--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After all, what can a first impression…" description: "\"“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/amor-towles-1249_first-impression_after-all-what-can-a-first-impression-te_2033654.jpg" --- # After all, what can a first impression tell us about… ![“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By” quote by Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/amor-towles-1249_first-impression_after-all-what-can-a-first-impression-te_2033654.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/amor-towles-1249_first-impression_after-all-what-can-a-first-impression-te_2033654.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/036/amor-towles-1249_first-impression_after-all-what-can-a-first-impression-te_2033654.jpg) > ““After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about Botticelli. By”” [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. First impressions are fleeting and insufficient; deeper understanding requires more than superficial cues. **In simple terms:** First impressions are shallow; deeper insight needed. Key Takeaway Seek beyond first impressions. Themes perception judgment relationships Mood curious analytical Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - Networking - dating - interviewing - team building Key Concepts Psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What deeper questions can you ask? - How might you challenge your initial judgment? A Different Perspective Relying solely on first impressions can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chord Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chord-tell-3748257/) [First impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-impression/) [Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Impression Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression-tell-2941645/) [Matter Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-impression-3065513/) [Tell Chord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-chord-3748256/) ## Related quotes > [What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Why, no more than a chord can tell us about Beethoven, or a brushstroke about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/what-can-a-first-impression-tell-us-about-anyone-why-no-more-than-a/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [The gist of the matter is this: Every impression that comes in from without, be it a sentence which we hear, an object of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-gist-of-the-matter-is-this-every-impression-that-comes-in-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Create stories that will leave an everlasting impression even when you are not around to tell it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-guillaume/create-stories-that-will-leave-an-everlasting-impression-even-when/) [Marie Guillaume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-guillaume/) > [“Dutifully, the Count put the spoon in his mouth. In an instant, there was the familiar sweetness of fresh honey—sunlit, golden, and gay. Given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/dutifully-the-count-put-the-spoon-in-his-mouth-in-an-instant-there/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [In every man there are two minds that work side by side, the one checking the other; thus emotion stands against reason, intellect corrects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/in-every-man-there-are-two-minds-that-work-side-by-side-the-one/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [Don't judge too quickly what you see; Treat lightly first impression;Misundertanding multiply without right information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-judge-too-quickly-what-you-see-treat-lightly-first-impression/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My theory about meeting people,' he said,'is that it's better not to make a really good first impression. Because it's all downhill from there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/my-theory-about-meeting-people-he-said-is-that-it-s-better-not-to/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [There's not too many times you get a chance to make a second first impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-palmer/there-s-not-too-many-times-you-get-a-chance-to-make-a-second-first/) [Jesse Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-palmer/) > [I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-noticed-this-but-first-impressions-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first impression is the truth, and all that follows is merely the excuse of memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-crumey/the-first-impression-is-the-truth-and-all-that-follows-is-merely-the/) [Andrew Crumey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-crumey/) > [“There are times when making a great first impression is essential and you need to do everything in your power to be diligent, deliberate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/there-are-times-when-making-a-great-first-impression-is-essential-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [You will always get a second chance to make a first impression with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/you-will-always-get-a-second-chance-to-make-a-first-impression-with-me/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [“\*You only get one chance to make a first impression.\* Ah, whatever!!! Who said you get three chances to make the second impression?!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/you-only-get-one-chance-to-make-a-first-impression-ah-whatever-who/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I think it's really important that I'm not the only model in the world that goes through personal problems. People forget that we're human.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-think-it-s-really-important-that-i-m-not-the-only-model-in-the/) [Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) ## More by Amor Towles > [“To have even one year when you're presented with choices that can alter your circumstances, your character, your course- that's by the grace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/to-have-even-one-year-when-you-re-presented-with-choices-that-can/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Rather than sitting in orderly rows in a schoolhouse, wouldn't one be better served by working her way towards an actual horizon, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/rather-than-sitting-in-orderly-rows-in-a-schoolhouse-wouldn-t-one-be/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [That's how quickly New York City comes about - like a weather wane - or the head of a cobra. Time tells which.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-s-how-quickly-new-york-city-comes-about-like-a-weather-wane-or/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Mostly, he said, I've been thinking about what I'm not going to do. When I think of the last few years, I've been hounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mostly-he-said-i-ve-been-thinking-about-what-i-m-not-going-to-do-when/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“In the doleful court behind my building a patchwork of windows was all that separated me from a hundred muted lives being led without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/in-the-doleful-court-behind-my-building-a-patchwork-of-windows-was/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“That is how time passes when one is left waiting unaccountably. The hours become interminable. The minutes relentless. And the seconds? Why, not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/that-is-how-time-passes-when-one-is-left-waiting-unaccountably-the/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Mishka would pine for Katerina the rest of his life! Never again would he walk Nevsky Prospekt, however they chose to rename it, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/mishka-would-pine-for-katerina-the-rest-of-his-life-never-again-would/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [Every year, I would spend weeks at a time in the hotels of distant cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/every-year-i-would-spend-weeks-at-a-time-in-the-hotels-of-distant/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For eventually, we come to hold our dearest possessions more closely than we hold our friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-eventually-we-come-to-hold-our-dearest-possessions-more-closely/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“As we age, we are bound to find comfort from the notion that it takes generations for a way of life to fade. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/as-we-age-we-are-bound-to-find-comfort-from-the-notion-that-it-takes/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For it is the role of the parent to express his concerns and then take three steps back. Not one, mind you, not two,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-it-is-the-role-of-the-parent-to-express-his-concerns-and-then/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“But I've come to realie that however blue my circumstance,s if after finishing a chapter of a Dickens novel I feel a miss-my-stop-on-the-train sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/but-i-ve-come-to-realie-that-however-blue-my-circumstance-s-if-after/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [I make extensive outlines before I write a book. I usually know what will happen. I know the characters, and I know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/i-make-extensive-outlines-before-i-write-a-book-i-usually-know-what/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“Sometimes,” Nina clarified, “everybody tells you something because they are everybody. But why should one listen to everybody? Did everybody write the Odyssey? Did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/sometimes-nina-clarified-everybody-tells-you-something-because-they/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) > [“For it is a fact that a man can be profoundly out of step with his times. A man may have been born in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amor-towles/for-it-is-a-fact-that-a-man-can-be-profoundly-out-of-step-with-his/) [Amor Towles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) [Explore all 266 Amor Towles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amor-towles/) ## More First impression quotes > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Communication skills, quotes by susan c young, relationship quotes, how to make a great first impression, preparation quotes, motivational speaker, susan young, build confidence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/communication-skills-quotes-by-susan-c-young-relationship-quotes-how/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [I think it's really important that I'm not the only model in the world that goes through personal problems. People forget that we're human.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gigi-hadid/i-think-it-s-really-important-that-i-m-not-the-only-model-in-the/) [Gigi Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gigi-hadid/) > [“He looked at Chloe "Come over to the table. Sit with your aunt. I will clear away the mess and…I will achieve pancakes." Grace's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-harrison/he-looked-at-chloe-come-over-to-the-table-sit-with-your-aunt-i-will/) [Thea Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-harrison/) > [“\*You only get one chance to make a first impression.\* Ah, whatever!!! Who said you get three chances to make the second impression?!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/you-only-get-one-chance-to-make-a-first-impression-ah-whatever-who/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Cincinatti was where I learned that running away from your problems has a three-month statute of limitations, a lesson I have found repeatedly to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-pershall/cincinatti-was-where-i-learned-that-running-away-from-your-problems/) [Stacy Pershall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-pershall/) > [You will always get a second chance to make a first impression with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/you-will-always-get-a-second-chance-to-make-a-first-impression-with-me/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [“There are times when making a great first impression is essential and you need to do everything in your power to be diligent, deliberate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/there-are-times-when-making-a-great-first-impression-is-essential-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [Santa waiting at bus stop in UK along with 3 women. When bus arrived, conductor picked the women & said: No more, no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/santa-waiting-at-bus-stop-in-uk-along-with-3-women-when-bus-arrived/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [The very first step in building your confidence is to improve your look. Remember that first impression lasts. How you look will determine how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/the-very-first-step-in-building-your-confidence-is-to-improve-your/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [“ Posture The first impression you make is likely to be from several feet away. An observer will assess your approachability from a general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-berent/posture-the-first-impression-you-make-is-likely-to-be-from-several/) [Jonathan Berent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-berent/) > [“The first impression is the truth, and all that follows is merely the excuse of memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-crumey/the-first-impression-is-the-truth-and-all-that-follows-is-merely-the/) [Andrew Crumey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-crumey/) > [“Developing this ability instills a sixth sense for navigating human relationships with dignity, grace, and discretion, thus making an intentional and thoughtful first impression.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/developing-this-ability-instills-a-sixth-sense-for-navigating-human/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [I don't know if you've ever noticed this, but first impressions are often entirely wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-noticed-this-but-first-impressions-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's not too many times you get a chance to make a second first impression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-palmer/there-s-not-too-many-times-you-get-a-chance-to-make-a-second-first/) [Jesse Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-palmer/) [Browse all 308 First impression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-impression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“After all, what can a first impression tell us about someone we’ve just met for a minute in the lobby of a hotel? For that matter, what can a first impression tell us about anyone? 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