Online, short quoted lines like this spread because they work without any context, and hurt me once became a reusable shorthand for that first emotional hit. Editors drop it into gaming clips, anime edits, relationship memes and reaction compilations where someone realises they have been played, lied to or let down. Its popularity comes from timing rather than backstory, a three second pause that lets the audience feel the sting before the punchline. That simplicity keeps it circulating in new edits long after the original post has faded from feeds.