---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: … she gave me a look that deftly combined…"
description: "\"… she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look still visits me like a Jehovah’s Witness: unin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png"
---

#  … she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with…

![“… she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look still visits me like a Jehovah’s Witness: uninvited and tireless.” quote by Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png)

> “… she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look still visits me like a Jehovah’s Witness: uninvited and tireless.”

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

## About This Quote

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

A look can blend tenderness and revulsion, haunting the mind like an uninvited witness.

**In simple terms:** A mixed‑emotion stare haunts.

Key Takeaway

Recognize complex emotional cues.

Themes

memory contradiction perception

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reading literature
- art critique
- personal reflection
- therapy sessions

Key Concepts

psychological realism character study

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this look symbolize for you?
- How do you process unsettling memories?

A Different Perspective

Such vivid images may trigger distress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gave Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-look-561849/) [Jehovah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jehovah/) [Like Jehovah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-jehovah-4315958/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Revulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revulsion/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Tenderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness/) [Tenderness Revulsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness-revulsion-2449772/) [This day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-day/) [Uninvited Tireless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uninvited-tireless-2449773/) [Witness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witness/) [Witness Uninvited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witness-uninvited-2449774/)

## Related quotes

> [She gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look still visits me like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined-tenderness-with-revulsion-to/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [That a god like Jehovah should have created this world of misery and woe, out of pure caprice, and because he enjoyed doing it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-a-god-like-jehovah-should-have-created-this-world-of-misery-and/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Words are only painted fire, a look is the fire itself. She gave that look, and carried it away to the treasury of heaven,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/words-are-only-painted-fire-a-look-is-the-fire-itself-she-gave-that/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [She gave me this look – she might have been watching from a lifeboat as the ship went down. Or maybe it was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/she-gave-me-this-look-she-might-have-been-watching-from-a-lifeboat-as/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [She gave him such a look... Man oh man, if looks could kill. That one might have totalled a city block.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/she-gave-him-such-a-look-man-oh-man-if-looks-could-kill-that-one/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [The girl gave him a look which ought to have stuck at least four inches out of his back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/the-girl-gave-him-a-look-which-ought-to-have-stuck-at-least-four/)

[Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/)

> [I gave you my all and look what you did to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-gave-you-my-all-and-look-what-you-did-to-us/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Derek gave me a look that was part sheepish, but mostly whatcha-gonna-do, amiright?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/derek-gave-me-a-look-that-was-part-sheepish-but-mostly-whatcha-gonna/)

[Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/)

> [He gave her a look that you could have poured on a waffle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ring-lardner-jr/he-gave-her-a-look-that-you-could-have-poured-on-a-waffle/)

[Ring Lardner, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ring-lardner-jr/)

> [He gave me a look at myself I've never had before. He saw something in me nobody else ever did. He made me see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-garland/he-gave-me-a-look-at-myself-i-ve-never-had-before-he-saw-something-in/)

[Judy Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-garland/)

> [“Vetinari gave him a look that did not actually employ a raised eyebrow but which implied that one might be forthcoming if the recipient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/vetinari-gave-him-a-look-that-did-not-actually-employ-a-raised/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The Queen gave him a look: special and secretive and shared between the two of them. You warned her about us, the look seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/the-queen-gave-him-a-look-special-and-secretive-and-shared-between/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“I gave him a look. "Are you always this charming?" "Are you always this beautiful?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-rothenberg/i-gave-him-a-look-are-you-always-this-charming-are-you-always-this/)

[Jess Rothenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-rothenberg/)

> [“What is believed in one man's time, is despised in another man's day. To be sure, there will even be revulsion in some future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-o-shea/what-is-believed-in-one-man-s-time-is-despised-in-another-man-s-day/)

[Pat O'Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-o-shea/)

> [Melancholy and utopia are heads and tails of the same coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunter-grass/melancholy-and-utopia-are-heads-and-tails-of-the-same-coin/)

[Gunter Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunter-grass/)

## More by Steve Toltz

> [ “To my horror principles have wormed their way into \[the\] fabric of my being.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/to-my-horror-principles-have-wormed-their-way-into-the-fabric-of-my/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [I'm not sure if I always wanted to be a writer, but I was always writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-m-not-sure-if-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-writer-but-i-was-always/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [“The problem is most of the time when God’s supposed to be the hero, he comes across as the villain. I mean, look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/the-problem-is-most-of-the-time-when-god-s-supposed-to-be-the-hero-he/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [ \[I'll teach you\] how not to leave the windows of your heart open when it looks like rain and how everyone has a stump… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-ll-teach-you-how-not-to-leave-the-windows-of-your-heart-open-when/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [...I thought how I hate any kind of mob - I hate mobs of sports fans, mobs of environmental demonstrators, I even hate mobs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-thought-how-i-hate-any-kind-of-mob-i-hate-mobs-of-sports-fans-mobs/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [I was in the hospital and I was paralyzed and I went through all of these things. I've had all of these crazy experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/i-was-in-the-hospital-and-i-was-paralyzed-and-i-went-through-all-of/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [Let’s not mince words: the inside of the Sydney casino looks as if Vegas had an illegitimate child with Liberace’s underpants, and that child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/let-s-not-mince-words-the-inside-of-the-sydney-casino-looks-as-if/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [Optimism isn't funny unless you are laughing at the person, whereas extreme pessimism is extremely funny. It's exaggeration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/optimism-isn-t-funny-unless-you-are-laughing-at-the-person-whereas/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [There's nothing perplexing to me about a leafy shrub evolving out of the big bang, but that the post office exists because carbon exploded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/there-s-nothing-perplexing-to-me-about-a-leafy-shrub-evolving-out-of/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [The game is an analogy for life: there are not enough chairs or good times to go around, not enough food, not enough joy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/the-game-is-an-analogy-for-life-there-are-not-enough-chairs-or-good/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [“Don't touch me, you fat ghost!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/don-t-touch-me-you-fat-ghost/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [Raymond Chandler I love a lot, and the Austrian writer Thomas Bernhard. I really love his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/raymond-chandler-i-love-a-lot-and-the-austrian-writer-thomas-bernhard/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [The universe doesn't really care if you bounce back. It doesn't feel that weird to write about paralysis or being in hospital or losing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/the-universe-doesn-t-really-care-if-you-bounce-back-it-doesn-t-feel/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [“The world's not falling apart imperceptibly anymore, these days it makes a loud shredding noise!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/the-world-s-not-falling-apart-imperceptibly-anymore-these-days-it/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

> [“Sex: the match that sets off human firework.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/sex-the-match-that-sets-off-human-firework/)

[Steve Toltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

[Explore all 119 Steve Toltz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/)

## More Jehovah quotes

> [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/)

[Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/)

> [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“I do not worship a DEAD and buried Christ at Calvary. I worship a ressurected and LIVING Christ in Heaven! Jesus Christ is alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/i-do-not-worship-a-dead-and-buried-christ-at-calvary-i-worship-a/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [There's this great fear, and I find, lack of knowledge of Catholicism, just like I'm ignorant of other things. I think we should all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-hicks/there-s-this-great-fear-and-i-find-lack-of-knowledge-of-catholicism/)

[Catherine Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-hicks/)

> [Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses like Halloween? Because they cant handle the competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-don-t-jehovah-s-witnesses-like-halloween-because-they-cant-handle/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Olympus is still a patriarchy. Zeus heads his royal household as jealously as Jehovah rules his harem of dull, harp-playing angels. Both are templates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-james/olympus-is-still-a-patriarchy-zeus-heads-his-royal-household-as/)

[Cliff James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-james/)

> [“Jehovah shall judge us according to deeds of doings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/jehovah-shall-judge-us-according-to-deeds-of-doings/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [May He who is the Brahman of the Hindus, the Ahura-Mazda of the Zoroastrians, the Buddha of the Buddhists, the Jehovah of the Jews,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/may-he-who-is-the-brahman-of-the-hindus-the-ahura-mazda-of-the/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“Jehovah, who of all the good gods adored by men was certainly the most jealous, the most vain, the most ferocious, the most unjust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakunin-mikhail/jehovah-who-of-all-the-good-gods-adored-by-men-was-certainly-the-most/)

[Bakunin Mikhail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakunin-mikhail/)

> [“In order to benefit fully from the education provided in the Theocratic Ministry School, you, the student, must make a personal effort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society/in-order-to-benefit-fully-from-the-education-provided-in-the/)

[The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-watchtower-bible-and-tract-society/)

> [I was a curious child. I'd debate with anyone who came to the door - people from the Islamic community... Jehovah's Witnesses... anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/i-was-a-curious-child-i-d-debate-with-anyone-who-came-to-the-door/)

[Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/)

> [If Jehovah cannot support his religion without going into partnership with a State Legislature, I think he ought to give it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-jehovah-cannot-support-his-religion-without-going-into-partnership/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [The divine glory is an object only worthy of attention; and to display his holy character, was the design of God in creation; as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemuel-haynes/the-divine-glory-is-an-object-only-worthy-of-attention-and-to-display/)

[Lemuel Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemuel-haynes/)

> [“Let's leave JAH out of messes of our own creation. Hasn't HE taken credit for enough messes. It's about Mankind not which God? JAH…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-santo/let-s-leave-jah-out-of-messes-of-our-own-creation-hasn-t-he-taken/)

[DON SANTO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-santo/)

> [As the chosen people bore in their features the sign manual of Jehovah , so the division of labour brands the manufacturing workman as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/as-the-chosen-people-bore-in-their-features-the-sign-manual-of/)

[Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/)

[Browse all 213 Jehovah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jehovah/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "… she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look still visits me like a Jehovah’s Witness: uninvited and tireless.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steve Toltz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined-tenderness-with-revulsion-to-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Jehovah"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined-tenderness-with-revulsion-to-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf3/steve-toltz-3783_jehovah_she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined_2119351.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“… she gave me a look that deftly combined tenderness with revulsion. To this day the memory of that look…” — Steve Toltz",
                "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": "Steve Toltz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-toltz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "… she gave me a look...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined-tenderness-with-revulsion-to-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-toltz/she-gave-me-a-look-that-deftly-combined-tenderness-with-revulsion-to-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
