--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Skinny as a fence post." description: "\"“Skinny as a fence post.”\" — Anne Tyler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png" --- # Skinny as a fence post. ![“Skinny as a fence post.” quote by Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png) > ““Skinny as a fence post.”” [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous metaphor describing someone extremely thin, likening them to a thin fence post. **In simple terms:** Very thin person Key Takeaway Recognize humor in description. Themes humor body image metaphor Mood lighthearted playful Type literary humorous When to use this quote - social conversation - literary analysis Key Concepts physicality exaggeration Questions to Reflect On - How does humor affect perception of body image? - When is such metaphor appropriate? A Different Perspective The phrase may be misinterpreted as insulting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) [Fence post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence-post/) [Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/post/) [Skinny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skinny/) [Skinny Fence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skinny-fence-2727981/) ## Related quotes > [Anytime you see a turtle up on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-haley/anytime-you-see-a-turtle-up-on-top-of-a-fence-post-you-know-he-had/) [Alex Haley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-haley/) > [Historically, Hollywood comedy has arrived in skinny envelopes. From fence post Buster Keaton to herky-jerky Jerry Lewis to wiry nerve-bundle Woody Allen to hung-loose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/historically-hollywood-comedy-has-arrived-in-skinny-envelopes-from/) [James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/) > [A mental midget with the IQ of a fence post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/a-mental-midget-with-the-iq-of-a-fence-post/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Yeah, that test says he's dumb as a fence post, but when he hits he looks like Einstein to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bum-phillips/yeah-that-test-says-he-s-dumb-as-a-fence-post-but-when-he-hits-he/) [Bum Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bum-phillips/) > [He has the vocal modulation of a railway-station announcer, the expressive power of a fence-post and the charisma of a week-old head of lettuce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fintan-o-toole/he-has-the-vocal-modulation-of-a-railway-station-announcer-the/) [Fintan O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fintan-o-toole/) > [Things change when you learn to loosen your grip. I think one way and the future is desperate. I think another way everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-finn/things-change-when-you-learn-to-loosen-your-grip-i-think-one-way-and/) [Tim Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-finn/) > [Everything in Russia is made of cement - phone booths, fence posts and light bulbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/everything-in-russia-is-made-of-cement-phone-booths-fence-posts-and/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) > [“I fell in love with you when you crashed into my fence post and chased after my chickens and fell down in the mud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-andre/i-fell-in-love-with-you-when-you-crashed-into-my-fence-post-and/) [Bella Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-andre/) > [“When I finally made it across the dune, I found her gazing at the ocean and holding a weathered fence post as if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-colson/when-i-finally-made-it-across-the-dune-i-found-her-gazing-at-the/) [Emily Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-colson/) > [“How often ... do we pass by a need, a life that could be changed with the smallest bit of effort? And it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wingate/how-often-do-we-pass-by-a-need-a-life-that-could-be-changed-with-the/) [Lisa Wingate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wingate/) > [“The application of this knife, the division of the world into parts and the building of this structure, is something everybody does. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirsig-robert-m/the-application-of-this-knife-the-division-of-the-world-into-parts/) [Pirsig, Robert M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirsig-robert-m/) > [“Installing a Vertical Frame MATERIALS To construct a vertical frame, you need: two 5-foot electrical conduit pipes (1/2-inch diameter); one 4-foot conduit pipe (1/2-inch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-bartholomew/installing-a-vertical-frame-materials-to-construct-a-vertical-frame/) [Mel Bartholomew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-bartholomew/) > [“Brod's life was a slow realization that the world was not for her, and that for whatever reason, she would never be happy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/brod-s-life-was-a-slow-realization-that-the-world-was-not-for-her-and-2/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Brod’s life was a slow realization that the world was not for her, and that for whatever reason, she would never be happy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/brod-s-life-was-a-slow-realization-that-the-world-was-not-for-her-and/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Charles Snow had been as spiritually curious as a fence post, and Pete doubted that his father had ever changed in any meaningful way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smith-henderson/charles-snow-had-been-as-spiritually-curious-as-a-fence-post-and-pete/) [Smith Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smith-henderson/) ## More by Anne Tyler > [Try Jesus, you won't regret it, a billboard read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/try-jesus-you-won-t-regret-it-a-billboard-read/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Every place I go I miss another place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/every-place-i-go-i-miss-another-place/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [I'm falling into disrepair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/i-m-falling-into-disrepair/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [None of my own experiences ever finds its way into my work. However, the stages of my life - motherhood, middle age, etc. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/none-of-my-own-experiences-ever-finds-its-way-into-my-work-however/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [For my own family, I would always choose the makeshift, surrogate family formed by various characters unrelated by blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/for-my-own-family-i-would-always-choose-the-makeshift-surrogate/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [Mostly it's lies, writing novels. You set out to tell an untrue story and you try to make it believable, even to yourself. Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/mostly-it-s-lies-writing-novels-you-set-out-to-tell-an-untrue-story/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [When I read, I'm purely a reader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/when-i-read-i-m-purely-a-reader/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“You wake in the morning, you’re feeling fine, but all at once you think, “Something’s not right. Something’s off somewhere; what is it?” And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/you-wake-in-the-morning-you-re-feeling-fine-but-all-at-once-you-think/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“...that was Julian for you: reckless. A dashing sailor, a speedy driver, a frequenter of single bars, he was the kind of man who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/that-was-julian-for-you-reckless-a-dashing-sailor-a-speedy-driver-a/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Disaster followed disaster... the hero stuck in there, though. Macon had long ago noticed that all adventure movies had the same moral: Perseverance pays.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/disaster-followed-disaster-the-hero-stuck-in-there-though-macon-had/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It struck her all at once that dealing with other human beings was an awful lot of work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-struck-her-all-at-once-that-dealing-with-other-human-beings-was-an/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“Justine hated pantsuits. Whenever she saw one, she had an urge to tell the owner some scandalous fortune, loudly enough to be heard everywhere:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/justine-hated-pantsuits-whenever-she-saw-one-she-had-an-urge-to-tell/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [My family can always tell when I'm well into a novel because the meals get very crummy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/my-family-can-always-tell-when-i-m-well-into-a-novel-because-the/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [“She liked to think that she was wearing her beauty out—using it up, she liked to think. She took some satisfaction in it, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/she-liked-to-think-that-she-was-wearing-her-beauty-out-using-it-up/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) > [It is not how much you love someone, but who you are when you are with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/it-is-not-how-much-you-love-someone-but-who-you-are-when-you-are-with/) [Anne Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) [Explore all 202 Anne Tyler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/) ## More Fence quotes > [ By profession a biologist, \[Thomas Henry Huxley\] covered in fact the whole field of the exact sciences, and then bulged through its four fences.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/by-profession-a-biologist-thomas-henry-huxley-covered-in-fact-the/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [My dreams were always small and puny. All I ever needed was a little house with a little picket fence by the sea. Little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-marcos/my-dreams-were-always-small-and-puny-all-i-ever-needed-was-a-little/) [Imelda Marcos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-marcos/) > [I have yet to see someone attack Obama over his report card. A lot of people I talk to from both sides of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-fiasco/i-have-yet-to-see-someone-attack-obama-over-his-report-card-a-lot-of/) [Lupe Fiasco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-fiasco/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I only wanted Uncle Vernon standing by his own car (a Hudson) on a clear day, I got him and the car. Ialso got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-friedlander/i-only-wanted-uncle-vernon-standing-by-his-own-car-a-hudson-on-a/) [Lee Friedlander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-friedlander/) > [My loneliness...still comes over me sometimes...It's a liminal, lost sensation of having wandered wide, endless boulevards, among rows of orange trees, winter butterflies, seasons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-roth/my-loneliness-still-comes-over-me-sometimes-it-s-a-liminal-lost/) [Marco Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-roth/) > [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Life is not that simple. That is why it is called life. That word includes both lie and if. Time to figure out which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/life-is-not-that-simple-that-is-why-it-is-called-life-that-word/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [The first time I played golf was in Flushing Meadows, Queens, when I was about 16 or 17. They had an 18-hole pitch-and-putt. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/the-first-time-i-played-golf-was-in-flushing-meadows-queens-when-i/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Coffee arrived and the espresso was excellent, like an aromatic electric fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-aaronovitch/coffee-arrived-and-the-espresso-was-excellent-like-an-aromatic/) [Ben Aaronovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-aaronovitch/) > [There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pool singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/there-will-come-soft-rains-and-the-smell-of-the-ground-and-swallows/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [I can't give you the white picket fence, and if I did, you'd set it on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-can-t-give-you-the-white-picket-fence-and-if-i-did-you-d-set-it-on/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Most folks are like a barb-wire fence. They have their good points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/texas-bix-bender/most-folks-are-like-a-barb-wire-fence-they-have-their-good-points/) [Texas Bix Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/texas-bix-bender/) > [“I ran straight into the wooden fence at the foot of the field. I was lucky that it had been a rail fence, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keeble/i-ran-straight-into-the-wooden-fence-at-the-foot-of-the-field-i-was/) [Helen Keeble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keeble/) [Browse all 673 Fence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Skinny as a fence post.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Tyler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/skinny-as-a-fence-post/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/skinny-as-a-fence-post/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/206/anne-tyler-1837_fence_skinny-as-a-fence-post-1890537_1890537.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Skinny as a fence post.” — Anne Tyler", "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 Tyler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-tyler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Skinny as a fence post.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/skinny-as-a-fence-post/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-tyler/skinny-as-a-fence-post/#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 } } ] } ```