---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The figures... are not supposed to reveal…"
description: "\"The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's like seeing a stranger in some place like an air terminal for the first time. You look at hi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg"
---

#  The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's…

![“The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's like seeing a stranger in some place like an air terminal for the first time. You look at him, you notice his shoes, his suit, the pin in his lapel, but you don't have any particular feeling about him.” quote by Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg)

> “The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's like seeing a stranger in some place like an air terminal for the first time. You look at him, you notice his shoes, his suit, the pin in his lapel, but you don't have any particular feeling about him.”

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote describes how people often observe strangers without emotional connection, focusing on superficial details rather than deeper understanding.

**In simple terms:** We notice surface traits but feel nothing deeper.

Key Takeaway

Notice how you view others.

Themes

observation detachment humanity

Mood

neutral contemplative

Type

observational philosophical

When to use this quote

- airport encounters
- first impressions
- crowded spaces
- social media scrolling

Key Concepts

psychology social perception

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you often judge by appearance?
- How can you foster genuine curiosity about strangers?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the value of empathy and deeper connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Figures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures/) [Figures Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figures-supposed-6164049/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Like Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-seeing/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Pins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pins/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Seeing Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-stranger-3556677/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Supposed Reveal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-reveal-2075678/) [Terminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terminal/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I hope it will not be irreverent in me to say, that if it be probable that God would reveal his will to others,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-hope-it-will-not-be-irreverent-in-me-to-say-that-if-it-be-probable/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [I went from following people to being on my own. Once I was on my own, I watched people start liking me, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-went-from-following-people-to-being-on-my-own-once-i-was-on-my-own/)

[Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/)

> [“It is strange. A man gets to know a woman. For a long time they are one. They have mingled their thoughts, their bodies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waguih-ghali/it-is-strange-a-man-gets-to-know-a-woman-for-a-long-time-they-are-one/)

[Waguih Ghali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waguih-ghali/)

> [And in this curious state I had the realization, at the moment of seeing that stranger there, that I was a person like everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/and-in-this-curious-state-i-had-the-realization-at-the-moment-of/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [I am approached with the most opposite opinions and advice, and that by religious men, who are equally certain that they represent the Divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-am-approached-with-the-most-opposite-opinions-and-advice-and-that/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“He was looking at his friend and seeing a stranger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/he-was-looking-at-his-friend-and-seeing-a-stranger/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [I don't like seeing her this delicate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/i-don-t-like-seeing-her-this-delicate/)

[Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/)

> [“Finding something you love. It's like seeing the sun poking through the clouds on a rainy day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-slowey/finding-something-you-love-it-s-like-seeing-the-sun-poking-through/)

[Dominique Slowey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominique-slowey/)

> [I just don't like clutter. I like seeing the clear image of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minkah-fitzpatrick/i-just-don-t-like-clutter-i-like-seeing-the-clear-image-of-things/)

[Minkah Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minkah-fitzpatrick/)

> [People like seeing people being human and real, and I think that's been lacking on TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-guerrero/people-like-seeing-people-being-human-and-real-and-i-think-that-s/)

[Diane Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-guerrero/)

> [I like seeing comedians do stuff that I could never do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-thomas/i-like-seeing-comedians-do-stuff-that-i-could-never-do/)

[Josh Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-thomas/)

> [“It’s like he’s seeing the only thing that matters. I am sickly familiar with the way he looks at Olivia, because it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/it-s-like-he-s-seeing-the-only-thing-that-matters-i-am-sickly/)

[Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/)

> [“The ability to experience the awe of something simple arises in the moments when we have silence or space between our thoughts. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-elkrief/the-ability-to-experience-the-awe-of-something-simple-arises-in-the/)

[Noah Elkrief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-elkrief/)

> [It occurred to him that seeing a woman's child is like seeing a woman naked, in the way it changes how her face looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/it-occurred-to-him-that-seeing-a-woman-s-child-is-like-seeing-a-woman/)

[John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/)

> [Sometimes, you can feel or see how a movie can... how you can do it. Sometimes it's just like seeing, "Can that work? Will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/sometimes-you-can-feel-or-see-how-a-movie-can-how-you-can-do-it/)

[Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/)

## More by Wayne Thiebaud

> [My subject matter was a genuine sort of experience that came out of my life, particularly the American world in which I was privileged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/my-subject-matter-was-a-genuine-sort-of-experience-that-came-out-of/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [Diebenkorn was a very good critic, a very tough critic, tough on himself, tough on others. He expected the finest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/diebenkorn-was-a-very-good-critic-a-very-tough-critic-tough-on/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [I haven't the slightest idea what art is, but to be a painter is something of which you have to prove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/i-haven-t-the-slightest-idea-what-art-is-but-to-be-a-painter-is/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [We all need critical confrontation of the fullest and most extreme kind that we can get. You can unnecessarily limit yourself by choosing your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/we-all-need-critical-confrontation-of-the-fullest-and-most-extreme/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [When you think of painting as painting it is rather absurd. The real world is before us - glorious sunlight and activity and fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/when-you-think-of-painting-as-painting-it-is-rather-absurd-the-real/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [Art means something very rare, an extraordinary achievement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/art-means-something-very-rare-an-extraordinary-achievement/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [Art is one of the dirtiest words in our language; it's mucked up with all kinds of meanings. There's the art of plumbing; there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/art-is-one-of-the-dirtiest-words-in-our-language-it-s-mucked-up-with/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [Morandi gave an intimate view of his deepest thoughts. We watched him inquiring after the devilish questions of essences and substances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/morandi-gave-an-intimate-view-of-his-deepest-thoughts-we-watched-him/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [I don't make a lot of distinctions between things like landscape or figure painting, because to me the problems are inherently the same -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/i-don-t-make-a-lot-of-distinctions-between-things-like-landscape-or/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [An artist has to train his responses more than other people do. He has to be as disciplined as a mathematician. Discipline is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/an-artist-has-to-train-his-responses-more-than-other-people-do-he-has/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [My sin as a painter is that I just want to paint anything I want to paint - and repaint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/my-sin-as-a-painter-is-that-i-just-want-to-paint-anything-i-want-to/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [A conscious decision to eliminate certain details and include selective bits of personal experiences or perceptual nuances, gives the painting more of a multi-dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/a-conscious-decision-to-eliminate-certain-details-and-include/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [A painter is always overjoyed when anybody pays any attention to him at all, puts him in any category, calls him anything - as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/a-painter-is-always-overjoyed-when-anybody-pays-any-attention-to-him/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [If you stare at an object, as you do when you paint, there is no point at which you stop learning things from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/if-you-stare-at-an-object-as-you-do-when-you-paint-there-is-no-point/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

> [As far as I'm concerned, there is only one study and that is the way in which things relate to one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/as-far-as-i-m-concerned-there-is-only-one-study-and-that-is-the-way/)

[Wayne Thiebaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

[Explore all 31 Wayne Thiebaud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/)

## More Air quotes

> [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/)

[Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/)

[Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/)

> [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/)

[Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/)

[Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/)

> [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/)

[Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/)

> [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/)

[N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/)

> [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/)

[Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/)

[Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/)

> [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

[Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's like seeing a stranger in some place like an air terminal for the first time. You look at him, you notice his shoes, his suit, the pin in his lapel, but you don't have any particular feeling about him.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wayne Thiebaud"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-anything-it-s-like-seeing-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Air"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-anything-it-s-like-seeing-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/wayne-thiebaud-19970_air_the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-a_1616460.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The figures... are not supposed to reveal anything... It's like seeing a stranger in some place like an air…” — Wayne Thiebaud",
                "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": "Wayne Thiebaud",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-thiebaud/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The figures... are not supposed to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-anything-it-s-like-seeing-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-thiebaud/the-figures-are-not-supposed-to-reveal-anything-it-s-like-seeing-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
