"Bricking" is typically used to describe software failures specifically. Physical damage isn't "bricking" in the traditional sense, it's just broken.

Besides, physical damage is the obvious exception to GP's statement. Nobody is reading this and thinking that a ROM DFU will recover a phone that is physically destroyed.

im sure they meant "within reason."

no amount of monkeying around with the software will brick the iphone (botched updates, etc.). Once we get to hardware failures the vectors are innumerable. Lightning strikes. Device drops from height. Botched water cooling. Magnifying glass lasers. Children's vomit...