"I lay on the ground, but then I can't reach - I don't want to take my foot out of the tub - but I've got to call somebody because I've got to get a band-aid or something to stop the bleeding"
About this Quote
DeVito's intent, even when he's recounting something ostensibly mundane, is to make vulnerability legible. The humor isn't just "haha, he fell" - it's the way crisis shrinks your world to absurd constraints. The tub becomes a trap, the Band-Aid becomes a life raft, and the simple act of calling someone turns into an existential hurdle because you're stuck between embarrassment and necessity. That push-pull is the engine of a lot of DeVito's best work: characters who are physically small, socially cornered, or morally compromised, yet stubbornly convinced they can muscle through without dignity.
Context matters because DeVito's persona has always been built on deflating seriousness. He offers a kind of working-class surrealism: the body is fallible, systems are unhelpful, and self-reliance is a joke you tell right before you ask for help. The line lands because it captures how quickly bravado turns into a plea when real blood enters the frame.
Quote Details
| Topic | Get Well Soon |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
DeVito, Danny. (2026, January 17). I lay on the ground, but then I can't reach - I don't want to take my foot out of the tub - but I've got to call somebody because I've got to get a band-aid or something to stop the bleeding. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-lay-on-the-ground-but-then-i-cant-reach-i-81541/
Chicago Style
DeVito, Danny. "I lay on the ground, but then I can't reach - I don't want to take my foot out of the tub - but I've got to call somebody because I've got to get a band-aid or something to stop the bleeding." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-lay-on-the-ground-but-then-i-cant-reach-i-81541/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I lay on the ground, but then I can't reach - I don't want to take my foot out of the tub - but I've got to call somebody because I've got to get a band-aid or something to stop the bleeding." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-lay-on-the-ground-but-then-i-cant-reach-i-81541/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.


