at arm's length
Adverb
Meaning
at some distance
Source: WordNetSynonyms
Antonyms
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Keep things at arm's length... If you let anything come too near you want to hold on to it. And there is nothing a man can hold on to.
To suppress the grief, the pain, is to condemn oneself to a living death. Living fully means feeling fully; it means becoming completely one with what you are experiencing and not holding it at arm's length.
You must read Plato. But you must hold him at arm's length and say, 'Plato, you have delighted and edified mankind for two thousand years. What have you to say to me?
The psyche is highly flammable material. So we are always wrapping things in asbestos, keeping our images and fantasies at arm's length because they are so full of love.
I definitely tell things at arm's length but that is conscious. No part of me wants everybody to know what's going on.
Proud people keep others at arm's length. Broken people are willing to take the risks of getting close to others and loving intimately.