--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the…" description: "\"Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the foundation for the visibility, the man, the adornments of this life-to-be; it was the prerequisite that made ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/geneen-roth-3050_adornment_being-exaltingly-thin-was-of-course-the_1433866.jpg" --- # Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the foundation for… ![“Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the foundation for the visibility, the man, the adornments of this life-to-be; it was the prerequisite that made the rest of the dream possible. And since no matter how thin I got, I was frightened that I could wake up tomorrow and be fat again, the rest of…” quote by Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/geneen-roth-3050_adornment_being-exaltingly-thin-was-of-course-the_1433866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/geneen-roth-3050_adornment_being-exaltingly-thin-was-of-course-the_1433866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba3/geneen-roth-3050_adornment_being-exaltingly-thin-was-of-course-the_1433866.jpg) > “Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the foundation for the visibility, the man, the adornments of this life-to-be; it was the prerequisite that made the rest of the dream possible. And since no matter how thin I got, I was frightened that I could wake up tomorrow and be fat again, the rest of the dream was forever ten or twenty pounds away.” [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) ## 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 links extreme thinness to self‑worth, fearing weight gain would shatter their dream of an ideal self. **In simple terms:** Thinness is seen as essential to personal identity and fear of gaining weight threatens that identity. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑value beyond body size. Themes body image self‑esteem fear identity societal pressure Mood vulnerable reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - dieting - social media - personal relationships - therapy Key Concepts Psychology cultural standards Questions to Reflect On - How does defining yourself by size affect other areas of life? - What practices help separate self‑worth from appearance? A Different Perspective Weight concerns can dominate life, limiting broader fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adornment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adornment/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) [Tomorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tomorrow/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Visibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/visibility/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) ## Related quotes > [“You’ll be a fine sight tomorrow, you will. And a fat lip to boot.” She touched the swollen tissue lightly. “Now, then, I won’t”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-tryon/you-ll-be-a-fine-sight-tomorrow-you-will-and-a-fat-lip-to-boot-she/) [Thomas Tryon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-tryon/) > [I'm certainly not 10 pounds away from being an ingenue! 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My midnight orisons said o'er, I'll turn to rest and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/i-ll-dream-no-more-by-mainly-mind-not-even-in-sleep-is-well-resigned/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [“We are as clouds that veil the midnight moon; How restlessly they speed, and gleam, and quiver, Streaking the darkness radiantly!--yet soon Night closes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-shelley/we-are-as-clouds-that-veil-the-midnight-moon-how-restlessly-they/) Percy Shelley > [There is no Croatian dream. There is no European Union dream. There is no Chinese communist dream, except maybe to get out. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-is-no-croatian-dream-there-is-no-european-union-dream-there-is/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [It depends on what your dream might be, as to whether or not it's still possible when you're, say, fifty or sixty. You won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/it-depends-on-what-your-dream-might-be-as-to-whether-or-not-it-s/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [I advise you to say your dream is possible and then overcome all inconveniences, ignore all the hassles and take a running leap through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/i-advise-you-to-say-your-dream-is-possible-and-then-overcome-all/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Basketball came to me and for some reason it gave me an opportunity to live a life that I didn't dream possible. But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/basketball-came-to-me-and-for-some-reason-it-gave-me-an-opportunity/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [“How much of it was real. How much of it was just a dream. Is it possible that all of it was just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevan-v-nikolic/how-much-of-it-was-real-how-much-of-it-was-just-a-dream-is-it/) [Stevan V. Nikolic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevan-v-nikolic/) > [Break the rules. Be a fighter. Any dream is possible if you are brave enough to do it YOUR way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aj-lee/break-the-rules-be-a-fighter-any-dream-is-possible-if-you-are-brave/) [AJ Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aj-lee/) ## More by Geneen Roth > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“Most of us are so enthralled with the scary tigers in our minds--our stories of loneliness, rejection, grief--that we don't realize they are in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/most-of-us-are-so-enthralled-with-the-scary-tigers-in-our-minds-our/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [Most of our suffering comes from resisting what is already here, particularly our feelings. 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That's a difficult thing for people to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/after-initial-needs-are-met-enough-food-shelter-comfort-there-is-no/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“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/) > [“People often mistake tenderheartedness for indulgence, as if being kind to themselves leads to lethargy—sitting around the house all day eating bonbons and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/people-often-mistake-tenderheartedness-for-indulgence-as-if-being/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [If you pay attention to when you are hungry, what your body wants, what you are eating, when you've had enough, you end the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/if-you-pay-attention-to-when-you-are-hungry-what-your-body-wants-what/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“Pay careful attention to the bodily sensations that you recognize as hunger. When you feel yourself starting to get hungry, sit down for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/pay-careful-attention-to-the-bodily-sensations-that-you-recognize-as/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [The purpose of healing is to live while you are alive instead of dying while you are alive. Healing is about being broken and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/the-purpose-of-healing-is-to-live-while-you-are-alive-instead-of/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“But replacing hunger for divine connection with Double Stuf Oreos is like giving a glass of sand to a person dying of thirst. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/but-replacing-hunger-for-divine-connection-with-double-stuf-oreos-is/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I live between fearing doom and wishing for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/i-live-between-fearing-doom-and-wishing-for-it/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [Imagine treating yourself with the kindness that you show people you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/imagine-treating-yourself-with-the-kindness-that-you-show-people-you/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [“When you are not hungry and decide to eat, choose a food that you ate that day when you were hungry. Be aware of:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/when-you-are-not-hungry-and-decide-to-eat-choose-a-food-that-you-ate/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) [Explore all 141 Geneen Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) ## More Adornment quotes > [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/) [George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/) > [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [A crown is more discomfort than adornment. If you have learned that, you have already learned much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/a-crown-is-more-discomfort-than-adornment-if-you-have-learned-that/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [There's more to clothing than just adornment. It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/there-s-more-to-clothing-than-just-adornment-it-does-more-than-merely/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/adornment-what-a-science-beauty-what-a-weapon-modesty-what-elegance/) [Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/) > [Tis Lilith. Who? Adam's first wife is she. Beware the lure within her lovely tresses, The splendid sole adornment of her hair; When she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/tis-lilith-who-adam-s-first-wife-is-she-beware-the-lure-within-her/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Valor is the soldier's adornment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/valor-is-the-soldier-s-adornment/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [It's a toss-up whether the scenery or the adornment of Marilyn Monroe is the feature of greater attraction in River of No Return. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bosley-crowther/it-s-a-toss-up-whether-the-scenery-or-the-adornment-of-marilyn-monroe/) Bosley Crowther > [By the care she lavishes on her toilet, by the concern she has for her beauty set off by her adornment, a woman regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/by-the-care-she-lavishes-on-her-toilet-by-the-concern-she-has-for-her/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [Such is our impatience, such our hatred of procrastination, to everything but the amendment of our practices and the adornment of our nature, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/such-is-our-impatience-such-our-hatred-of-procrastination-to/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [Beyond domestic animals and our response to their fealty and affection, we have a peculiar charge concerning the wild animals which supply our clothes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-parkes-cadman/beyond-domestic-animals-and-our-response-to-their-fealty-and/) [S. Parkes Cadman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-parkes-cadman/) > [ But the best argument of all \[for evangelism\] is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/but-the-best-argument-of-all-for-evangelism-is-to-be-found-in-the/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Where fashion in clothes, bodily adornment, and music are concerned, it is the underclass that increasingly sets the pace. Never before has there been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-daniels/where-fashion-in-clothes-bodily-adornment-and-music-are-concerned-it/) [Anthony Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-daniels/) > [Positions and titles mean absolutely nothing. They're just adornments; they don't represent the substance of anybody. Every person and every job is worth as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/positions-and-titles-mean-absolutely-nothing-they-re-just-adornments/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) [Browse all 57 Adornment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adornment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Being exaltingly thin was, of course, the foundation for the visibility, the man, the adornments of this life-to-be; it was the prerequisite that made the rest of the dream possible. 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