Buried Quote by Will Christopher Baer
““I crouch beside her bed and stumble through the only prayer I know: now I lay me down to sleep and pray the Lord my soul to keep. It's a appropriate, I think. And still I feel worthless. I want to comfort her, to chase her fears into the snow. But sympathy is buried in me, like a stone in the belly of a goat. And the goat is the rare animal that will eat garbage. I hold her hand until she falls asleep, then steal fifty dollars from her purse.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: “The Badlands” by Will Christopher Baer, 1999
A narrator wrestles with guilt and desperation while trying to comfort a dying loved one, resorting to theft as a twisted act of care.
In simple terms: Desperate compassion leads to harmful actions.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when help turns harmful.
Themes
guilt
desperation
compassion
morality
Mood
conflicted
somber
Type
literary
psychological
When to use this quote
- caring for a terminally ill friend
- financial desperation
- ethical dilemmas
- personal crisis
Key Concepts
existential crisis
self‑sacrifice
psychological conflict
Questions to Reflect On
- Can you help without harming?
- What drives someone to betray trust under stress?
A Different Perspective
The narrator’s rationalization may ignore the lasting damage of betrayal.
