--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wish I were stronger and more secure in…" description: "\"I wish I were stronger and more secure in myself so that I could really spend my life with a guy like Lenny. Because he has a different kind of strengt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/gary-shteyngart-2177_arms_i-wish-i-were-stronger-and-more-secure-i_1703702.png" --- # I wish I were stronger and more secure in myself so that I… ![“I wish I were stronger and more secure in myself so that I could really spend my life with a guy like Lenny. Because he has a different kind of strength than Joshie. He has the strength of his sweet tuna arms. He has the strength of putting his nose in my hair and calling it home. He has the…” quote by Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/gary-shteyngart-2177_arms_i-wish-i-were-stronger-and-more-secure-i_1703702.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/gary-shteyngart-2177_arms_i-wish-i-were-stronger-and-more-secure-i_1703702.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/gary-shteyngart-2177_arms_i-wish-i-were-stronger-and-more-secure-i_1703702.png) > “I wish I were stronger and more secure in myself so that I could really spend my life with a guy like Lenny. Because he has a different kind of strength than Joshie. He has the strength of his sweet tuna arms. He has the strength of putting his nose in my hair and calling it home. He has the strength to cry when I go down on him. Who IS Lenny? Who DOES that? Who will ever open up to me like that again? No one. Because it's too dangerous. Lenny is a dangerous man. Joshie is more powerful, but Lenny is much more dangerous.” [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker longs for a partner who offers emotional safety and a unique, tender strength, contrasting it with more conventional power. **In simple terms:** Seeking gentle, authentic connection over dominance. Key Takeaway Value vulnerability and emotional intimacy. Themes loneliness desire vulnerability relationship dynamics Mood hopeful reflective Type personal emotional When to use this quote - searching for a partner - building trust - overcoming fear of intimacy - navigating dangerous relationships Key Concepts emotional safety authenticity intimacy Questions to Reflect On - What qualities truly make a relationship safe? - How can you cultivate self‑security before seeking it elsewhere? A Different Perspective The desire for safety may lead to idealizing potentially harmful partners. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't have a lot of cash... but in my mind I looked like Lenny Kravitz!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-sebastian/i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-cash-but-in-my-mind-i-looked-like-lenny-kravitz/) [Guy Sebastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-sebastian/) > [The show that first massively impacted on me was 'Tiswas,' with people like Lenny Henry, Chris Tarrant, John Gorman and the Phantom Flan Flinger.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/the-show-that-first-massively-impacted-on-me-was-tiswas-with-people/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [I would so like to be Lenny Kravitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-federer/i-would-so-like-to-be-lenny-kravitz/) [Roger Federer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-federer/) > [Thanks to people like Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, it's real freedom to do stand-up comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-amstell/thanks-to-people-like-lenny-bruce-and-george-carlin-it-s-real-freedom/) [Simon Amstell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-amstell/) > [“A blanket could be used like Lenny McDenny says hello. He never says hi, because he only says goodbye. He’s always leaving and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-blanket-could-be-used-like-lenny-mcdenny-says-hello-he-never-says/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I think humor is actually a very serious thing. I think the people who shaped culture, for the better, in the last 50 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lurie/i-think-humor-is-actually-a-very-serious-thing-i-think-the-people-who/) [John Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lurie/) > [I like to change looks. Like Lenny Kravitz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-ramirez/i-like-to-change-looks-like-lenny-kravitz/) [Manny Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-ramirez/) > [Like Lenny Kravitz, I wanna make the world a better place; I wanna unify people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-prass/like-lenny-kravitz-i-wanna-make-the-world-a-better-place-i-wanna/) [Natalie Prass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-prass/) > [I mean, I was always interested in people like Lenny Bruce, people who are breaking the old rules and making new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-dunaway/i-mean-i-was-always-interested-in-people-like-lenny-bruce-people-who/) [Faye Dunaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-dunaway/) > [“I had a really fat friend. The next time I saw him he looked like me! He said he lost the weight by eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/i-had-a-really-fat-friend-the-next-time-i-saw-him-he-looked-like-me/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“You wanna know why the world is f\*\*ked? This is why, this is exactly why…right here. Get a pen, write this down, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-lyndsy/you-wanna-know-why-the-world-is-f-ked-this-is-why-this-is-exactly-why/) Shannon Lyndsy > [I feel very uncomfortable when I eat in restaurants. I'm obnoxiously polite with the waiters: 'I just want a tuna sandwich. I'll go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-gould/i-feel-very-uncomfortable-when-i-eat-in-restaurants-i-m-obnoxiously/) [Dana Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-gould/) > [Large fish such as tuna are shown already cut into fillets and bought by the block. Fillets should be almost transparent. Avoid tuna that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nobu-matsuhisa/large-fish-such-as-tuna-are-shown-already-cut-into-fillets-and-bought/) [Nobu Matsuhisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nobu-matsuhisa/) > [Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken of the Sea.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-simpson/is-this-chicken-what-i-have-or-is-this-fish-i-know-it-s-tuna-but-it/) [Jessica Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-simpson/) > [It's not the kind of tuna that I eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-west/it-s-not-the-kind-of-tuna-that-i-eat/) [Adam West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-west/) ## More by Gary Shteyngart > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Italy has sun and tomatoes, and Russia just has real problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/italy-has-sun-and-tomatoes-and-russia-just-has-real-problems/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Don't be pretentious is my first advice to young writers. This is the big problem - just because you're getting an MFA doesn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/don-t-be-pretentious-is-my-first-advice-to-young-writers-this-is-the/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I read real books. On paper. You know, those printed books? I feel like this is the last thing I do to support my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-read-real-books-on-paper-you-know-those-printed-books-i-feel-like/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Russia tried to introduce beer as kind of the new vodka - and it's working with younger people in major cities - but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/russia-tried-to-introduce-beer-as-kind-of-the-new-vodka-and-it-s/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“There's something outrageously simple about extending yourself toward a goal the way a plant seeks the sun's rays or a gopher the crunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/there-s-something-outrageously-simple-about-extending-yourself-toward/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Silence has been destroyed, but also the idea that it's important to learn how another person thinks, to enter the mind of another person.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/silence-has-been-destroyed-but-also-the-idea-that-it-s-important-to/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“This red-fading-into-brown defines Queens for me; it is quiet and melancholy and postsuccessful, vaguely British in its disposition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/this-red-fading-into-brown-defines-queens-for-me-it-is-quiet-and/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [If I still lived in Russia, I'd be dead... or a really effective oligarch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/if-i-still-lived-in-russia-i-d-be-dead-or-a-really-effective-oligarch/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“The fact that my sexual awakening peripherally involves Steve Guttenberg I have gradually accepted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/the-fact-that-my-sexual-awakening-peripherally-involves-steve/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“The simple trill of her laugh has not declined over the years; if anything it's been buffeted by her endless sorrows and disappointments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/the-simple-trill-of-her-laugh-has-not-declined-over-the-years-if/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“We know summer is the height of of being alive. We don't believe in God or the prospect of an afterlife mostly, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/we-know-summer-is-the-height-of-of-being-alive-we-don-t-believe-in/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [“The novel was set in an unspecified near future, because setting a novel in the present in a time of unprecedented technological and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/the-novel-was-set-in-an-unspecified-near-future-because-setting-a/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [One should learn from a book. Books have a lot to teach us. They have a lot of empathy to impart to us, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/one-should-learn-from-a-book-books-have-a-lot-to-teach-us-they-have-a/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I always think that good writers should be growing up on the brink of death - it really lets them see mortality very clearly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-always-think-that-good-writers-should-be-growing-up-on-the-brink-of/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) [Explore all 179 Gary Shteyngart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) ## More Arms quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Are we fighting?" I asked Morelli. "No. Were discussing." "Are you sure?" "Am I yelling?" Morelli asked. "Is my face purple? Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Comerado, this is no book,Who touches this, touches a man,(Is it night? Are we here alone?)It is I you hold, and who holds you,I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/comerado-this-is-no-book-who-touches-this-touches-a-man-is-it-night/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [More courage is required to forgive than is required to take up arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ramos-horta/more-courage-is-required-to-forgive-than-is-required-to-take-up-arms/) [Jose Ramos-Horta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ramos-horta/) > [It's been a long time since I asked anything of heaven, and my arms still haven't come down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/it-s-been-a-long-time-since-i-asked-anything-of-heaven-and-my-arms/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [With those who are willing to join, let us cooperate to reduce the burden of arms, to strengthen the structure of peace, to lift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/with-those-who-are-willing-to-join-let-us-cooperate-to-reduce-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/how-shall-freedom-be-defended-by-arms-when-it-is-attacked-by-arms-by/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) Browse all 4,470 Arms quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wish I were stronger and more secure in myself so that I could really spend my life with a guy like Lenny. Because he has a different kind of strength than Joshie. He has the strength of his sweet tuna arms. He has the strength of putting his nose in my hair and calling it home. He has the strength to cry when I go down on him. Who IS Lenny? Who DOES that? Who will ever open up to me like that again? No one. Because it's too dangerous. Lenny is a dangerous man. 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