--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He looked honored, extraordinarily…" description: "\"“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for the flesh itself, embracing the blade as if ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png" --- # He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to… ![“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for the flesh itself, embracing the blade as if it were some combination of marvel and disaster, the kind that usually either confers divinity or is a proof of it.” quote by Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png) > ““He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for the flesh itself, embracing the blade as if it were some combination of marvel and disaster, the kind that usually either confers divinity or is a proof of it.”” [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage explores the paradox of reverence for suffering, suggesting that the protagonist finds a sacred or transformative quality in pain, seeing it as a path to divinity. **In simple terms:** Finding sanctity in suffering. Key Takeaway Pain can be a conduit to transcendence. Themes sacredness suffering transformation divinity paradox Mood melancholic awe Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - ritual sacrifice - artistic creation - personal crisis Key Concepts martyrdom aesthetic of pain Practical Applications - exploring themes in literature - psychological analysis of trauma Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to honor pain over the self? - Can suffering truly confer a sense of divinity? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confers Divinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confers-divinity-894743/) [Honored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored/) [Honored Extraordinarily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored-extraordinarily-894742/) [Looked Honored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looked-honored-894741/) [Tore Flesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tore-flesh-894744/) ## Related quotes > [“The tearing of the clothes haunted me in the beginning. The infected tore flesh and the others tore clothes and the sound could swallow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brown/the-tearing-of-the-clothes-haunted-me-in-the-beginning-the-infected/) [Tara Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brown/) > [I was drunk: Christian and drunk. They just don't go together. But that's what happened. And the next day, obviously God had honored those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hamilton/i-was-drunk-christian-and-drunk-they-just-don-t-go-together-but-that/) [Jim Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hamilton/) > [No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/no-person-was-ever-honored-for-what-he-received-honor-has-been-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [Having your work honored nationally is a great morale booster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/having-your-work-honored-nationally-is-a-great-morale-booster/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [Man and woman and speech and deed and city and object should be honored with praise if praiseworthy and incur blame if unworthy, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gorgias/man-and-woman-and-speech-and-deed-and-city-and-object-should-be/) [Gorgias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gorgias/) > [What is commonly honored with the name of Friendship is no very profound or powerful instinct. Men do not, after all, love their Friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-commonly-honored-with-the-name-of-friendship-is-no-very/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-is-sin-it-is-the-glory-of-god-not-honored-the-holiness-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [I'm honored to be at the side of Michele Bachmann. She is a great congresswoman. She is a great human being, and she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/i-m-honored-to-be-at-the-side-of-michele-bachmann-she-is-a-great/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-way-a-culture-treats-women-in-birth-is-a-good-indicator-of-how/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-loved-and-honored-by-god-more-than-any-other-single-thing/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The clatter of a changing world is not pleasant, and those who have enjoyed the comforts and protection of the old order may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-clatter-of-a-changing-world-is-not-pleasant-and-those-who-have/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [For me to be here to present this to the greatest sportsmen of all time, I feel particularly honored. This absolutely is a highlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/for-me-to-be-here-to-present-this-to-the-greatest-sportsmen-of-all/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) ## More by Helen Oyeyemi > [“Juju is not enough to protect you. Everything you have I will turn against you. I'll turn sugar bitter for you. I'll take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/juju-is-not-enough-to-protect-you-everything-you-have-i-will-turn/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/marriage-is-no-real-excuse-for-not-loving/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [I do tend to feel more connected to dead writers, perhaps because they have finished their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-do-tend-to-feel-more-connected-to-dead-writers-perhaps-because-they/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“People don’t make too much money around here, but what comes with that is a different definition of what it means to be well-off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/people-don-t-make-too-much-money-around-here-but-what-comes-with-that/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“White-flowered shrubs thickened around her and so did sleep; it directed her limbs. Lie down now, sleep said sweetly. Lie down. These are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/white-flowered-shrubs-thickened-around-her-and-so-did-sleep-it/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [I don't despise 'Don Quixote,' but it is a book I don't... get. I'll have to come back it. Maybe there'll be a gateway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-don-t-despise-don-quixote-but-it-is-a-book-i-don-t-get-i-ll-have-to/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“I think her favorite thing about our . . . collaboration was her actor and musician friends rubbing shoulders with my academic colleagues, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-think-her-favorite-thing-about-our-collaboration-was-her-actor-and/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“After half an hour the Senora emerged, short of breath, with flushed cheeks…as uf she'd been seized and shaken like a faulty thermometer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/after-half-an-hour-the-senora-emerged-short-of-breath-with-flushed/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“It was the usual struggle between one who loves by accepting burdens and one who loves by refusing to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/it-was-the-usual-struggle-between-one-who-loves-by-accepting-burdens/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“Pops says he loves me just the way I am, but not everyone in the world is like my father. Maman, for example. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/pops-says-he-loves-me-just-the-way-i-am-but-not-everyone-in-the-world/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“With boys there was a fundamental assumption that they had a right to be there—not always, but more often than not. With girls, Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/with-boys-there-was-a-fundamental-assumption-that-they-had-a-right-to/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [The more forcibly I'm made aware of the fact that I'll never be the kind of storyteller I most admire, the less I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/the-more-forcibly-i-m-made-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-ll-never-be-the/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [The girl was lighter without her heart. She danced barefoot on the hot roads, and her feet were not cut by the glass or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/the-girl-was-lighter-without-her-heart-she-danced-barefoot-on-the-hot/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“So her missing person's poster features a girl with long hair and dreamy eyes that don't see the fracture coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/so-her-missing-person-s-poster-features-a-girl-with-long-hair-and/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [“Safiye looked as if she was formed of fire herself, particles of flame dancing the flesh of her arm into existence. That or she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/safiye-looked-as-if-she-was-formed-of-fire-herself-particles-of-flame/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) [Explore all 218 Helen Oyeyemi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) ## More Honored quotes > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) > [For me to be here to present this to the greatest sportsmen of all time, I feel particularly honored. This absolutely is a highlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-beckham/for-me-to-be-here-to-present-this-to-the-greatest-sportsmen-of-all/) [David Beckham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-beckham/) > [The clatter of a changing world is not pleasant, and those who have enjoyed the comforts and protection of the old order may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-clatter-of-a-changing-world-is-not-pleasant-and-those-who-have/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/faith-is-loved-and-honored-by-god-more-than-any-other-single-thing/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The way a culture treats women in birth is a good indicator of how well women and their contributions to society are valued and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ina-may-gaskin/the-way-a-culture-treats-women-in-birth-is-a-good-indicator-of-how/) [Ina May Gaskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ina-may-gaskin/) > [I'm honored to be at the side of Michele Bachmann. She is a great congresswoman. She is a great human being, and she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-voight/i-m-honored-to-be-at-the-side-of-michele-bachmann-she-is-a-great/) [Jon Voight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-voight/) > [What is sin? It is the glory of God not honored. The holiness of God not reverenced. The greatness of God not admired. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/what-is-sin-it-is-the-glory-of-god-not-honored-the-holiness-of-god/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [What is commonly honored with the name of Friendship is no very profound or powerful instinct. Men do not, after all, love their Friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/what-is-commonly-honored-with-the-name-of-friendship-is-no-very/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Man and woman and speech and deed and city and object should be honored with praise if praiseworthy and incur blame if unworthy, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gorgias/man-and-woman-and-speech-and-deed-and-city-and-object-should-be/) [Gorgias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gorgias/) > [Having your work honored nationally is a great morale booster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-gilchrist/having-your-work-honored-nationally-is-a-great-morale-booster/) [Ellen Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-gilchrist/) > [No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/no-person-was-ever-honored-for-what-he-received-honor-has-been-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [I was drunk: Christian and drunk. They just don't go together. But that's what happened. And the next day, obviously God had honored those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hamilton/i-was-drunk-christian-and-drunk-they-just-don-t-go-together-but-that/) [Jim Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hamilton/) > [I was sitting in a caf in London with my husband and baby daughter when my phone rang with the news! I feel so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mireille-enos/i-was-sitting-in-a-caf-in-london-with-my-husband-and-baby-daughter/) [Mireille Enos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mireille-enos/) [Browse all 769 Honored quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honored/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for the flesh itself, embracing the blade as if it were some combination of marvel and disaster, the kind that usually either confers divinity or is a proof of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Oyeyemi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honored-seeming-to-care-for-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Honored" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honored-seeming-to-care-for-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dd/helen-oyeyemi-1658_honored_he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honore_67383.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for…” — Helen Oyeyemi", "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": "Helen Oyeyemi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honored-seeming-to-care-for-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honored-seeming-to-care-for-that/#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 } } ] } ```