--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He hardened his face against the past as…" description: "\"“He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d slipped on a plastic superhero mask.”\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg" --- # He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d… ![“He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d slipped on a plastic superhero mask.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg) > ““He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d slipped on a plastic superhero mask.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person resists confronting past pain, using a flimsy, heroic façade to hide vulnerability. **In simple terms:** Avoiding past hurts with a fake mask. Key Takeaway Face the past directly. Themes resilience self‑protection identity Mood reflective defensive Type advice psychological When to use this quote - personal growth - therapy - relationship conflict - public speaking Key Concepts psychology defense mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - What past are you masking? - How does the mask affect your relationships? A Different Perspective The mask may eventually crack, revealing deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [To me drag is like a superhero mask.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adore-delano/to-me-drag-is-like-a-superhero-mask/) [Adore Delano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adore-delano/) > [Young bodies are like tender plants, which grow and become hardened to whatever shape you've trained them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/young-bodies-are-like-tender-plants-which-grow-and-become-hardened-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Heroes do not dwell in a time of peace; heroes are hardened in a kiln against the sorrows. Their troubles sharpen the blade and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/heroes-do-not-dwell-in-a-time-of-peace-heroes-are-hardened-in-a-kiln/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/will-you-come-with-me-to-the-mountains-it-will-hurt-at-first-until/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Lovesick, bitter and hardened heart. Aching, waiting for life to start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lovesick-bitter-and-hardened-heart-aching-waiting-for-life-to-start/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told that the proximity of punishment arouses real repentance in the criminal and sometimes awakens a feeling of genuine remorse in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-told-that-the-proximity-of-punishment-arouses-real-repentance-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once you look past the hype, actors are nothing more than fugitives from reality who specialize in contradiction: we are both children and hardened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-you-look-past-the-hype-actors-are-nothing-more-than-fugitives/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People in high life are hardened to the wants and distresses of mankind as surgeons are to their bodily pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-in-high-life-are-hardened-to-the-wants-and-distresses-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-glassblower-knows-while-in-the-heat-of-beginning-any-shape-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The sun by the action of heat makes wax moist and mud dry, hardening the one while it softens the other, by the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodoret/the-sun-by-the-action-of-heat-makes-wax-moist-and-mud-dry-hardening/) Theodoret > [Then the old man's face hardened. "What about you young man?" he asked flatly. "Would you like to get what you deserve?" Jones let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/then-the-old-man-s-face-hardened-what-about-you-young-man-he-asked/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [“We still go where we want, even if we got to crawl for the right.' - Tom Joad (Jr.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/we-still-go-where-we-want-even-if-we-got-to-crawl-for-the-right-tom/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Loud o'er my head though awful thunders roll, And vivid lightnings flash from pole to pole, Yet 'tis Thy voice, my God, that bids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/loud-o-er-my-head-though-awful-thunders-roll-and-vivid-lightnings/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [Our past is the forge upon which we are hardened and tempered, to prepare us for the present. We are like a fine blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-atchley-jr/our-past-is-the-forge-upon-which-we-are-hardened-and-tempered-to/) Larry Atchley Jr > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Hardened quotes > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Our past is the forge upon which we are hardened and tempered, to prepare us for the present. We are like a fine blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-atchley-jr/our-past-is-the-forge-upon-which-we-are-hardened-and-tempered-to/) Larry Atchley Jr > [Loud o'er my head though awful thunders roll, And vivid lightnings flash from pole to pole, Yet 'tis Thy voice, my God, that bids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/loud-o-er-my-head-though-awful-thunders-roll-and-vivid-lightnings/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [“We still go where we want, even if we got to crawl for the right.' - Tom Joad (Jr.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/we-still-go-where-we-want-even-if-we-got-to-crawl-for-the-right-tom/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Then the old man's face hardened. "What about you young man?" he asked flatly. "Would you like to get what you deserve?" Jones let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/then-the-old-man-s-face-hardened-what-about-you-young-man-he-asked/) [Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/) > [The sun by the action of heat makes wax moist and mud dry, hardening the one while it softens the other, by the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodoret/the-sun-by-the-action-of-heat-makes-wax-moist-and-mud-dry-hardening/) Theodoret > [The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-glassblower-knows-while-in-the-heat-of-beginning-any-shape-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“Law enforcement hardened you. It made you cynical about people. Even people you loved. The people who deserved your unconditional trust.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lanyon/law-enforcement-hardened-you-it-made-you-cynical-about-people-even/) [josh lanyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lanyon/) > [Does love always form, like a pearl, around the hardened bits of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/does-love-always-form-like-a-pearl-around-the-hardened-bits-of-life/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [A cement mixer collided with a prison van on the Kingston Pass. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronnie-corbett/a-cement-mixer-collided-with-a-prison-van-on-the-kingston-pass/) [Ronnie Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronnie-corbett/) > [Tragedy can break the heart but not the dam of the tearducts while schmaltz can dissolve the most hardened sophisticate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/tragedy-can-break-the-heart-but-not-the-dam-of-the-tearducts-while/) [Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/) > [Commercialism is the blemish on the fair face of American life. Fighting against the terrible conditions of the explorer and pioneer, our forefathers had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/commercialism-is-the-blemish-on-the-fair-face-of-american-life/) [Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/) > [It had never occurred to him that the body of a woman of fifty, blown up to monstrous dimensions by childbearing, then hardened, roughened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-had-never-occurred-to-him-that-the-body-of-a-woman-of-fifty-blown/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [We're releasing hardened criminals from jails all over California. They don't have the money. They don't have the room anymore. The jails are overflowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/we-re-releasing-hardened-criminals-from-jails-all-over-california/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Weakness is a great thing, and strength is nothing. When a man is just born, he is weak and flexible. When he dies, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-tarkovsky/weakness-is-a-great-thing-and-strength-is-nothing-when-a-man-is-just/) [Andrei Tarkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-tarkovsky/) Browse all 198 Hardened quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d slipped on a plastic superhero mask.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as-easily-as-if-he-d-slipped-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hardened" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as-easily-as-if-he-d-slipped-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/anonymous-1_time_he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as_1643324.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He hardened his face against the past as easily as if he’d slipped on a plastic superhero mask.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He hardened his face against the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as-easily-as-if-he-d-slipped-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-hardened-his-face-against-the-past-as-easily-as-if-he-d-slipped-on/#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 } } ] } ```