--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace…" description: "\"“Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But she wasn’t thin.”\" — Catherine Ryan Hyde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png" --- # Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But… ![“Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But she wasn’t thin.” quote by Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png) > ““Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But she wasn’t thin.”” [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty standards are subjective; being pretty is not the same as meeting thin ideals. **In simple terms:** Beauty ≠ thinness. Key Takeaway Challenge narrow beauty norms. Themes beauty standards body image self‑acceptance Mood critical thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - fashion - social media - personal confidence - health discussions Key Concepts feminism media influence Questions to Reflect On - How can you promote diverse definitions of beauty? - What impact does thinness have on self‑esteem? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may reinforce harmful ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grace Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-thought-1755642/) [Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty/) [Pretty Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-grace-6015555/) [Wasn Pretty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-pretty-293026/) ## Related quotes > [“I did not read the Bible to find Jesus but to answer the question, what should I do? I read indiscriminately and was often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ellis/i-did-not-read-the-bible-to-find-jesus-but-to-answer-the-question/) [Paul Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ellis/) > [I turned back to my extracurricular study of death and disease. Because no matter what Grace thought, I knew that in Mercy Falls, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-turned-back-to-my-extracurricular-study-of-death-and-disease/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“So many dead, Grace thought in melancholy wonder, and realised, for perhaps the first time, that there were more dead people in the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-hooper/so-many-dead-grace-thought-in-melancholy-wonder-and-realised-for/) [Mary Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-hooper/) > [I got 'Will & Grace,' and I thought, 'Oh, this is different. I don't know how to handle this. I'm not bright enough; I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hayes/i-got-will-grace-and-i-thought-oh-this-is-different-i-don-t-know-how/) [Sean Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hayes/) > [“The trouble with Grace, she thought, is that she is so literal. But that was the trouble with most people, when it came down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/the-trouble-with-grace-she-thought-is-that-she-is-so-literal-but-that/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [“Lorcan nodded, "It'ss a beautiful night," he said. "The stars have all come out for you, Darcy." He turned to go, then had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-somper/lorcan-nodded-it-ss-a-beautiful-night-he-said-the-stars-have-all-come/) [Justin Somper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-somper/) > [My mother became a believer, and then I became a believer. But when I was 43 years old, I began to think for myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/my-mother-became-a-believer-and-then-i-became-a-believer-but-when-i/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [A sweet attractive kind of grace, A full assurance given by looks, Continual comfort in a face, The lineaments of Gospel books; I trow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathew-roydon/a-sweet-attractive-kind-of-grace-a-full-assurance-given-by-looks/) [Mathew Roydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathew-roydon/) > [ \[Topher Grace\] is thought about what he's going to do and he has a lot of ideas. So there's that. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/topher-grace-is-thought-about-what-he-s-going-to-do-and-he-has-a-lot/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [What I liked about grunge was the realness. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't glamorous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-mix-a-lot/what-i-liked-about-grunge-was-the-realness-it-wasn-t-pretty-it-wasn-t/) [Sir Mix-a-Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-mix-a-lot/) > [“This possibility was not flattering to me; it was terrifying. There were other things a guy could think I was, and he wouldn't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/this-possibility-was-not-flattering-to-me-it-was-terrifying-there/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I was everything an R&B singer wasn't. I wasn't in shape. I wasn't a pretty boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-weeknd/i-was-everything-an-r-b-singer-wasn-t-i-wasn-t-in-shape-i-wasn-t-a/) [The Weeknd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-weeknd/) > [I wasn't pretty enough to be the pretty girl and I wasn't unattract­ive enough to be the dorky girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/i-wasn-t-pretty-enough-to-be-the-pretty-girl-and-i-wasn-t-unattract/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [I had to come to terms with how I saw myself. I had to understand that I wasn't pretty or beautiful like most actresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-poehler/i-had-to-come-to-terms-with-how-i-saw-myself-i-had-to-understand-that/) [Amy Poehler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-poehler/) > [“She wasn't pretty, but there were moments when I found her beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/she-wasn-t-pretty-but-there-were-moments-when-i-found-her-beautiful/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Catherine Ryan Hyde > [“That’s all addiction really is. It’s trading away the future so you can feel OK right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/that-s-all-addiction-really-is-it-s-trading-away-the-future-so-you/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“He knew then why his voice had abandoned him. Because it takes courage to talk to people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/he-knew-then-why-his-voice-had-abandoned-him-because-it-takes-courage/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“Besides, they looked like brothers. They looked like two examples of the same theme.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/besides-they-looked-like-brothers-they-looked-like-two-examples-of/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“he was upset. Though hopefully not at her. But upset is a funny thing. It looks for places to direct itself. It’s an emotion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/he-was-upset-though-hopefully-not-at-her-but-upset-is-a-funny-thing/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“I see the sun, high overhead, and then I know. This darkness doesn’t belong to the night. It belongs to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/i-see-the-sun-high-overhead-and-then-i-know-this-darkness-doesn-t/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“No. It’s not your job to convince him. It’s his job to believe it. This is his shortcoming, not yours. He needs to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-it-s-not-your-job-to-convince-him-it-s-his-job-to-believe-it-this/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“When are you going to learn to act in your own best interests? In spite of what your emotions tell you to do?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/when-are-you-going-to-learn-to-act-in-your-own-best-interests-in/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“Until you get it that’s he’s only what his experience has shaped him to be, you’re seeing him as subhuman. As ‘other’ somehow. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/until-you-get-it-that-s-he-s-only-what-his-experience-has-shaped-him/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“I find it touching, almost enviable, that a person with so little feels she has all she needs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/i-find-it-touching-almost-enviable-that-a-person-with-so-little-feels/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [Because it proves that you don't need much to change the entire world for the better. You can start with the most ordinary ingredients.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/because-it-proves-that-you-don-t-need-much-to-change-the-entire-world/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“Other people always bring complications. That’s just the nature of human relationships. You can’t separate people from their complications. Uncomplicated and alone are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/other-people-always-bring-complications-that-s-just-the-nature-of/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“Everything grows best in oxygen and sunlight except secrets and guilt and regrets. They”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/everything-grows-best-in-oxygen-and-sunlight-except-secrets-and-guilt/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“No happy marriage was, in his estimation, ever based on thoughtless, automatic untruths and exclusions. And the best way to make someone unhappy, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/no-happy-marriage-was-in-his-estimation-ever-based-on-thoughtless/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“But mostly I just kept reminding myself to burn every moment into my memory. I just tried to be sure I was always there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/but-mostly-i-just-kept-reminding-myself-to-burn-every-moment-into-my/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [“So, I guess people figure it's not as hard to lose your mother when you never got along anyway. But they're wrong. They're dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/so-i-guess-people-figure-it-s-not-as-hard-to-lose-your-mother-when/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) [Explore all 154 Catherine Ryan Hyde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) ## More Grace quotes > [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/) > [“There is still a certain grace in a dead festival. It has been happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-is-still-a-certain-grace-in-a-dead-festival-it-has-been-happy/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [“Serve in the grace of strength within thy soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/serve-in-the-grace-of-strength-within-thy-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Grace does not destroy nature, it perfects it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/grace-does-not-destroy-nature-it-perfects-it/) [Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [Asanas bring perfection in body, beauty in form, grace, strength, compactness, and the hardness and brilliance of a diamond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/asanas-bring-perfection-in-body-beauty-in-form-grace-strength/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [ “Through the grace of a thief, one can become a thief and through the grace of a Gnani \[the enlightened one\], one can become… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/through-the-grace-of-a-thief-one-can-become-a-thief-and-through-the/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Grace is upside-down, to-do-list wrecking, scandalous and way-too free. It's one-way love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/grace-is-upside-down-to-do-list-wrecking-scandalous-and-way-too-free/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) [Browse all 6,886 Grace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But she wasn’t thin.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherine Ryan Hyde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thought-she-was-but-she-wasn-t-thin/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grace" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thought-she-was-but-she-wasn-t-thin/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12f/catherine-ryan-hyde-2597_grace_not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thoug_2401374.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace thought she was. But she wasn’t thin.” — Catherine Ryan Hyde", "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": "Catherine Ryan Hyde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Not that Bella wasn’t pretty. Grace...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thought-she-was-but-she-wasn-t-thin/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/not-that-bella-wasn-t-pretty-grace-thought-she-was-but-she-wasn-t-thin/#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 } } ] } ```