In an effort to get children to stop using physical violence against one another, they are often instructed to "use [their] words".
Of course, words run no risk of putting people in the hospital, or landing them in a cast.
That being said, however, sometimes words have the power to make us feel as if we've just been punched in the gut or kicked in the shins.
In fact, depending on what exactly people said to us, sometimes the things people say can feel even more hurtful than an actual physical injury.
Redditor Complex_Froyo_6197 was curious to hear the most painful sentence people have ever had said to them, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most painful sentence someone has ever said to you that you’ll never forget?"
Beauty Comes From Within. Never Forget That
"I had gained some weight, and one of my parents' friends said, 'What happened? You used to be so beautiful.'"
"Ouch!"
She's At Least Partially Not Wrong
"My mother, to my sister and her friend, while sitting next to me:"
“'I should have never had any more children after you…except for your little brother of course'.”
"I was the child born between my sister and brother."
"And I was a really good, loving, well-behaved child."
"I did everything to please her."
"35 years later, it still haunts me."- Times-New-WHOA_man
The News No One Wants To Hear
"My husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer."
"He had radiation and radioactive seed implants."
"He was having back pain and went to our chiropractor, also a friend."
"Our chiropractor told him he needed to see his oncologist."
"A PSA test was done."
"When my husband came home after receiving the results, he said, 'My PSA is 680'."
"Death sentence."
"He died 6 months later."- WonderfulThanks9175
There Are No Winners In The Balme Game
"At her wake, her friend said: 'Your mother died of a broken heart'."
"'She couldn’t bear that you moved away'.”
"Then sniffed and walked away."
"Reality: she died from cancer."- MaltiPoodleDoo
Never A Good Sign That Late At Night
"Phone call from mother."
“'Your brother passed away, can you come over?'"
"It has haunted me ever since."
"Late night calls give me anxiety without even seeing who it is."- Positive-Reason-8913
News From A Cop Is Always Worrisome...
“'They weren’t able to do anything for him'.”
"The cop telling me my husband was laying dead on my dining room floor, despite the paramedics working on him for over 30 minutes to get his heart going again."- Illustrious_Truck623
When You Can't Trust Your Own Mother
"I got really vulnerable one day and confided in my mom about being sad that I don’t have a husband or a family yet at my age."
"During the next argument we got into, she immediately used that against me to hurt me and I’ll never trust her enough to open up to her again."
"She’s always had a sharp tongue, but this, in particular, hurt me to my core."- herfavoritevice
Dearly Missed
"After hanging up the phone.
"'Your father's dead."
"My mother told us when we were 9, 8, and 6."
"For me (the 8-year-old), it was like being hit in the face with a brick."
"Also my mother: upon seeing pics of me at my wedding; 'You looked hideous!'"- Appropriate_Map2685
Not Everyone Should Be A Parent, But Everyone Deserves To Be Loved
"I never wanted a child like you."- Playful-King695
In Real Time
"This might be a little different, but.....I called home (about 500 miles away) to tell my Dad good news about a promotion."
"He answered, and it was just gibberish, like he was having a different conversation with someone else, then he just mumbled 'help'."
"He was actively having a stroke when he picked up the phone."- zeroshock30
And Some People Are Really Easy Not To Like...
"Honestly."
"Someone once told me, You're really easy to forget."
"And maaaan, that one hit harder than I thought it would."
"Like, cool, just casually telling me I'm forgettable?"
"Love that for me."- United-Dare4631
Pitiful Behavior
"I stayed with you because I pitied you, not because I loved you."- Downtown-Slip-2766
Only She Would Know That...
"'Your mother died believing you didn’t love her'."- OkSeason1522
Sometimes They Know When The Time Is...
“'I want to go to home' on the phone with my father who was having an episode of delirium from organ failure, while sitting in his living room."
"I’ve never felt more helpless in my life."- Old-Space755
Something No Parent Should Ever Have To Go Through
"'We will have cut through his sternum'."
"Surgeon explaining how he was going to perform.open heart surgery on my 3-month-old."
"I have a happy, healthy boy now, and I am so grateful to his entire medical team."
"But I had nightmares for months afterwards."
"I think I had the sole form of PTSD from that entire ordeal."
"I am lucky that my kid is ok, and many kids are not so lucky."- Academic-Contest3309
A physical wound can hurt terribly, but the pain eventually goes away.
Harmful words said to us, however, can result in lingering pain for the rest of our lives...








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