--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach…" description: "\"Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to go. Just to be safe, she told herself. Still..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg" --- # Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it… ![“Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to go. Just to be safe, she told herself. Still, it was nice the way her pelvic bones rose like sharp hills on either side of her stomach. I love bones. Bones are beautiful.” quote by Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg) > “Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to go. Just to be safe, she told herself. Still, it was nice the way her pelvic bones rose like sharp hills on either side of her stomach. I love bones. Bones are beautiful.” [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator examines her body, finding beauty in its imperfections and growth. **In simple terms:** She sees beauty in her body's shape and changes. Key Takeaway Embrace and appreciate your body's unique form. Themes body image self-acceptance growth Mood introspective affirming Type psychological personal When to use this quote - personal health - fitness routines - mental health therapy - creative writing Key Concepts Anatomy self-perception beauty standards Questions to Reflect On - How does your perception of your body affect confidence? - What practices help you appreciate bodily changes? A Different Perspective Focus on physical appearance can lead to obsessive monitoring. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) ## Related quotes > [When I was four years old, I remember looking in the mirror and running my fingers over my stomach and thinking I was fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/when-i-was-four-years-old-i-remember-looking-in-the-mirror-and/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [“Decent is the last way I want you," she said, skimming her fingers over my stomach, my lower stomach. My lower lower stomach, AKA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/decent-is-the-last-way-i-want-you-she-said-skimming-her-fingers-over/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [“his stomach as flat as the earth was rumored to be before Columbus discovered the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/his-stomach-as-flat-as-the-earth-was-rumored-to-be-before-columbus/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) > [I like to take my time and not try to put too much pressure on myself, but it's hard. I think I forget every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kourtney-kardashian/i-like-to-take-my-time-and-not-try-to-put-too-much-pressure-on-myself/) [Kourtney Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kourtney-kardashian/) > [I do wear kind of like a homemade-type girdle after I had the babies, for six weeks, and I'm wrapped so damn tight for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-zolciak-biermann/i-do-wear-kind-of-like-a-homemade-type-girdle-after-i-had-the-babies/) [Kim Zolciak-Biermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-zolciak-biermann/) > [I felt pissed off because I realized that you have to teach people in a clichéd way how to be happy-and happiness has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-i-a/i-felt-pissed-off-because-i-realized-that-you-have-to-teach-people-in/) M.I.A > [I wouldn't mind gigging around the same era as Jesus, after he gives his speech about the meek and how blessed they are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-wouldn-t-mind-gigging-around-the-same-era-as-jesus-after-he-gives/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Wear flats. You're short. It's much cooler not to pretend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/wear-flats-you-re-short-it-s-much-cooler-not-to-pretend/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [The key of D is daffodil yellow, B major is maroon, and B flat is blue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-mcpartland/the-key-of-d-is-daffodil-yellow-b-major-is-maroon-and-b-flat-is-blue/) [Marian McPartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-mcpartland/) > [As a child, we lived in flats, and I was never allowed pets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-pigott-smith/as-a-child-we-lived-in-flats-and-i-was-never-allowed-pets/) [Tim Pigott-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-pigott-smith/) > [I love flat shoes, more so than heels. One of my obsessions is men's co-respondent lace-ups.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-love-flat-shoes-more-so-than-heels-one-of-my-obsessions-is-men-s-co/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [ Gonna rain like a cow pissin' on a flat rock" \[drugstore clerk to detective Virgil Flowers\] Dark of the Moon, p.7 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/gonna-rain-like-a-cow-pissin-on-a-flat-rock-drugstore-clerk-to/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [Flat muscled and honey coloured. Sea secrets in his eyes. A silver raindrop in his ear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/flat-muscled-and-honey-coloured-sea-secrets-in-his-eyes-a-silver/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow! You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout Till you have drenched our teeples, drowned the cocks! You sulphurour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/blow-winds-and-crack-your-cheeks-rage-blow-you-cataracts-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Steven Levenkron > [The nerves of the skin send pain signals to the brain to warn us of the danger from and impending injury. In the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/the-nerves-of-the-skin-send-pain-signals-to-the-brain-to-warn-us-of/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [Repetition brings familiarity, and familiarity is the opposite of the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/repetition-brings-familiarity-and-familiarity-is-the-opposite-of-the/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [Self-mutilation is a frightening barrier that keeps us from seeing a person who is lost, in pain, and in desperate need of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/self-mutilation-is-a-frightening-barrier-that-keeps-us-from-seeing-a/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [ “\[. . .\] and in addition to the feeling of being full there was another more terrifying one, as if a hundred appetites were… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/and-in-addition-to-the-feeling-of-being-full-there-was-another-more/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [“This morning Kessa was in control again. She lifted her left breast with her right hand and pinched it hard. The girl in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/this-morning-kessa-was-in-control-again-she-lifted-her-left-breast/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [She lay on her back and walked her fingers down her ribs, skipped them over her abdomen, and landed on her pelvic bones. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/she-lay-on-her-back-and-walked-her-fingers-down-her-ribs-skipped-them/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [She'd lost two more pounds. A picture of the models she'd cut out of the magazine flashed through Kessa's mind. And the winner is...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/she-d-lost-two-more-pounds-a-picture-of-the-models-she-d-cut-out-of/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [“Well, Kessa, I am glad to see that you're taking your body seriously. I shudder when I see the girls leaving class and heading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/well-kessa-i-am-glad-to-see-that-you-re-taking-your-body-seriously-i/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [She ran her hands over her body as if to bid it good-bye. The hipbones rising from a shrunken stomach were razor-sharp. Would they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/she-ran-her-hands-over-her-body-as-if-to-bid-it-good-bye-the-hipbones/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [“Fat bitch," Kessa murmured as the door scraped closed behind Mrs. Stone. "She meant well, Francesca. And you see, everyone thinks you're too thin."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/fat-bitch-kessa-murmured-as-the-door-scraped-closed-behind-mrs-stone/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [Soon I'll be thinner than all of you, she swore to herself. And then I'll be the winner. The thinner is the winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/soon-i-ll-be-thinner-than-all-of-you-she-swore-to-herself-and-then-i/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [How silly people were to eat. They thought they needed food for energy, but they didn't. Energy came from will, from self-control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/how-silly-people-were-to-eat-they-thought-they-needed-food-for-energy/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [Kessa began to cut her meat into tiny pieces. As a whole it was unmanageable, frightening; but divided and arranged, the meat could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/kessa-began-to-cut-her-meat-into-tiny-pieces-as-a-whole-it-was/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [“She used to look forward to changing in the locker room when other girls stole shocked glances at her emaciated body last spring. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/she-used-to-look-forward-to-changing-in-the-locker-room-when-other/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) > [She began to be reassured by these pains, tangible symbols of her success in becoming thinner than anyone else. Her only identity was being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/she-began-to-be-reassured-by-these-pains-tangible-symbols-of-her/) [Steven Levenkron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) [Explore all 17 Steven Levenkron quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/) ## More Beautiful quotes > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Being beautiful comes naturally!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-beautiful-comes-naturally/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. Sign language is so beautiful. It gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-ayling-ellis/in-the-hearing-world-i-m-constantly-having-to-lip-read-and-trying-to/) [Rose Ayling-Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-ayling-ellis/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [You're beautiful, cute, pretty, gorgeous, and fuck.. I ran out of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/you-re-beautiful-cute-pretty-gorgeous-and-fuck-i-ran-out-of-words/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [Growing up in Iceland, it was very beautiful, very safe, but quite isolated. There was something about jazz music that had a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/growing-up-in-iceland-it-was-very-beautiful-very-safe-but-quite/) [Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/) > [How could you feel worthless when God has honoured you by creating you and choosing you to be with Him, in this life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/how-could-you-feel-worthless-when-god-has-honoured-you-by-creating/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) [Browse all 17,976 Beautiful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to go. Just to be safe, she told herself. Still, it was nice the way her pelvic bones rose like sharp hills on either side of her stomach. I love bones. Bones are beautiful.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Steven Levenkron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-flat-but-was-it-flat-enough/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-flat-but-was-it-flat-enough/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/steven-levenkron-30080_beautiful_kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-f_331884.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Kessa ran her fingers over her stomach. Flat. But was it flat enough? Not quite. She still had some way to…” — Steven Levenkron", "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": "Steven Levenkron", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-levenkron/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Kessa ran her fingers over her...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-flat-but-was-it-flat-enough/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-levenkron/kessa-ran-her-fingers-over-her-stomach-flat-but-was-it-flat-enough/#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 } } ] } ```