going to fall in love with someone and you wait for the happy signs. 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