No one's ever dared come out and say it before, but there's not a man among us that doesn't think it, that doesn't feel just as you do about her and the whole business - feel it somewhere down deep in his scared little soul.
Ken KeseyRead
He's got hands so long and white and dainty I think they carved each other out of soap, and sometimes they get loose and glide around in front of him free as two white birds until he notices them and traps them between his knees; it bothers him that he's got pretty hands.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the beauty and burden of one's identity and self-perception.
In this quote, Ken Kesey delves into the relationship between physical appearance and self-awareness. The character's delicate and beautiful hands symbolize a certain sensitivity and vulnerability; while they may be admired by others, they also create discomfort for him. This illustrates the internal conflict of being appreciated for one's attributes, yet feeling detached or uneasy about them, ultimately prompting reflection on how we see ourselves versus how we are perceived by others.
Themes
BeautyIdentitySelf-PerceptionVulnerabilityHands
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on self-acceptance, one might quote this to illustrate the struggle with beauty standards.
More from Ken Kesey
All quotes →His whole body shakes with the strain as he tries to lift something he knows he can't lift, something everybody knows he can't lift. But, for just a second, when we hear the cement grind at our feet, we think, by golly, he might do it.
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You've got to get out and pray to the sky to appreciate the sunshine; otherwise you're just a lizard standing there with the sun shining on you.
Ken KeseyRead
But I remember one thing:_x000D_ _x000D_ it wasn't me that started acting deaf;_x000D_ _x000D_ it was people that first started acting like_x000D_ _x000D_ I was too dumb to hear or see or say anything at all
Ken KeseyRead
The job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.
Ken KeseyRead
If this glorious birth to death hassle is the only hassle we are ever to have ..if our grand exhilarating fight of life is such a tragically short little scrap anyway,compared to the eons of rounds before and after-then why should one want to relinquish even a few precious seconds of it?
Ken KeseyRead
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