Can you help me locate this quote?

[Alcemeg]

For years, I had a notebook with a quote scribbled in it that I wanted to use one day. Some time ago, lost the notebook when moving house. Finally got around to doing the writing, and want that quote again. But can't find it anywhere! Or even remember it properly (it's been a l-o-n-g time, I am a terrible procrastinator)!

The scene is a girl trying to kill a bird (chicken/duck/goose?) for dinner, but also anxious not to hurt it, and it all goes horribly wrong. The line is something about having to be firm in your actions, or you just cause more distress.

I thought it was from DH Lawrence, but maybe it's not?

I've given up skimming through book after book after book and thought I would open this up to the MN hive mind!

It's not the Lawrence poem 'Man and Bat' by any chance ? I know you said a novel but I sometimes misremember that kind of thing so thought it worth mentioning.

No, it's definitely a novel. I honestly thought it was in something like The Rainbow, but I can't find it in there. It says something about "it doesn't do to be kind when you have something cruel to do, you just have to get on with it." Only, obviously, put much more beautifully than that 😋

You could ask in a DH Lawrence fan group on Facebook. Not much use if you're mistaken about the author, though

Haha true @Shirleyjust! Thanks for the suggestion!

Lawrence's work will be out of copyright now, so you could do a keyword search through his books on Gutenberg

@JessFuller I've already skimmed through them! Honestly beginning to wonder if I imagined it...

Would it be from Like Water For Chocolate, when Tita kills a quail? 'She realised that you can't be weak when it comes to killing: you have to be strong or it just causes more sorrow.'

@Bookchook I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Wow! this is it!

No wonder I couldn't find it in DH Lawrence 🤨😁

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! 🎆🎇✨💐💐💐💐💐

Yay! You're welcome! 😊😊🥳🥳🥳