--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My mother was teaching me that the inside…" description: "\"“My mother was teaching me that the inside of something was not necessarily its outside. Always look carefully, she told me. Look with more than your e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/alice-hoffman-427_eyes_my-mother-was-teaching-me-that-the-insid_1599929.png" --- # My mother was teaching me that the inside of something was… ![“My mother was teaching me that the inside of something was not necessarily its outside. Always look carefully, she told me. Look with more than your eyes.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/alice-hoffman-427_eyes_my-mother-was-teaching-me-that-the-insid_1599929.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/alice-hoffman-427_eyes_my-mother-was-teaching-me-that-the-insid_1599929.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/553/alice-hoffman-427_eyes_my-mother-was-teaching-me-that-the-insid_1599929.png) > ““My mother was teaching me that the inside of something was not necessarily its outside. Always look carefully, she told me. Look with more than your eyes.”” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Appearances can be deceptive; true nature lies beneath the surface, urging careful, holistic perception. **In simple terms:** Look beyond outward appearances. Key Takeaway Observe with all senses, not just sight. Themes perception truth depth mindfulness Mood curious cautious Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - art critique - interpersonal relations - leadership - problem solving Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify deeper truth? - When have you misread a situation? A Different Perspective Surface judgments can be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching. -Proverbs 1:8](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/listen-my-son-to-your-father-s-instruction-and-do-not-forsake-your/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) > [No teaching is equal, more spiritually rewarding, or more exalting than that of a mother teaching her children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/no-teaching-is-equal-more-spiritually-rewarding-or-more-exalting-than/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [My mother is teaching me Indian recipes. I'll go to the market, get everything fresh, have a glass of red wine, and just do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-ramamurthy/my-mother-is-teaching-me-indian-recipes-i-ll-go-to-the-market-get/) [Sendhil Ramamurthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-ramamurthy/) > [“A very wise man once told me that you can't look back-you just have to put the past behind you, and find something better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-very-wise-man-once-told-me-that-you-can-t-look-back-you-just-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you could just see your face,” she told me. “You look like a cat in a bathtub.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/if-you-could-just-see-your-face-she-told-me-you-look-like-a-cat-in-a/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [“I told you. When you look at me, you see more." I cradled his face in my hands and let my eyes roam over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-frank/i-told-you-when-you-look-at-me-you-see-more-i-cradled-his-face-in-my/) [Ella Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-frank/) > [They told me''Never look back''. And I didnt listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazzy/they-told-me-never-look-back-and-i-didnt-listen/) [Jazzy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazzy/) > [You told me to look much further](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faithless/you-told-me-to-look-much-further/) [Faithless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faithless/) > [It is very difficult for girls. They're told to look one way, but to act another way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-close/it-is-very-difficult-for-girls-they-re-told-to-look-one-way-but-to/) [Glenn Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-close/) > [“I have been told I always look at the dark underbelly of tomorrow. Possibly. You’re less likely to be disappointed that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/i-have-been-told-i-always-look-at-the-dark-underbelly-of-tomorrow/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [I'm told sometimes I look like Goldie Hawn, and I get chuffed about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-tyler/i-m-told-sometimes-i-look-like-goldie-hawn-and-i-get-chuffed-about/) [Bonnie Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-tyler/) > [Someone told me I'm look like a baby in this O.o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danish/someone-told-me-i-m-look-like-a-baby-in-this-o-o/) [Danish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danish/) > [God told me to look after my people-all are my people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smohalla/god-told-me-to-look-after-my-people-all-are-my-people/) [Smohalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smohalla/) > [“You get told to look before you leap. But if you are too careful you may end up just looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/you-get-told-to-look-before-you-leap-but-if-you-are-too-careful-you/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [If you’re told what to look for, you can’t see anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-tufte/if-you-re-told-what-to-look-for-you-can-t-see-anything-else/) [Edward Tufte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-tufte/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Eyes quotes > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [My only trick to having wing liner sharp enough to cut is be careful and take your time! I have hooded eyes, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-charles/my-only-trick-to-having-wing-liner-sharp-enough-to-cut-is-be-careful/) [James Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-charles/) > [“I fell in love with your eyes first because I looked into their depths and saw the other half of my soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-lilley/i-fell-in-love-with-your-eyes-first-because-i-looked-into-their/) [R.K. Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-lilley/) > [I think, reading about yourself through somebody else's eyes, you're always going to have your own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/i-think-reading-about-yourself-through-somebody-else-s-eyes-you-re/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Evertime I close my eyes it doesnt matter where, I always see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/evertime-i-close-my-eyes-it-doesnt-matter-where-i-always-see-you/) Patience > [Look with all your eyes, look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/look-with-all-your-eyes-look/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [It's not your mistake if you cant read the eyes which cheats you. But it's really your mistake if you cant read the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-mbululo/it-s-not-your-mistake-if-you-cant-read-the-eyes-which-cheats-you-but/) [Ally Mbululo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-mbululo/) > [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Browse all 3,942 Eyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My mother was teaching me that the inside of something was not necessarily its outside. Always look carefully, she told me. 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