--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yves did not like showers, he preferred…" description: "\"“Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding baths, with newspapers, cigarettes, and whiskey on a chair next to the bathtub, and with Eric n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg" --- # Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding… ![“Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding baths, with newspapers, cigarettes, and whiskey on a chair next to the bathtub, and with Eric nearby to talk to, to shampoo his hair, and to scrub his back.” quote by James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg) > ““Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding baths, with newspapers, cigarettes, and whiskey on a chair next to the bathtub, and with Eric nearby to talk to, to shampoo his hair, and to scrub his back.”” [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He describes a character’s eccentric bathing ritual, highlighting personal quirks and intimacy. **In simple terms:** A quirky bath routine reveals personal habits and intimacy. Key Takeaway Accept and appreciate unique personal rituals. Themes intimacy quirks personal space Mood intimate observational Type literary character study When to use this quote - friendship - creative writing - character study Key Concepts habits human connection Questions to Reflect On - How do personal habits shape relationships? - What does this scene reveal about the characters? A Different Perspective Such vivid detail may distract from broader narrative themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baths/) [Bathtub Eric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bathtub-eric-6158434/) [Like Showers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-showers-460206/) [Scalding Baths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scalding-baths-6158436/) [Showers Preferred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showers-preferred-6158435/) ## Related quotes > [I hate to take showers! Guitarists don't like showers 'cause we like the grease to build up on our fingers, makes playing more fluid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izzy-stradlin/i-hate-to-take-showers-guitarists-don-t-like-showers-cause-we-like/) [Izzy Stradlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izzy-stradlin/) > [“i can make your tears fall down like the showers that are British-Louis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/one-direction/i-can-make-your-tears-fall-down-like-the-showers-that-are-british-2/) [One Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/one-direction/) > [Opinions, like showers, are generated in high places, but they invariably descend into lower ones, and ultimately flow down to the people as rain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/opinions-like-showers-are-generated-in-high-places-but-they/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [I can make your tears fall down like the showers that are British.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-tomlinson/i-can-make-your-tears-fall-down-like-the-showers-that-are-british/) [Louis Tomlinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-tomlinson/) > [“Ethereal. Sweet, like she showers in flowers, rainbows, sunshine and shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-ney/ethereal-sweet-like-she-showers-in-flowers-rainbows-sunshine-and-shit/) [Sara Ney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-ney/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I love doing normal things - movies, shopping, going out with friends, writing, reading, taking hot bubble baths - that's a big one for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/i-love-doing-normal-things-movies-shopping-going-out-with-friends/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Drinking champagne after making love is like taking a bath in chilled pearls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anistatia-r-miller/drinking-champagne-after-making-love-is-like-taking-a-bath-in-chilled/) [Anistatia R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anistatia-r-miller/) > [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [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/) ## More by James Baldwin > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The South is very beautiful but its beauty makes one sad because the lives that people live, and have lived here, are so ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-south-is-very-beautiful-but-its-beauty-makes-one-sad-because-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“All cultures have, furthermore, an economic, social, and political base, and no culture can continue to live if its political destiny is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/all-cultures-have-furthermore-an-economic-social-and-political-base/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I remembered that life in that room seemed to be occuring beneath the sea, time flowed past indiffrently above us, hours and days had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-remembered-that-life-in-that-room-seemed-to-be-occuring-beneath-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“No. It would help if I were able to feel guilty.But the end of innocence is also the end of guilt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/no-it-would-help-if-i-were-able-to-feel-guilty-but-the-end-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Perhaps now, though, he had hit bottom. One thing about the bottom, he told himself, you can't fall any further. He tried to take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/perhaps-now-though-he-had-hit-bottom-one-thing-about-the-bottom-he/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“What kind of friendship have you had? Or for that matter...what kind of love affairs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/what-kind-of-friendship-have-you-had-or-for-that-matter-what-kind-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“For these are all our children, we will all profit by or pay for what they become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/for-these-are-all-our-children-we-will-all-profit-by-or-pay-for-what/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Every society is really governed by hidden laws, by unspoken but profound assumptions on the part of the people, and ours is no exception.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/every-society-is-really-governed-by-hidden-laws-by-unspoken-but/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In those days my mother was given to the exasperating and mysterious habit of having babies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-those-days-my-mother-was-given-to-the-exasperating-and-mysterious/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“He was suggesting that all Negroes were held in a state of supreme tension between the difficult, dangerous relationship in which they stood to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/he-was-suggesting-that-all-negroes-were-held-in-a-state-of-supreme/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“In the beginning—and neither can this be overstated—a Negro just cannot believe that white people are treating him as they do; he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-the-beginning-and-neither-can-this-be-overstated-a-negro-just/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“If the world wasn't so full of dead folks maybe those of us that's trying to live wouldn't have to suffer so bad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/if-the-world-wasn-t-so-full-of-dead-folks-maybe-those-of-us-that-s/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I am very much concerned that American Negroes achieve their freedom here in the United States. But I am also concerned for their dignity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-am-very-much-concerned-that-american-negroes-achieve-their-freedom/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The paradox—and a fearful paradox it is—is that the American Negro can have no future anywhere, on any continent, as long as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-paradox-and-a-fearful-paradox-it-is-is-that-the-american-negro/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) [Explore all 312 James Baldwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More Baths quotes > [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/) > [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/) [Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [I want you to take a red-hot bath as hot as you can bear it, and just relax your nerves. You can read in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/i-want-you-to-take-a-red-hot-bath-as-hot-as-you-can-bear-it-and-just/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Drinking champagne after making love is like taking a bath in chilled pearls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anistatia-r-miller/drinking-champagne-after-making-love-is-like-taking-a-bath-in-chilled/) [Anistatia R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anistatia-r-miller/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I love doing normal things - movies, shopping, going out with friends, writing, reading, taking hot bubble baths - that's a big one for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/i-love-doing-normal-things-movies-shopping-going-out-with-friends/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What's closer to nature's heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/frightened-of-change-but-what-can-exist-without-it-what-s-closer-to/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [I know Camberwell very well: I used to go to Camberwell New Baths a lot and the cinema, which used to be the Odeon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simonon/i-know-camberwell-very-well-i-used-to-go-to-camberwell-new-baths-a/) [Paul Simonon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simonon/) > [What a pure blessing it was to have a bath in a tub alone in a room where all you had to do was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-e-turner/what-a-pure-blessing-it-was-to-have-a-bath-in-a-tub-alone-in-a-room/) [Nancy E. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-e-turner/) > [Ninety percent of what's wrong with you could be cured with a hot bath, says God from the bowels of the subway. but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/ninety-percent-of-what-s-wrong-with-you-could-be-cured-with-a-hot/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [To slide into the domed reading room at ten each morning, specially in summer, off the hot street outside, was a sensation as delicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/to-slide-into-the-domed-reading-room-at-ten-each-morning-specially-in/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) [Browse all 464 Baths quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baths/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding baths, with newspapers, cigarettes, and whiskey on a chair next to the bathtub, and with Eric nearby to talk to, to shampoo his hair, and to scrub his back.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Baldwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-long-scalding-baths-with/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baths" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-long-scalding-baths-with/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e10/james-baldwin-995_baths_yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-l_806228.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yves did not like showers, he preferred long, scalding baths, with newspapers, cigarettes, and whiskey on a…” — James Baldwin", "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": "James Baldwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Yves did not like showers, he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-long-scalding-baths-with/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/yves-did-not-like-showers-he-preferred-long-scalding-baths-with/#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 } } ] } ```