--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Closing the door, Claudine looked at him…" description: "\"“Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at him, and while he waited for some expression to come to her face he knew how a doctor must fee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg" --- # Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at… ![“Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at him, and while he waited for some expression to come to her face he knew how a doctor must feel sometimes when he looks at a belly. For her face was no more than a cover of skin, showing nothing of the terrible, complicated things, ugly and…” quote by Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg) > ““Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at him, and while he waited for some expression to come to her face he knew how a doctor must feel sometimes when he looks at a belly. For her face was no more than a cover of skin, showing nothing of the terrible, complicated things, ugly and beautiful, that were going on inside her.”” [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A doctor observes a patient’s belly, seeing only skin, yet aware of complex internal realities, reflecting on the limits of outward perception. **In simple terms:** Seeing skin hides deeper complexities. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances to understand hidden truths. Themes medicine perception humanity Mood thoughtful empathetic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - patient examinations - medical training - ethical discussions Key Concepts clinical observation empathy Questions to Reflect On - What do we miss when focusing only on the visible? - How can clinicians improve deeper insight? A Different Perspective Surface observations can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belly Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belly-face-5202498/) [Claudine Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claudine-looked-5202495/) [Closing The Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closing-the-door/) [Complicated things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-things/) [Door Claudine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door-claudine-5202496/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [Face Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-knew-1243008/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Looks Belly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks-belly-5202497/) ## Related quotes > [“seen this look on his face before, and I knew exactly what “some time” meant: hours and hours. “Then I’ll go find the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/seen-this-look-on-his-face-before-and-i-knew-exactly-what-some-time/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“He listened intently, his eyes on my face, and I knew he'd sense the meaning in the space between my words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mich-le-phoenix/he-listened-intently-his-eyes-on-my-face-and-i-knew-he-d-sense-the/) [Michele Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mich-le-phoenix/) > [“As she craned her neck further she finally saw his face. She knew her mouth must have been gaping open like a clown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlee-nicole-bye/as-she-craned-her-neck-further-she-finally-saw-his-face-she-knew-her/) [Ashlee Nicole Bye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlee-nicole-bye/) > [“Blood sped through my veins as I gripped the edge of the counter, gazing into the face I knew so well. A shadow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laney-mcmann/blood-sped-through-my-veins-as-i-gripped-the-edge-of-the-counter/) [Laney McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laney-mcmann/) > [Every comic went through their Mitch Hedberg phase - the glasses, the hair in the face - and you knew immediately when they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/every-comic-went-through-their-mitch-hedberg-phase-the-glasses-the/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [“The door was now ajar, the light of an unknown future shining through its crack. But it would take more strength than I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/the-door-was-now-ajar-the-light-of-an-unknown-future-shining-through/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [“I couldn't comprehend what we were about to face, but I knew it was my birthright to fight for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gulla/i-couldn-t-comprehend-what-we-were-about-to-face-but-i-knew-it-was-my/) [Nicole Gulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gulla/) > [“I fell in love. Why can't I fall out of it?" He got a look on his face, which I knew meant he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-thornton/i-fell-in-love-why-can-t-i-fall-out-of-it-he-got-a-look-on-his-face/) [Marshall Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-thornton/) > [“She looked up at his face, even though she knew how that was going to feel, like someone was hooking her insides out through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/she-looked-up-at-his-face-even-though-she-knew-how-that-was-going-to/) [rainbow rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Let me know when you're ready to talk." She stopped and glanced at them both over her shoulder. "Maybe then I'd be ready to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lora-leigh/let-me-know-when-you-re-ready-to-talk-she-stopped-and-glanced-at-them/) [Lora Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lora-leigh/) > [Listening is the key to total concentration. You listen as the character would listen, closing the door on everything else. Then you are ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stapleton/listening-is-the-key-to-total-concentration-you-listen-as-the/) [Jean Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stapleton/) > [“Why do you think Lara is Lara Casnoff, and Mrs. Casnoff is Mrs. Casnoff?” Elodie whispered as she worked her magic on the enchanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/why-do-you-think-lara-is-lara-casnoff-and-mrs-casnoff-is-mrs-casnoff/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [“Miss Fields," said a servant, stepping into the room and closing the door, "There is a visitor for you. Are you in?" Clare blinked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-starbuck/miss-fields-said-a-servant-stepping-into-the-room-and-closing-the/) [Sam Starbuck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-starbuck/) > [I won't be managing the Mets. I am closing the door on managing the Mets and probably everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-torre/i-won-t-be-managing-the-mets-i-am-closing-the-door-on-managing-the/) [Joe Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-torre/) > [“Whatever you want," he said. "Will you please come here now?" I slipped a piece of protective tissue over my drawing and flipped the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/whatever-you-want-he-said-will-you-please-come-here-now-i-slipped-a/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) ## More by Douglas Woolf > [“They looked so familiar that for a moment Claude feared he had doubled back to Mrs. Merritt's city, until a sudden wave of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/they-looked-so-familiar-that-for-a-moment-claude-feared-he-had/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“With daylight (it was exactly a week since he last dressed for the office) he found himself passing through farmland over which a light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/with-daylight-it-was-exactly-a-week-since-he-last-dressed-for-the/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Beside him Mr. Harris folded his morning newspaper and held it out to Claude. "Seen this yet?" "No." "Don't read it," Mr. Harris said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/beside-him-mr-harris-folded-his-morning-newspaper-and-held-it-out-to/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Lured by smooth roads onto a new turnpike, he read with surprise the rules he was handed, don't stop, don't turn around, pay when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/lured-by-smooth-roads-onto-a-new-turnpike-he-read-with-surprise-the/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“He died of a breaking heart," Pete said, making a stout log fence of his hands around the glove compartment and leaning forward to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/he-died-of-a-breaking-heart-pete-said-making-a-stout-log-fence-of-his/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Outside he hurried again, for he had several blocks to walk and the beer turned out to be no more than cool. He told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/outside-he-hurried-again-for-he-had-several-blocks-to-walk-and-the/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Twentyone is too old to go anywhere alone, you know that. I want to go with someone. I don't mean as a bride, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/twentyone-is-too-old-to-go-anywhere-alone-you-know-that-i-want-to-go/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Yet he could not enjoy the walk. In the morning especially a bougainvillaea looks handmade, lawns are always lawns, and it is true indeed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/yet-he-could-not-enjoy-the-walk-in-the-morning-especially-a/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“He awoke on the desert gliding at seventyfive, to see a single great headlight topping a rise not far off and bearing toward him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/he-awoke-on-the-desert-gliding-at-seventyfive-to-see-a-single-great/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“One thing he held against the bird force was the curse of knowing always which direction he was headed in, without the vaguest idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/one-thing-he-held-against-the-bird-force-was-the-curse-of-knowing/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“He found the building in front of which he had stood in the sun all day waiting to be discharged, in which the crazy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/he-found-the-building-in-front-of-which-he-had-stood-in-the-sun-all/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“So he stopped at the first of them, a frigid hothouse whose front tipped forward over the street in defiance of gravity, taste, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/so-he-stopped-at-the-first-of-them-a-frigid-hothouse-whose-front/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“So they drove again, Vivien sitting up and looking now, but as navigator only, letting the desert scratch its own thorny poetry on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/so-they-drove-again-vivien-sitting-up-and-looking-now-but-as/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“Whether or not, he felt very much at home in this state. It was to places like this that they had sent him all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/whether-or-not-he-felt-very-much-at-home-in-this-state-it-was-to/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) > [“With such luck as this, he rode the beast in the jaunty way that she deserved, back north, seemingly back from Mexico, pulling up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/with-such-luck-as-this-he-rode-the-beast-in-the-jaunty-way-that-she/) [Douglas Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) [Explore all 24 Douglas Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/) ## More Complicated things quotes > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I had forgotten this about love: how the simple things- the turn away, the turn towards- could be so complicated, and how the complicated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-had-forgotten-this-about-love-how-the-simple-things-the-turn-away/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“1. Some people, Ranga, try to make things too complicated. One thing is not complicated. Two things are complicated, but not very complicated. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-b-g-burns/1-some-people-ranga-try-to-make-things-too-complicated-one-thing-is/) [Ian B.G. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-b-g-burns/) > [I admire writers who can make complicated things simple, but my own talent has been to make simple things complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barth/i-admire-writers-who-can-make-complicated-things-simple-but-my-own/) [John Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barth/) > [There's no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing always leading to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/there-s-no-limit-to-how-complicated-things-can-get-on-account-of-one/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [Everything's complicated, even those things that seem flat in their bleakness or sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/everything-s-complicated-even-those-things-that-seem-flat-in-their/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I think people have a hard time dealing with a bunch of things at once. They can't have something be disturbing and funny at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perfume-genius/i-think-people-have-a-hard-time-dealing-with-a-bunch-of-things-at/) [Perfume Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perfume-genius/) > [The only complicated things worth fighting for will change the world in some way and/or make you lots of money, and a complicated relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-weir/the-only-complicated-things-worth-fighting-for-will-change-the-world/) [Ingrid Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-weir/) > [Style is a simple way of saying complicated things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/style-is-a-simple-way-of-saying-complicated-things/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The complicated thing about friends is that sometimes they are totally wrong about us and sometimes they are totally right and it's almost always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-complicated-thing-about-friends-is-that-sometimes-they-are/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Black wizards don't just grow up like toadstools, you know. Someone has to teach them complicated things like summoning demons, ritual magic, and clichéd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/black-wizards-don-t-just-grow-up-like-toadstools-you-know-someone-has/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Pretty soon the crash would come on, and before then she’d have to figure out a way to get back to the hotel, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/pretty-soon-the-crash-would-come-on-and-before-then-she-d-have-to/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Wherever there's capitalism there's this inclination toward simplicity. There's also a human need to process complicated things by turning them into something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandar-hemon/wherever-there-s-capitalism-there-s-this-inclination-toward/) [Aleksandar Hemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandar-hemon/) > [But what's wrong with asking players to use their imagination, their game intelligence, as well as oomph and spirit? I don't just want them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-pardew/but-what-s-wrong-with-asking-players-to-use-their-imagination-their/) [Alan Pardew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-pardew/) > [Biology is the study of complicated things that have the appearance of having been designed with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/biology-is-the-study-of-complicated-things-that-have-the-appearance/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) [Browse all 79 Complicated things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at him, and while he waited for some expression to come to her face he knew how a doctor must feel sometimes when he looks at a belly. For her face was no more than a cover of skin, showing nothing of the terrible, complicated things, ugly and beautiful, that were going on inside her.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Woolf" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him-she-looked-at-him-and-while/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complicated things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him-she-looked-at-him-and-while/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e9/douglas-woolf-24399_complicated-things_closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him_1448517.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Closing the door, Claudine looked at him. She looked at him, and while he waited for some expression to come…” — Douglas Woolf", "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": "Douglas Woolf", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-woolf/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Closing the door, Claudine looked at...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him-she-looked-at-him-and-while/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-woolf/closing-the-door-claudine-looked-at-him-she-looked-at-him-and-while/#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 } } ] } ```