--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His ribs were as visible as hands around…" description: "\"“His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup.”\" — Edmund White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png" --- # His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup. ![“His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png) > ““His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup.”” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Visible ribs metaphorically reveal vulnerability and raw humanity. **In simple terms:** Seeing ribs shows inner truth. Key Takeaway Embrace openness. Themes vulnerability body identity Mood reflective intimate Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal essays - therapy sessions - artistic expression Key Concepts metaphor self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - What does bodily exposure teach us about self? - How can vulnerability be a strength? A Different Perspective May be too graphic for some audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [That devilish Iron Horse, whose ear-rending neigh is heard throughout the town, has muddied the Boiling Spring with his foot, and he it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/that-devilish-iron-horse-whose-ear-rending-neigh-is-heard-throughout/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had a snowboarding accident. I fell off a horse. I've had a concussion, a fractured rib... I walk into walls. I'm always bruised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/i-had-a-snowboarding-accident-i-fell-off-a-horse-i-ve-had-a/) [Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/) > [Adam, who said to our Lord in the Garden of Eden, I got more ribs - you got more broads? Never got a dinner!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-buttons/adam-who-said-to-our-lord-in-the-garden-of-eden-i-got-more-ribs-you/) [Red Buttons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-buttons/) > [How are you?" "Perfectly fine," he said. "Are your ribs broken?" "Probably not. Cracked at most. We fought very carefully." "Did this settle anything?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/how-are-you-perfectly-fine-he-said-are-your-ribs-broken-probably-not/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [A strange, terrific force unlike anything I've ever experienced is sprouting in my heart, taking root there, growing. Shut up behind my rib cage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-strange-terrific-force-unlike-anything-i-ve-ever-experienced-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [What I have against religion is that they start you when you are so defenseless. I mean, I was three when they started pumping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/what-i-have-against-religion-is-that-they-start-you-when-you-are-so/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“friend poked her in the ribs. “Hey,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-haddix/friend-poked-her-in-the-ribs-hey/) [T.L. Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-haddix/) > [never believe a man can change a woman those men are pretenders who think that they created women from one of their ribs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nizar-qabbani/never-believe-a-man-can-change-a-woman-those-men-are-pretenders-who/) [Nizar Qabbani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nizar-qabbani/) > [Ive broken my nose, Ive broken ribs. You name it. In fact, we just got back from South America, and I fell over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-emerson/ive-broken-my-nose-ive-broken-ribs-you-name-it-in-fact-we-just-got/) [Keith Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-emerson/) > [I have been there, and I have seen these totally formed babies as early as ten weeks...with the leg missing, or with their head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-priya-henry/i-have-been-there-and-i-have-seen-these-totally-formed-babies-as/) Deborah Priya Henry > [I heard that I have three ribs, that I have more surgeries than Cher - whatever they say, they say; I know who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia/i-heard-that-i-have-three-ribs-that-i-have-more-surgeries-than-cher/) [Thalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia/) > [“Yep, it sticks to your ribs, doesn’t it?” “It’s stuck to the cup, Tyler.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-heald/yep-it-sticks-to-your-ribs-doesn-t-it-it-s-stuck-to-the-cup-tyler/) [Melinda Heald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-heald/) > [I love pork. I love a good BLT. I know that sounds horrible but I do. I'm a total foodie. I love cooking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-bergen/i-love-pork-i-love-a-good-blt-i-know-that-sounds-horrible-but-i-do-i/) [Bob Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-bergen/) > [I've broken all my fingers, I've broken my hand, ribs, ankles... everything, I've broken everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sky-blu/i-ve-broken-all-my-fingers-i-ve-broken-my-hand-ribs-ankles-everything/) [Sky Blu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sky-blu/) > [... at the beginning of the human race the woman was made of a rib taken from the side of the man while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/at-the-beginning-of-the-human-race-the-woman-was-made-of-a-rib-taken/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More Hands quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/) [Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“for they are all the work of his hands?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan/for-they-are-all-the-work-of-his-hands/) Zondervan > [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [My happiness is in my hands not between another person hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/my-happiness-is-in-my-hands-not-between-another-person-hands/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) Browse all 18,228 Hands quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around-a-cup/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hands" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around-a-cup/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/edmund-white-2376_hands_his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around_310150.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His ribs were as visible as hands around a cup.” — Edmund White", "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": "Edmund White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His ribs were as visible as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around-a-cup/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/his-ribs-were-as-visible-as-hands-around-a-cup/#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 } } ] } ```