---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...his hand spread itself out flat on the…"
description: "\"“...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused and took another good look at him. There was something otherworldly about him, the way that ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg"
---

#  ...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused…

![“...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused and took another good look at him. There was something otherworldly about him, the way that he sat, the way he used this one hand to gesture. It was the decorum primitive people often have that makes them seem repositors of immense wisdom…” quote by Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg)

> ““...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused and took another good look at him. There was something otherworldly about him, the way that he sat, the way he used this one hand to gesture. It was the decorum primitive people often have that makes them seem repositors of immense wisdom, when in fact all they possess is immense conviction.””

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator observes a person whose primitive demeanor masks deep conviction, suggesting that outward simplicity can hide intense inner belief.

**In simple terms:** Simple outward behavior may hide strong inner conviction.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond appearances to understand true motivations.

Themes

appearance vs reality conviction wisdom primitivism perception

Mood

contemplative analytical

Type

literary observational

When to use this quote

- first meetings
- leadership assessment
- cultural encounters
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology character study

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions do you make about others' behavior?
- How can you discern genuine conviction?

A Different Perspective

Judging solely on appearance can lead to misunderstanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Gesture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gesture/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/)

## Related quotes

> [Whether I'm doing a routine where I want to move people, or if I want to feel moved myself, I definitely tap into those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-hough/whether-i-m-doing-a-routine-where-i-want-to-move-people-or-if-i-want/)

[Derek Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-hough/)

> [“Thanks. I forgot how to flip off the English. I'll use the correct hand gesture next time." "My pleasure. Always happy to educate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/thanks-i-forgot-how-to-flip-off-the-english-i-ll-use-the-correct-hand/)

[Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/)

> [“Our personal stories of perseverance contain immense wisdom that can assist others in finding their way to peace and illumination during difficult times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-friedenfeld/our-personal-stories-of-perseverance-contain-immense-wisdom-that-can/)

[Molly Friedenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-friedenfeld/)

> [“How fortunate for us that God in His immense wisdom chapterizes our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-c-perez/how-fortunate-for-us-that-god-in-his-immense-wisdom-chapterizes-our/)

Connie C. Perez

> [“Ico took the girls hand in his own, the gesture feeling intensely familiar, as the sun shone brightly over the end of their long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyuki-miyabe/ico-took-the-girls-hand-in-his-own-the-gesture-feeling-intensely/)

[Miyuki Miyabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyuki-miyabe/)

> [“you do get wiser when you live for hundreds of years; but you also have more time to turn out as badly as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-do-get-wiser-when-you-live-for-hundreds-of-years-but-you-also/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [There's something strange about a laptop, how you can make the tiniest gesture and make the biggest sound. I don't feel I've resolved working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-meredith/there-s-something-strange-about-a-laptop-how-you-can-make-the-tiniest/)

[Anna Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-meredith/)

> [“She gives me the finger and turns back around. "Did you see that?" I flinch at the gesture. "That is completely illegal in here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/addison-moore/she-gives-me-the-finger-and-turns-back-around-did-you-see-that-i/)

[Addison Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/addison-moore/)

> [Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don't expect it because I don't think of District 12 as a place that cares about me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/then-something-unexpected-happens-at-least-i-don-t-expect-it-because/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [All my life I have struggled to make one authentic gesture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/all-my-life-i-have-struggled-to-make-one-authentic-gesture/)

[Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/)

> [Even the smallest gesture can make a huge difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-butler/even-the-smallest-gesture-can-make-a-huge-difference/)

[Billy Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-butler/)

> [All art is an intensely vulnerable gesture, and it is made with no small amounts of risk, and fear. So, I have plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/all-art-is-an-intensely-vulnerable-gesture-and-it-is-made-with-no/)

[Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/)

> [“The desire to describe voice, gesture, skin color, is a desire to eat, take over, make into part of the pattern. I am happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lockwood/the-desire-to-describe-voice-gesture-skin-color-is-a-desire-to-eat/)

[Patricia Lockwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-lockwood/)

> [Never raise your hand menacingly, but only in a friendly gesture!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-von-la-roche/never-raise-your-hand-menacingly-but-only-in-a-friendly-gesture/)

Sophie von La Roche

> [“The first language humans had was gestures. There was nothing primitive about this language that flowed from people’s hands, nothing we say now that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-first-language-humans-had-was-gestures-there-was-nothing/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

## More by Anne Rice

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“There had never been any talent, any talent to draw or paint or to make music or to write or to make any of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-had-never-been-any-talent-any-talent-to-draw-or-paint-or-to/)

[anne rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“there are only two things which I believe—the first is that no mortal can refuse the Dark Gift once he really knows what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-are-only-two-things-which-i-believe-the-first-is-that-no-mortal/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Lie quiet and you will lapse back into peace again. Be like the god Heimdall before the battle call, so still that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/lie-quiet-and-you-will-lapse-back-into-peace-again-be-like-the-god/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-write-write-and-write-and-write-if-you/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [How can so much beauty hide such a bruised and steely heart, and why must I love him, why must I lean in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/how-can-so-much-beauty-hide-such-a-bruised-and-steely-heart-and-why/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“you do get wiser when you live for hundreds of years; but you also have more time to turn out as badly as your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/you-do-get-wiser-when-you-live-for-hundreds-of-years-but-you-also/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I never lie," I said offhand. "At least not to those I don't love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-never-lie-i-said-offhand-at-least-not-to-those-i-don-t-love/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“I don't need to sleep to play. I'm crazy anyway. Being crazier still could only help.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-don-t-need-to-sleep-to-play-i-m-crazy-anyway-being-crazier-still/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“what I felt was inexpressible gratitude for the music, that in this horror there could be something as beautiful as that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/what-i-felt-was-inexpressible-gratitude-for-the-music-that-in-this/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I stumble through a carnival of horrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-stumble-through-a-carnival-of-horrors/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [“Look up at heaven and hell in the sky, for the stars are balls of fire suspended there by the angels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/look-up-at-heaven-and-hell-in-the-sky-for-the-stars-are-balls-of-fire/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [I do not allow fan-fiction. The characters are copyrighted. It upsets me terribly to even think about fan-fiction with my characters. I advise my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/i-do-not-allow-fan-fiction-the-characters-are-copyrighted-it-upsets/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

> [Truth is a risky proposition. It's the nature of mediocre human beings to believe that lies are necessary, that they serve a purpose, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/truth-is-a-risky-proposition-it-s-the-nature-of-mediocre-human-beings/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Explore all 826 Anne Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

## More Faith quotes

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/)

[St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/)

> [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/)

Matt Morris (1

> [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/)

[Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/)

> [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/)

[Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/)

[Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused and took another good look at him. There was something otherworldly about him, the way that he sat, the way he used this one hand to gesture. It was the decorum primitive people often have that makes them seem repositors of immense wisdom, when in fact all they possess is immense conviction.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Rice"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-table-i-paused-and-took/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Faith"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-table-i-paused-and-took/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/540/anne-rice-238_faith_his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-t_3227063.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...his hand spread itself out flat on the table. I paused and took another good look at him. There was…” — Anne Rice",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anne Rice",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...his hand spread itself out flat...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-table-i-paused-and-took/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/his-hand-spread-itself-out-flat-on-the-table-i-paused-and-took/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
