--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How could a person be clumsy, just…" description: "\"“How could a person be clumsy, just standing? And yet she felt she was, as clumsy as one of those blocks of boxwood being seasoned there, unshaped, ind..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/margo-lanagan-22297_clumsy_how-could-a-person-be-clumsy-just-standi_2926231.jpg" --- # How could a person be clumsy, just standing? And yet she… ![“How could a person be clumsy, just standing? And yet she felt she was, as clumsy as one of those blocks of boxwood being seasoned there, unshaped, indelicate.” quote by Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/margo-lanagan-22297_clumsy_how-could-a-person-be-clumsy-just-standi_2926231.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/margo-lanagan-22297_clumsy_how-could-a-person-be-clumsy-just-standi_2926231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/342/margo-lanagan-22297_clumsy_how-could-a-person-be-clumsy-just-standi_2926231.jpg) > ““How could a person be clumsy, just standing? And yet she felt she was, as clumsy as one of those blocks of boxwood being seasoned there, unshaped, indelicate.”” [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even when seemingly still, inner turmoil can make one feel as clumsy as an unshaped piece of wood. **In simple terms:** Stillness can hide inner clumsiness. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden inner struggles. Themes identity vulnerability self‑perception Mood introspective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy sessions Key Concepts inner conflict self‑awareness Questions to Reflect On - What inner conflicts make you feel unsteady? - How can you reshape your self‑image? A Different Perspective Clumsiness may be a symptom of deeper unresolved issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy/) [Clumsy Blocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy-blocks-4289765/) [Clumsy Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy-just-3043996/) [Felt Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-clumsy-1065120/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Person Clumsy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-clumsy-4289764/) ## Related quotes > [Words felt so clumsy when she was talking about feelings and not facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/words-felt-so-clumsy-when-she-was-talking-about-feelings-and-not-facts/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [I'm not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the walls get in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proudlesbian/i-m-not-clumsy-it-s-just-the-floor-hates-me-the-tables-and-chairs-are-3/) [ProudLesbian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proudlesbian/) > [Im not clumsy. Its just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the wall gets in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-not-clumsy-its-just-the-floor-hates-me-the-tables-and-chairs-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm not clumsy; just accident prone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-m-not-clumsy-just-accident-prone/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I am not clumsy, its just the floor hates me, tables and chairs are bullies, and the wall gets in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asli/i-am-not-clumsy-its-just-the-floor-hates-me-tables-and-chairs-are/) [Asli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asli/) > [I'm not clumsy, I'm just accident prone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-m-not-clumsy-i-m-just-accident-prone/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I'm not clumsy. It's just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the wall gets in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-clumsy-it-s-just-the-floor-hates-me-the-tables-and-chairs-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The underlying crime in Watergate was a clumsy, third-rate burglary in an election campaign that turned out to be a landslide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/the-underlying-crime-in-watergate-was-a-clumsy-third-rate-burglary-in/) [George T. Conway III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-t-conway-iii/) > [“Are you ready to put the ‘fun’ in Fall Fun Fest?” he says as I slap his palm. “I can at least put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mills/are-you-ready-to-put-the-fun-in-fall-fun-fest-he-says-as-i-slap-his/) [Emma Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mills/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [At 15 I was very clumsy, big feet and my footwork wasn't great. I was definitely not quick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-de-minaur/at-15-i-was-very-clumsy-big-feet-and-my-footwork-wasn-t-great-i-was/) [Alex de Minaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-de-minaur/) ## More by Margo Lanagan > [I felt freed to please myself, to find my way as I would, in a world that was much vaster than I had realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/i-felt-freed-to-please-myself-to-find-my-way-as-i-would-in-a-world/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [Now you are in the true world, and a great deal more is required of you. Here you must befriend real wolves, and lure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/now-you-are-in-the-true-world-and-a-great-deal-more-is-required-of/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“You are pure-hearted, Branza, and lovely, and you have never done a moment's wrong. But you are a living creature, born to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/you-are-pure-hearted-branza-and-lovely-and-you-have-never-done-a/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“A good heart is when a girl that you loved, a girl who has pained you and chosen another instead, places in your hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/a-good-heart-is-when-a-girl-that-you-loved-a-girl-who-has-pained-you/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“You must watch and wait, Branza, to see what powers you have and don't have. It is not like home. We ruled there. Everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/you-must-watch-and-wait-branza-to-see-what-powers-you-have-and-don-t/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“She hardly knew what to do, it had been so long since such strong feelings had borne down on her. It was like carrying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/she-hardly-knew-what-to-do-it-had-been-so-long-since-such-strong/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“I had know it and never known it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/i-had-know-it-and-never-known-it/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“And then she fell, from standing, foot-fins together, straight into the wavelets, where she was now seal, and she flung herself down toward the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/and-then-she-fell-from-standing-foot-fins-together-straight-into-the/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“What about the world do you most love? The fact that I'm not here by myself. -from interview by Jeff Vandermeer in Clarkesworld magazine”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/what-about-the-world-do-you-most-love-the-fact-that-i-m-not-here-by/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“The earth’s lungs, coated in green ooze and thaw, breathed out blossom-scent and sour rot and fungus-must, wet and warm and aware, where before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/the-earth-s-lungs-coated-in-green-ooze-and-thaw-breathed-out-blossom/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [OTHERBOUND is a web of spells and counterspells, but Corinne Duyvis never loses sight of the bodies, minds and all-too-human emotions that absorb the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/otherbound-is-a-web-of-spells-and-counterspells-but-corinne-duyvis/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“...the night is suddenly vaster, colder, clearer. All the stars zing; the mountains glitter; towns and villages gather like bright mould in the valley-seams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/the-night-is-suddenly-vaster-colder-clearer-all-the-stars-zing-the/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“I knew that place should be my home, but after my night in Noer's mind it seemed a peculiar pile, its streets a maze,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/i-knew-that-place-should-be-my-home-but-after-my-night-in-noer-s-mind/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“The scents of these three, for instance, were so distinct, though they were clearly a family: the dark girl more savory and the golden-haired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/the-scents-of-these-three-for-instance-were-so-distinct-though-they/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) > [“He was fine, and foreign, and he did not belong here. I held him close, not crushing, not waking him, letting him sleep, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-lanagan/he-was-fine-and-foreign-and-he-did-not-belong-here-i-held-him-close/) [Margo Lanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) [Explore all 27 Margo Lanagan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-lanagan/) ## More Clumsy quotes > [At 15 I was very clumsy, big feet and my footwork wasn't great. I was definitely not quick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-de-minaur/at-15-i-was-very-clumsy-big-feet-and-my-footwork-wasn-t-great-i-was/) [Alex de Minaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-de-minaur/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most unpractical… It reduces wisdom to impotence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-briffault/democracy-is-the-worst-form-of-government-it-is-the-most-inefficient/) [Robert Briffault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-briffault/) > [Conservatives say the government can't end poverty by force, but they believe it can use force to make people moral. Liberals say government can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/conservatives-say-the-government-can-t-end-poverty-by-force-but-they/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [You should not translate for more than two hours at a time. After that, you lose your edge, the language becomes clumsy, rigid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/you-should-not-translate-for-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-after-that/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“Are you ready to put the ‘fun’ in Fall Fun Fest?” he says as I slap his palm. “I can at least put the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mills/are-you-ready-to-put-the-fun-in-fall-fun-fest-he-says-as-i-slap-his/) [Emma Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mills/) > [The underlying crime in Watergate was a clumsy, third-rate burglary in an election campaign that turned out to be a landslide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-t-conway-iii/the-underlying-crime-in-watergate-was-a-clumsy-third-rate-burglary-in/) [George T. Conway III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-t-conway-iii/) > [I readily admit that I have such a great respect for what happens in the human soul that I would be afraid of disturbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/i-readily-admit-that-i-have-such-a-great-respect-for-what-happens-in/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“His life was a constant war with insensate objects that fell apart, or attacked him, or refused to function, or viciously got themselves lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/his-life-was-a-constant-war-with-insensate-objects-that-fell-apart-or/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [But at the same time, in reality, what a difference there is between the world today, and what it used to be! And with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/but-at-the-same-time-in-reality-what-a-difference-there-is-between/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Im not a perfect girl. My hair doesnt always stay in place & I spill things alot. Im pretty clumsy & sometimes I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-not-a-perfect-girl-my-hair-doesnt-always-stay-in-place-i-spill/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A diary is more or less the work of a man of clay whose hands are clumsy and in whose eyes there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/a-diary-is-more-or-less-the-work-of-a-man-of-clay-whose-hands-are/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [Believe it or not, I'm a bit clumsy with technology. It's probably why I'm so excited about the touchscreen - even an idiot can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjork/believe-it-or-not-i-m-a-bit-clumsy-with-technology-it-s-probably-why/) [Bjork](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjork/) > [“Yet it is true that there was an absent mindedness about her which sometimes made her clumsy; she was apt to think of poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/yet-it-is-true-that-there-was-an-absent-mindedness-about-her-which/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) [Browse all 245 Clumsy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clumsy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How could a person be clumsy, just standing? 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