--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A missing arm might ruin your symmetry…" description: "\"A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry where I come from is a big taboo and brings great shame on the family and sometimes even the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/jasper-fforde-797_arms_a-missing-arm-might-ruin-your-symmetry-p_2705240.png" --- # A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry… ![“A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry where I come from is a big taboo and brings great shame on the family and sometimes even the whole village." "Do you then have to kill yourself over it or something?" "Goodness me, no! The family and village just have to learn to be…” quote by Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/jasper-fforde-797_arms_a-missing-arm-might-ruin-your-symmetry-p_2705240.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/jasper-fforde-797_arms_a-missing-arm-might-ruin-your-symmetry-p_2705240.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f3/jasper-fforde-797_arms_a-missing-arm-might-ruin-your-symmetry-p_2705240.png) > “A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry where I come from is a big taboo and brings great shame on the family and sometimes even the whole village." "Do you then have to kill yourself over it or something?" "Goodness me, no! The family and village just have to learn to be ashamed--and nuts to them for being so oversensitive.” [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical differences can become sources of shame in cultures that value uniformity, but personal acceptance and community education can counteract stigma. **In simple terms:** Physical differences cause shame in some societies. Key Takeaway Promote acceptance, challenge taboos. Themes identity shame culture Mood reflective empathetic Type social cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - school environments - media representation Key Concepts social norms body image Questions to Reflect On - What steps can a community take to reduce stigma? - How does personal confidence affect societal views? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted cultural taboos is difficult and may meet resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Asymmetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asymmetry/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Goodness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodness/) [Killing yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing-yourself/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Symmetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/symmetry/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m glad to see you’re not mutilated in any way,” he said. “A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry where I come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/i-m-glad-to-see-you-re-not-mutilated-in-any-way-he-said-a-missing-arm/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Two one-armed people might seem perfect for each other, but what if they’re both missing the same arm? Then even something simple like holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/two-one-armed-people-might-seem-perfect-for-each-other-but-what-if/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I used to not wear shorts in the summer time. I just wanted to hide it and wear long pants. Then after the Paralympics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/i-used-to-not-wear-shorts-in-the-summer-time-i-just-wanted-to-hide-it/) [Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/) > [“It’s like you’ve been in a terrible accident and had your arm amputated,” she told him. “After a while, the pain goes away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-standiford/it-s-like-you-ve-been-in-a-terrible-accident-and-had-your-arm/) [Les Standiford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-standiford/) > [“Her eyes were of different colors, the left as brown as autumn, the right as gray as Atlantic wind. Both seemed alive with questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-willocks/her-eyes-were-of-different-colors-the-left-as-brown-as-autumn-the/) [Tim Willocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-willocks/) > [That's what's good about the digital revolution is it makes information asymmetry much harder to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/that-s-what-s-good-about-the-digital-revolution-is-it-makes/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [In what I like to call the Great Asymmetry, every spectacular incident of evil will be balanced by 10,000 acts of kindness, too often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-what-i-like-to-call-the-great-asymmetry-every-spectacular-incident/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) > [Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of funtional design. In addition to being more logical, asymmetry has the advantage that its complete appearance is far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-tschichold/asymmetry-is-the-rhythmic-expression-of-funtional-design-in-addition/) [Jan Tschichold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-tschichold/) > [“My point taken further is that True and False (hence what we call “belief”) play a poor, secondary role in human decisions; it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/my-point-taken-further-is-that-true-and-false-hence-what-we-call/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Why do we remember the past, but not the future?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/why-do-we-remember-the-past-but-not-the-future/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The universe is asymmetric and I am persuaded that life, as it is known to us, is a direct result of the asymmetry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-pasteur/the-universe-is-asymmetric-and-i-am-persuaded-that-life-as-it-is/) [Louis Pasteur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-pasteur/) > [I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-manning/i-wanted-the-american-public-to-know-that-not-everyone-in-iraq-and/) [Chelsea Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-manning/) > [Graphic design, which evokes the symmetria of Vituvius, the dynamic symmetry of Hambidge, the asymmetry of Mondrian; which is a good gestalt, generated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/graphic-design-which-evokes-the-symmetria-of-vituvius-the-dynamic/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of functional design.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-tschichold/asymmetry-is-the-rhythmic-expression-of-functional-design/) [Jan Tschichold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-tschichold/) > [For one to be free there must be at least two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/for-one-to-be-free-there-must-be-at-least-two/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) ## More by Jasper Fforde > [Palindrome as well. My sister's name is Hannah. Father liked word games. He was fourteen times World Scrabble Champion. When he died, we buried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/palindrome-as-well-my-sister-s-name-is-hannah-father-liked-word-games/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Ill-fitting grammar are like ill-fitting shoes. You can get used to it for a bit, but then one day your toes fall off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/ill-fitting-grammar-are-like-ill-fitting-shoes-you-can-get-used-to-it/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Agents and publishers only want one thing - good writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/agents-and-publishers-only-want-one-thing-good-writing/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Take no heed of her… She reads a lot of books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/take-no-heed-of-her-she-reads-a-lot-of-books/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Our own dimension was coded ID-11 and was the only League member with diphtheria, David Hasselhoff and the French, which amused the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/our-own-dimension-was-coded-id-11-and-was-the-only-league-member-with/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Don't ever call me mad, Mycroft. I'm not mad. I'm just ... well, differently moraled, that's all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/don-t-ever-call-me-mad-mycroft-i-m-not-mad-i-m-just-well-differently/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“They had just digested a recent meal of prepositions and were happily farting out apostrophes and ampersands; the air was heav'y with th'em&.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-had-just-digested-a-recent-meal-of-prepositions-and-were-happily/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/after-all-reading-is-arguably-a-far-more-creative-and-imaginative/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Whoever controls the supply of metaphor controls fiction! . . . Metaphor should be controlled. A glut on the market would make fiction overtly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/whoever-controls-the-supply-of-metaphor-controls-fiction-metaphor/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“A sloppy half-Windsor is the first symptom of serial indolence' she replied in the patronizing voice that Yellows reserved for Rule-breakers, 'and ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/a-sloppy-half-windsor-is-the-first-symptom-of-serial-indolence-she/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [The universe always moves from an ordered state to a disordered one; that a glass may fall to the ground and shatter yet you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/the-universe-always-moves-from-an-ordered-state-to-a-disordered-one/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [To espresso or to latte, that is the question...whether 'tis tastier on the palate to choose white mocha over plain...or to take a cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/to-espresso-or-to-latte-that-is-the-question-whether-tis-tastier-on/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [I've got six months to sort out the hackers, get the Japanese knotweed under control and find an acceptable form of narcissus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/i-ve-got-six-months-to-sort-out-the-hackers-get-the-japanese-knotweed/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“They keep an eye on forgery, illegal dealing and overtly free thespian interpretations. The actor in with them was Graham Huxtable. He was putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/they-keep-an-eye-on-forgery-illegal-dealing-and-overtly-free-thespian/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) [Explore all 356 Jasper Fforde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) ## 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": "A missing arm might ruin your symmetry. Personal asymmetry where I come from is a big taboo and brings great shame on the family and sometimes even the whole village.\" \"Do you then have to kill yourself over it or something?\" \"Goodness me, no! 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