---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...when you're hard and unyielding your…"
description: "\"“...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me with lines - I hate lines - I want curves - curves are happy like a snowman ...”\" — John Geddes"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg"
---

#  ...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me…

![“...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me with lines - I hate lines - I want curves - curves are happy like a snowman ...” quote by John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg)

> ““...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me with lines - I hate lines - I want curves - curves are happy like a snowman ...””

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Rigid structures feel restrictive; fluid, playful forms bring joy and freedom.

**In simple terms:** Straight lines feel harsh; curves feel happy.

Key Takeaway

Seek flexibility and playfulness in expression.

Themes

creativity freedom expression joy

Mood

playful lighthearted

Type

poetic inspirational

When to use this quote

- writing
- design
- art
- personal style

Key Concepts

aesthetics fluidity playfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you incorporate more curves into your work?
- What does “happy like a snowman” suggest about simplicity?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on structure can stifle innovation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Love hurts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-hurts/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [“A lot of people call you a feminist painter." "What indeed," I say. "I hate party lines, I hate ghettos. Anyway. I'm too old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-lot-of-people-call-you-a-feminist-painter-what-indeed-i-say-i-hate/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [“I’ll tell you this once, so listen fuckin’ close. I don’t want no skinny, bony-assed woman. I want a woman with flesh, something for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jewel/i-ll-tell-you-this-once-so-listen-fuckin-close-i-don-t-want-no-skinny/)

[Bella Jewel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jewel/)

> [“How could I remain unyielding? His words penetrated the flimsy barriers I’d set up around my heart. I’d meant to set up a barbed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/how-could-i-remain-unyielding-his-words-penetrated-the-flimsy/)

[Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/)

> [Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul. With a corncob pipe and a button nose and two eyes made out of coal. Frosty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nelson/frosty-the-snowman-was-a-jolly-happy-soul-with-a-corncob-pipe-and-a/)

Jack Nelson

> [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/)

[Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/)

> [Snowman wakes before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/snowman-wakes-before-dawn/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [I love Christmas. Frosty the Snowman, peace on Earth and mangers, Salvation Army bell ringers and reindeer, the movie 'Meet Me in St. Louis,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-rocca/i-love-christmas-frosty-the-snowman-peace-on-earth-and-mangers/)

[Mo Rocca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-rocca/)

> [“A saguaro can fall for a snowman but where would they set up house?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/a-saguaro-can-fall-for-a-snowman-but-where-would-they-set-up-house/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“I would straight up fuck a snowman right now, she says. Just to cool down. - Miriam Black”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/i-would-straight-up-fuck-a-snowman-right-now-she-says-just-to-cool/)

[Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/)

> [“Harry sensed the onset of resignation. No, he bloody didn't! On the FBI course they had examined cases where it had taken more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/harry-sensed-the-onset-of-resignation-no-he-bloody-didn-t-on-the-fbi/)

[Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/)

> [It's easy to love the snow because at the end of every snowstorm it's as if the world has started over. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-mcmahon/it-s-easy-to-love-the-snow-because-at-the-end-of-every-snowstorm-it-s/)

[Andrew McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-mcmahon/)

> [Just because you saw a vampire doesn't mean that a snowman or a Loch Ness Monster also exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/just-because-you-saw-a-vampire-doesn-t-mean-that-a-snowman-or-a-loch/)

[Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/)

> [It's so cold I saw a snowman wearing a fur coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakerbuddy/it-s-so-cold-i-saw-a-snowman-wearing-a-fur-coat/)

[Bakerbuddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakerbuddy/)

> [“Snow is...a beautiful reminder of life and all its quirks. It makes me pause. Think. Stay still. Even my mind takes the hint. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-b-o-brien/snow-is-a-beautiful-reminder-of-life-and-all-its-quirks-it-makes-me/)

[R.B. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-b-o-brien/)

> [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More by John Geddes

> [“...those others - they're looking for trends - subjects to catch a spark - but I have you - a coal from God's altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/those-others-they-re-looking-for-trends-subjects-to-catch-a-spark-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...careful the morning lest it wake from slumber the city half-encumbered by the morning mist ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/careful-the-morning-lest-it-wake-from-slumber-the-city-half/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...I've decided ... love is an eternity of slow motion replays ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/i-ve-decided-love-is-an-eternity-of-slow-motion-replays/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... my early writing was a silent fury - at what or whom, I had no idea - but I shut it in until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/my-early-writing-was-a-silent-fury-at-what-or-whom-i-had-no-idea-but/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...little children adore me - I'm a Troll Tamer and they know it!...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/little-children-adore-me-i-m-a-troll-tamer-and-they-know-it/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...all this time I've been worshiping you - when other men wanted to kiss you, I've been offering the praise of my lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-this-time-i-ve-been-worshiping-you-when-other-men-wanted-to-kiss/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“... the scarlet thread,the red clay from which we were made, runs in tiny streams through all our veins, reminding us of where we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-scarlet-thread-the-red-clay-from-which-we-were-made-runs-in-tiny/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...you are not what you seem - you're a Sylph - you leave and the air retains your image - you haunt me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-are-not-what-you-seem-you-re-a-sylph-you-leave-and-the-air/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...God daubs stars into galaxies with fiery paint - the same lacquer he uses upon your lips...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/god-daubs-stars-into-galaxies-with-fiery-paint-the-same-lacquer-he/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...language always occurs in a context - you can speak Elizabethan words, but to speak the language you have to put on the mindset...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/language-always-occurs-in-a-context-you-can-speak-elizabethan-words/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the feelings that pass between us are deeper than fleshly touches...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-feelings-that-pass-between-us-are-deeper-than-fleshly-touches/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...open the access to your heart and write down what your voice is whispering...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/open-the-access-to-your-heart-and-write-down-what-your-voice-is/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...true love is an irrevocable act - you can only give your heart away once - after that, you give as much as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/true-love-is-an-irrevocable-act-you-can-only-give-your-heart-away/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [“...the strands that connect us are frail, so don't hang great weights on slender wires...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/the-strands-that-connect-us-are-frail-so-don-t-hang-great-weights-on/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

> [...not even the wind can bring a tear to my eye the way you do...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/not-even-the-wind-can-bring-a-tear-to-my-eye-the-way-you-do/)

[John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

[Explore all 301 John Geddes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/)

## More Harshness quotes

> [“Back onto their horses, and shortly thereafter word had come around from the command units that any soldier brawling over any matter relating to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/back-onto-their-horses-and-shortly-thereafter-word-had-come-around/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“The kindness that we receive from others in life, is also the kindness that we will want to give. The harshness that we receive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/the-kindness-that-we-receive-from-others-in-life-is-also-the-kindness/)

[C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/)

> [Arrogance is a mixture of impertinence, disobedience, indiscipline, rudeness, harshness, and a self-assertive nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/arrogance-is-a-mixture-of-impertinence-disobedience-indiscipline/)

[Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/)

> [ I think Oprah's \[winfrey\] learned from me that it's OK to be harsh on people because in one's harshness you can see transformation happen… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/i-think-oprah-s-winfrey-learned-from-me-that-it-s-ok-to-be-harsh-on/)

[Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/)

> [In the beginning, I was put off by the harshness of German. Someone would order a piece of cake, and it sounded as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/in-the-beginning-i-was-put-off-by-the-harshness-of-german-someone/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Be an example to your men, in your duty and in private life. Never spare yourself, and let the troops see that you don'tin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-rommel/be-an-example-to-your-men-in-your-duty-and-in-private-life-never/)

[Erwin Rommel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-rommel/)

> [Love of goodness without love of learning degenerates into simple-mindedness. Love of knowledge without love of learning degenerates into utter lack of principle. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/love-of-goodness-without-love-of-learning-degenerates-into-simple/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [I was affected by the harshness of government, the reality of 16-hour days, and the pressures of modern communications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-blunkett/i-was-affected-by-the-harshness-of-government-the-reality-of-16-hour/)

[David Blunkett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-blunkett/)

> [It is much to my advantage that several of my pictures should be seen together, as it displays to advantage their varieties of conception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-constable/it-is-much-to-my-advantage-that-several-of-my-pictures-should-be-seen/)

[John Constable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-constable/)

> [What quarrel, what harshness, what unbelief in each other can subsist in the presence of a great calamity, when all the artificial vesture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-quarrel-what-harshness-what-unbelief-in-each-other-can-subsist/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [Without peace there can be no prosperity for any people, rich or poor. And yet, there can be no peace without erasing the harshness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/without-peace-there-can-be-no-prosperity-for-any-people-rich-or-poor/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [Leadership means firmness, not harshness or bullying; understanding, not weakness; justice, not irresponsible freedom; humaneness, not intolerance; generosity, not selfishness; pride, not egotism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-n-bradley/leadership-means-firmness-not-harshness-or-bullying-understanding-not/)

[Omar N. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-n-bradley/)

> [To friends and eke to foes true kindness show; No kindly heart unkindly deeds will do; Harshness will alienate a bosom friend. And kindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-khayy-m/to-friends-and-eke-to-foes-true-kindness-show-no-kindly-heart/)

[Omar Khayyam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-khayy-m/)

> [The problem is not the harshness of Fate, for anything we want strongly enough we get. The trouble is rather that when we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/the-problem-is-not-the-harshness-of-fate-for-anything-we-want/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Where there is Love and Wisdom, there is neither Fear nor Ignorance. Where there is Patience and Humility, there is neither Anger nor Annoyance.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/where-there-is-love-and-wisdom-there-is-neither-fear-nor-ignorance/)

[Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/)

Browse all 87 Harshness quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me with lines - I hate lines - I want curves - curves are happy like a snowman ...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Geddes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-words-score-me-with-lines-i-hate/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Harshness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-words-score-me-with-lines-i-hate/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4b/john-geddes-1052_harshness_when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-wor_1244249.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...when you're hard and unyielding your words score me with lines - I hate lines - I want curves - curves…” — John Geddes",
                "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": "John Geddes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...when you're hard and unyielding your...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-words-score-me-with-lines-i-hate/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/when-you-re-hard-and-unyielding-your-words-score-me-with-lines-i-hate/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
