Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.
Robert FulghumRead
Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will break our hearts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Physical harm can heal, but emotional pain from words can last longer.
This quote emphasizes the power of words and their potential impact on our emotional well-being. While physical injuries caused by sticks and stones may heal over time, the hurt inflicted by unkind or damaging words can linger, shaping our feelings and relationships in profound ways.
Themes
WordsEmotionsHurtRelationshipsCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about kindness, one might say, 'Remember, sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will break our hearts.'
More from Robert Fulghum
All quotes →If dandelions were rare and fragile, people would knock themselves out to pay $14.95 a plant, raise them by hand in greenhouses, and form dandelion societies and all that. But, they are everywhere and don't need us and kind of do what they please. So we call them weeds and murder them at every opportunity
Robert FulghumRead
We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness — and call it love — true love.
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Peace is not something you wish for, it's something you make
Robert FulghumRead
Doing a straight-forward, clear-cut task that has a beginning and an end balances out the complexity-without-end that often vexes the rest of my life. Sacred simplicity.
Robert FulghumRead
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
Robert FulghumRead
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