--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His face is more open than an open book…" description: "\"“His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of graffiti really. I realize I'm writing wow on my thigh with my finger, decide I better open my..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png" --- # His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of… ![“His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of graffiti really. I realize I'm writing wow on my thigh with my finger, decide I better open my mouth and snap us out of this impromptu staring contest.” quote by Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png) > ““His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of graffiti really. I realize I'm writing wow on my thigh with my finger, decide I better open my mouth and snap us out of this impromptu staring contest.”” [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He is honest and expressive, urging us to break silence and act. **In simple terms:** Speak up and act. Key Takeaway Express openly, act decisively. Themes communication authenticity action Mood emotional intense Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - personal conflict - creative block - social anxiety Key Concepts literature self‑expression Questions to Reflect On - When will you choose silence over speech? - What risks do you face by speaking out? A Different Perspective Boldness may cause unintended hurt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Face Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-open-865714/) [Open book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-book/) [Open mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-mouth/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) [Staring Contest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring-contest-541927/) [Writing Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-wow-4952007/) ## Related quotes > [Let's face it. I'm an open book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/let-s-face-it-i-m-an-open-book/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [“At any moment, you can use your face to open doors of opportunity if it demonstrates interest, enthusiasm, respect, understanding, delight, agreement, and more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/at-any-moment-you-can-use-your-face-to-open-doors-of-opportunity-if/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-without-a-smiling-face-must-not-open-a-shop/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Can’t be any harder than sitting here and having a staring contest with mortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/can-t-be-any-harder-than-sitting-here-and-having-a-staring-contest/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [Just won a staring contest... With the wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/just-won-a-staring-contest-with-the-wall/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“He started a brief staring contest, which was apparently his new method of persuading her to agree to his point of view without the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-james/he-started-a-brief-staring-contest-which-was-apparently-his-new/) [Lauren James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-james/) > [“In the end, I just engaged in a staring contest with the wall. The wall kept winning, but I felt like I was gaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-parks/in-the-end-i-just-engaged-in-a-staring-contest-with-the-wall-the-wall/) [Brad Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-parks/) > [Finally, I decided that the proper strategy was to stare back. Boys do not have a monopoly on the Staring Business, after all. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/finally-i-decided-that-the-proper-strategy-was-to-stare-back-boys-do-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He seemed to be having a staring contest with one of the candles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrington/he-seemed-to-be-having-a-staring-contest-with-one-of-the-candles/) [Kim Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrington/) > [“Why is everyone being all quiet?" the Kid asks. "Are we having a staring contest? If so, you should have told me because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tj-klune/why-is-everyone-being-all-quiet-the-kid-asks-are-we-having-a-staring/) [TJ Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tj-klune/) > [“Finally, I decided that the proper strategy was to stare back. Boys do not have a monopoly on the Staring Business, after all. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/finally-i-decided-that-the-proper-strategy-was-to-stare-back-boys-do/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Decebel looked over at Fane. "A face tu fiecare a lua ce ei say?(Do you ever get what they say?)" Fane smiled at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-loftis/decebel-looked-over-at-fane-a-face-tu-fiecare-a-lua-ce-ei-say-do-you/) [Quinn Loftis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-loftis/) > [It is amazing that every time you open your mouth- you tell lie after lie! You lie so much, that it is now your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varsha-sharma/it-is-amazing-that-every-time-you-open-your-mouth-you-tell-lie-after/) [Varsha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varsha-sharma/) > [Open your ears before you open your mouth, it may surprise your eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/open-your-ears-before-you-open-your-mouth-it-may-surprise-your-eyes/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [What we need as Christians is to be able to feed ourselves. How many there are who sit helpless and listless, with open mouths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-we-need-as-christians-is-to-be-able-to-feed-ourselves-how-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jandy Nelson > [And then he smiles, and in all the places around the globe where it's night, day breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/and-then-he-smiles-and-in-all-the-places-around-the-globe-where-it-s/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Or maybe a person is just made up of a lot of peopleMaybe we’re accumulating these new selves all the time. Hauling them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/or-maybe-a-person-is-just-made-up-of-a-lot-of-peoplemaybe-we-re/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“How can people die when you’re in a fight with them? When you’re smack in the middle of hating them? When absolutely nothing between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/how-can-people-die-when-you-re-in-a-fight-with-them-when-you-re-smack/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [I wonder why bereaved people even bother with mourning clothes when the grief itself provides such an unmistakable wardrobe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-wonder-why-bereaved-people-even-bother-with-mourning-clothes-when/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [... if you're someone who knows the worst thing can happen at any time, aren't you also someone who knows the best thing can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/if-you-re-someone-who-knows-the-worst-thing-can-happen-at-any-time/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I want my sister. I want to hurl a building at God. I take a breath and exhale with enough force to blow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-want-my-sister-i-want-to-hurl-a-building-at-god-i-take-a-breath-and/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Grief is forever. It doesn't go away; it becomes part of you, step for step, breath for breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/grief-is-forever-it-doesn-t-go-away-it-becomes-part-of-you-step-for/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“Una y otra vez, día tras día, me esforcé por ser vista. Solo quería que me prestara atención, no que me dejara tirada en…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/una-y-otra-vez-d-a-tras-d-a-me-esforc-por-ser-vista-solo-quer-a-que/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [grief is a house where the chairs have forgotten how to hold us the mirrors how to reflect us the walls how to contain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/grief-is-a-house-where-the-chairs-have-forgotten-how-to-hold-us-the/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I think if we don't stop kissing, the world is going to explode.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-think-if-we-don-t-stop-kissing-the-world-is-going-to-explode/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [He murmers into my hair, "Forget what I said earlier, let's stick with this, I might not survive anything more." I laugh. Then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/he-murmers-into-my-hair-forget-what-i-said-earlier-let-s-stick-with/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“Listen to me. It takes a lot of courage to be true to yourself, true to your heart. You always have been very brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/listen-to-me-it-takes-a-lot-of-courage-to-be-true-to-yourself-true-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [Sometimes you think you know things, know things very deeply, only to realize you don't know a damn thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/sometimes-you-think-you-know-things-know-things-very-deeply-only-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [I have an impulse to write all over the orange walls- I need an alphabet of endings ripped out of books, of hands pulled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-have-an-impulse-to-write-all-over-the-orange-walls-i-need-an/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [“I'd been making desicions for days. I picked out the dress Bailey would wear forever- a black slinky one- innapropriate- that she loved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/i-d-been-making-desicions-for-days-i-picked-out-the-dress-bailey/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) [Explore all 183 Jandy Nelson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of graffiti really. I realize I'm writing wow on my thigh with my finger, decide I better open my mouth and snap us out of this impromptu staring contest.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jandy Nelson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book-like-a-wall-of-graffiti/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book-like-a-wall-of-graffiti/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/580/jandy-nelson-1913_books_his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book_609442.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His face is more open than an open book, like a wall of graffiti really. I realize I'm writing wow on my…” — Jandy Nelson", "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": "Jandy Nelson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His face is more open than...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book-like-a-wall-of-graffiti/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/his-face-is-more-open-than-an-open-book-like-a-wall-of-graffiti/#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 } } ] } ```