--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For the hundredth time, he examined his…" description: "\"“For the hundredth time, he examined his face in the bathroom mirror, patiently touched every scratch with the styptic pencil, and repowdered them. He ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/patricia-highsmith-3982_duality_for-the-hundredth-time-he-examined-his-f_1119556.jpg" --- # For the hundredth time, he examined his face in the… ![“For the hundredth time, he examined his face in the bathroom mirror, patiently touched every scratch with the styptic pencil, and repowdered them. He ministered to his face and hands objectively, as if they were not a part of himself. When his eyes met the staring eyes in the mirror, they slipped…” quote by patricia highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/patricia-highsmith-3982_duality_for-the-hundredth-time-he-examined-his-f_1119556.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/patricia-highsmith-3982_duality_for-the-hundredth-time-he-examined-his-f_1119556.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46e/patricia-highsmith-3982_duality_for-the-hundredth-time-he-examined-his-f_1119556.jpg) > ““For the hundredth time, he examined his face in the bathroom mirror, patiently touched every scratch with the styptic pencil, and repowdered them. He ministered to his face and hands objectively, as if they were not a part of himself. When his eyes met the staring eyes in the mirror, they slipped away as they must have slipped away, Guy thought, that first afternoon on the train, when he had tried to avoid Bruno’s eyes.”” [patricia highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The character obsessively examines his appearance, treating himself as an object, highlighting alienation and self‑detachment. **In simple terms:** He looks at himself like a stranger, feeling detached. Key Takeaway Recognize when you distance yourself from your emotions. Themes identity self‑perception detachment Mood introspective melancholic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - self‑esteem issues - therapy - personal reflection - artistic creation Key Concepts psychology objectification Questions to Reflect On - Why do we sometimes view ourselves as outsiders? - What steps can we take to reconnect with our inner self? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize unhealthy self‑criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duality/) [Guilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilt/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“My stomach drops and Darren shifts, making me wobble. 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You were the guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-you-know-that-you-were-once-they-most-important-person-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You will never realize how much you care about a guy until the thought of him being with someone else is enough to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/you-will-never-realize-how-much-you-care-about-a-guy-until-the/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [The guy thought he was Mick Jagger. I felt bad for him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/the-guy-thought-he-was-mick-jagger-i-felt-bad-for-him/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [The guy I thought was right, turned out to be wrong. He decided in his heart, I did not belong. I thought homeless was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-guy-i-thought-was-right-turned-out-to-be-wrong-he-decided-in-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Jesus was probably a guy who thought, "This thing that I've discovered can save the world and everybody is miserable without it." So he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/jesus-was-probably-a-guy-who-thought-this-thing-that-i-ve-discovered/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [When you're hurting inside because the guy you thought loved you, loves someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-re-hurting-inside-because-the-guy-you-thought-loved-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sorry, cute guy. I thought he was checking me out for a second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-hobbes/sorry-cute-guy-i-thought-he-was-checking-me-out-for-a-second/) [Miranda Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-hobbes/) > [Those blue eyes glinted with uncivilized suggestion. A faint smile was tucked in the corner of his wide mouth. Definitely wouldn't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/those-blue-eyes-glinted-with-uncivilized-suggestion-a-faint-smile-was/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) ## More by patricia highsmith > [“Thinking no more about it, he stepped off into that cool space, that fast descent to her, with nothing in his mind but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/thinking-no-more-about-it-he-stepped-off-into-that-cool-space-that/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [I didn't hang around films. I don't know if I'd ever seen Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/i-didn-t-hang-around-films-i-don-t-know-if-i-d-ever-seen-hitchcock-s/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“I feel I stand in a desert with my hands outstretched, and you are raining down upon me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/i-feel-i-stand-in-a-desert-with-my-hands-outstretched-and-you-are/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [One situation – maybe one alone – could drive me to murder: family life, togetherness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/one-situation-maybe-one-alone-could-drive-me-to-murder-family-life/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“He felt he was about to experience again some ancient, delicious childhood moment that the steam calliope's sour hollowness, the stitching hurdy-gurdy accompaniment, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/he-felt-he-was-about-to-experience-again-some-ancient-delicious/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“It was a kind of arrogance, perhaps, to believe so in one's destiny. 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It was just after 7 P.M., and the month was October.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/dusk-was-falling-quickly-it-was-just-after-7-p-m-and-the-month-was/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“What chance combination of shadow and sound and his own thoughts had created it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/what-chance-combination-of-shadow-and-sound-and-his-own-thoughts-had/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh. She had a vision of a pale-white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/happiness-was-like-a-green-vine-spreading-through-her-stretching-fine/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [“That's exactly where you're wrong! Any kind of person can murder. Purely circumstances and not a thing to do with temperament! People get so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-highsmith/that-s-exactly-where-you-re-wrong-any-kind-of-person-can-murder/) [Patricia Highsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-highsmith/) > [What was it to love someone, what was love exactly, and why did it end or not end? 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