--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she thinks of the toxins built up…" description: "\"“When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from so many years of eating carelessly, of the resentment that has grown steadily over fifteen y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/benjamin-percy-17850_body-image_when-she-thinks-of-the-toxins-built-up-i_896770.jpg" --- # When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from… ![“When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from so many years of eating carelessly, of the resentment that has grown steadily over fifteen years of marriage, of the stretch marks and the varicose veins that came from two pregnancies, only one of them fulfilled, she thinks the inside of…” quote by Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/benjamin-percy-17850_body-image_when-she-thinks-of-the-toxins-built-up-i_896770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/benjamin-percy-17850_body-image_when-she-thinks-of-the-toxins-built-up-i_896770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/benjamin-percy-17850_body-image_when-she-thinks-of-the-toxins-built-up-i_896770.jpg) > ““When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from so many years of eating carelessly, of the resentment that has grown steadily over fifteen years of marriage, of the stretch marks and the varicose veins that came from two pregnancies, only one of them fulfilled, she thinks the inside of her body must tell a story like a tree. Were she to break open a bone, perhaps it would look like the inside of a coffee mug - riddled with lines, stained with brown blotches.”” [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) ## 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 likens her body’s accumulated damage and emotional scars to a tree’s rings, suggesting that physical and psychological wounds tell a history of neglect and pain. **In simple terms:** Her body shows a history of hurt. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden damage. Themes health relationships self‑image Mood reflective somber Type literary metaphorical When to use this quote - marriage counseling - medical check‑up - stress management - body‑positive therapy Key Concepts trauma embodiment metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you interpret your body’s signs? - What steps can you take to heal both body and mind? A Different Perspective Physical symptoms may mask deeper emotional issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-image/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Fifteen years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifteen-years/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Years of marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-marriage/) ## Related quotes > [“The ordinary think inside of the box, the extraordinary think outside of the box, but genius thinks inside, outside, below and above the box.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/the-ordinary-think-inside-of-the-box-the-extraordinary-think-outside/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [I gave up so many things. It wasn't that I was out of control - it was just years of eating anything I wanted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ferrara/i-gave-up-so-many-things-it-wasn-t-that-i-was-out-of-control-it-was/) [Jerry Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ferrara/) > [My physique is down to 20 years of eating cheese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/my-physique-is-down-to-20-years-of-eating-cheese/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Those were the people who made her something, and without them she was different. She'd held on to them and to that old self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/those-were-the-people-who-made-her-something-and-without-them-she-was/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... You can't make up for three years of eating poorly in just one workout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/one-things-guys-have-to-remember-is-consistency-you-can-t-make-up-for/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [A man of sixty has spent twenty years in bed and over three years in eating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/a-man-of-sixty-has-spent-twenty-years-in-bed-and-over-three-years-in/) [Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/) > [“I know that character exists from the outside alone. I know that inside the body there's just temperature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-know-that-character-exists-from-the-outside-alone-i-know-that/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [It's so weird to be alive and to be inside a body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/it-s-so-weird-to-be-alive-and-to-be-inside-a-body/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [The trouble with a great sadness is that it doesn't fit inside your body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manuel-rivas/the-trouble-with-a-great-sadness-is-that-it-doesn-t-fit-inside-your/) [Manuel Rivas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manuel-rivas/) > [Then he's inside you, and your body remembers, each time, every man, even if you try to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayne-anne-phillips/then-he-s-inside-you-and-your-body-remembers-each-time-every-man-even/) [Jayne Anne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayne-anne-phillips/) > [It's an amazing feeling to know that life is actually growing inside your body. The first time you see the ultrasound and you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/it-s-an-amazing-feeling-to-know-that-life-is-actually-growing-inside/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [“Like it or not, your business became mine the minute you let me inside your body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-wright/like-it-or-not-your-business-became-mine-the-minute-you-let-me-inside/) [Suzanne Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-wright/) > [“there was no way that weapon of mass destruction was going to work its way inside my body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-crownover/there-was-no-way-that-weapon-of-mass-destruction-was-going-to-work/) [Jay Crownover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-crownover/) > [“on the last day of love my heart cracked inside my body”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/on-the-last-day-of-love-my-heart-cracked-inside-my-body/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) ## More by Benjamin Percy > [“The best way to mess with the head of your reader is to strategize the delivery of bad news.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-best-way-to-mess-with-the-head-of-your-reader-is-to-strategize/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Matters of the heart make your world worth occupying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/matters-of-the-heart-make-your-world-worth-occupying/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I grew up with guns. For my 16th birthday, in fact, I received a .357 instead of a car. But there was nothing playful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-grew-up-with-guns-for-my-16th-birthday-in-fact-i-received-a-357/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I want to build as many worlds as possible - each a version of ours with a crack running through it - and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-want-to-build-as-many-worlds-as-possible-each-a-version-of-ours/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“So you could write what you know. The problem, of course, is that some people don’t know shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/so-you-could-write-what-you-know-the-problem-of-course-is-that-some/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“The seagull doesn’t mean anything,” I said. “It’s just a seagull. It’s there for beach ambience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/the-seagull-doesn-t-mean-anything-i-said-it-s-just-a-seagull-it-s/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“It’s like this. Terror might make someone kill, but love will make someone die. People die for love. They would give up anything for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/it-s-like-this-terror-might-make-someone-kill-but-love-will-make/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“... he feels the darkness of the grave pressing around the fire and infecting his vision so that there seems to be no separation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/he-feels-the-darkness-of-the-grave-pressing-around-the-fire-and/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [As in the case of many of the stories that I've written I'm not trying to editorialize. I don't want there to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/as-in-the-case-of-many-of-the-stories-that-i-ve-written-i-m-not/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I have a scenario but almost always it's entwined with at least one person to begin with. Then I sort of expand from there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-have-a-scenario-but-almost-always-it-s-entwined-with-at-least-one/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Books are like batteries, he says. And you grow a little stronger by reading them, surrounding yourself with them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/books-are-like-batteries-he-says-and-you-grow-a-little-stronger-by/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Her husband once said that he believed some sort of mathematical equation could be applied to life - since the longer you lived, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/her-husband-once-said-that-he-believed-some-sort-of-mathematical/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [I think my leap into TV and movies and comics is in a way natural because I'm a visual storyteller. If you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-think-my-leap-into-tv-and-movies-and-comics-is-in-a-way-natural/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“I would encourage subtlety. Nabokov’s bubble gum or Munro’s water over Dumbo’s magic feather.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/i-would-encourage-subtlety-nabokov-s-bubble-gum-or-munro-s-water-over/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) > [“Realism is the trend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-percy/realism-is-the-trend/) [Benjamin Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) [Explore all 36 Benjamin Percy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-percy/) ## More Body image quotes > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [“Before we can make seismic professional, economic, and sociological changes, we have to squeeze out of our Spanx and remember how it feels to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hays-coomer/before-we-can-make-seismic-professional-economic-and-sociological/) [Sarah Hays Coomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hays-coomer/) > [Negative comments in terms of body image are the hardest thing the women probably struggle with. But I think the best thing that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/negative-comments-in-terms-of-body-image-are-the-hardest-thing-the/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“The good news is that there is one kind of food you can never have too much of. The best way to fully recover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-wicker/the-good-news-is-that-there-is-one-kind-of-food-you-can-never-have/) [Kate Wicker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-wicker/) > [“We may also discover that sexual abuse helps to explain the high prevalence rates of eating disorders among women and may lend some insight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-a-duncan/we-may-also-discover-that-sexual-abuse-helps-to-explain-the-high/) Karen A. Duncan > [“I am, for some reason, actually happy with who I am and the muscle, the bones, and the flub that exist beneath these clothes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/i-am-for-some-reason-actually-happy-with-who-i-am-and-the-muscle-the/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [“The skinnier and more toned I got, the fatter I felt. The more in shape I got, the more out of shape I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pearce/the-skinnier-and-more-toned-i-got-the-fatter-i-felt-the-more-in-shape/) [Dan Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pearce/) > [ I get a lot of flak for it... people saying \[my body\] is not normal for a girl... But I'm okay with it. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/i-get-a-lot-of-flak-for-it-people-saying-my-body-is-not-normal-for-a/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [Black women don't have the same body image problems as white women. They are proud of their bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyra-banks/black-women-don-t-have-the-same-body-image-problems-as-white-women/) [Tyra Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyra-banks/) > [“When you ignore your belly, you become homeless. You spend your life trying to erase your own existence. Apologizing for yourself. Feeling like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/when-you-ignore-your-belly-you-become-homeless-you-spend-your-life/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“My dad will win, I silently countered, even as I smiled sweetly. I couldn’t wait to spike the ball right through her block, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lane/my-dad-will-win-i-silently-countered-even-as-i-smiled-sweetly-i/) [Jennifer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lane/) > [In the United States, workouts tend to focus on body image and how you look. For me, it's really all about the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/in-the-united-states-workouts-tend-to-focus-on-body-image-and-how-you/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [“She had decided that because she couldn't love her body, she would try to love what she put on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-scelsa/she-had-decided-that-because-she-couldn-t-love-her-body-she-would-try/) Kate Scelsa > [Perfectionism is really a challenge for me, and it causes me to be super-critical of myself in so many ways: about body image constantly;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-nettles/perfectionism-is-really-a-challenge-for-me-and-it-causes-me-to-be/) [Jennifer Nettles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-nettles/) [Browse all 407 Body image quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-image/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When she thinks of the toxins built up inside of her from so many years of eating carelessly, of the resentment that has grown steadily over fifteen years of marriage, of the stretch marks and the varicose veins that came from two pregnancies, only one of them fulfilled, she thinks the inside of her body must tell a story like a tree. 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