--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is foolish to wish for beauty…" description: "\"“It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind be but well cultivat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg" --- # It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never… ![“It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior. So said the teachers of our childhood; and so say we to the children of the…” quote by Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg) > ““It is foolish to wish for beauty.  Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others.  If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior.  So said the teachers of our childhood; and so say we to the children of the present day.  All very judicious and proper, no doubt; but are such assertions supported by actual experience? We are naturally disposed to love what gives us pleasure, and what more pleasing than a beautiful face—when we know no harm of the possessor at least?  A little girl loves her bird—Why?  Because it lives and feels; because it is helpless and harmless?  A toad, likewise, lives and feels, and is equally helpless and harmless; but though she would not hurt a toad, she cannot love it like the bird, with its graceful form, soft feathers, and bright, speaking eyes.  If a woman is fair and amiable, she is praised for both qualities, but especially the former, by the bulk of mankind: if, on the other hand, she is disagreeable in person and character, her plainness is commonly inveighed against as her greatest crime, because, to common observers, it gives the greatest offence; while, if she is plain and good, provided she is a person of retired manners and secluded life, no one ever knows of her goodness, except her immediate connections.  Others, on the contrary, are disposed to form unfavourable opinions of her mind, and disposition, if it be but to excuse themselves for their instinctive dislike of one so unfavoured by nature; and visa versa with her whose angel form conceals a vicious heart, or sheds a false, deceitful charm over defects and foibles that would not be tolerated in another. ”” [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty is often valued over inner virtue, but true fulfillment comes from cultivated mind and heart. **In simple terms:** Beauty is superficial; inner virtue matters. Key Takeaway Cultivate mind and heart over external appearance. Themes beauty virtue appearance inner worth Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - education - parenting - self‑development - relationship building Key Concepts philosophy ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift focus from appearance to character? - What practices nurture inner beauty? A Different Perspective Society still heavily rewards physical attractiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Little girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-girl/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Present day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-day/) ## Related quotes > [“If a woman is fair and amiable, she is praised for both qualities, but especially the former, by the bulk of mankind: if, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/if-a-woman-is-fair-and-amiable-she-is-praised-for-both-qualities-but/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensible-people-never-either-desire-2/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [It is foolish to wish for beauty. Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others. If the mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensible-people-never-either-desire/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [Reason and calm judgment: the qualities especially belonging to a leader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publius-cornelius-tacitus/reason-and-calm-judgment-the-qualities-especially-belonging-to-a/) [Publius Cornelius Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publius-cornelius-tacitus/) > [“Amy was looking around the sanctum in awe. "It's...beautiful!" The girl was modest and thoughtful. How bizarre. So rarely did Ian see these qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lerangis/amy-was-looking-around-the-sanctum-in-awe-it-s-beautiful-the-girl-was/) [Peter Lerangis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lerangis/) > [“I wish for once that she could see the her that I can see; beauty that both steals my breath and gives it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-diedrich/i-wish-for-once-that-she-could-see-the-her-that-i-can-see-beauty-that/) [Kirk Diedrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-diedrich/) > [He might wish and wish and never get it - the beauty and the loving in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-might-wish-and-wish-and-never-get-it-the-beauty-and-the-loving-in/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [...I don't just wish you rain- I wish you the beauty of storms...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-just-wish-you-rain-i-wish-you-the-beauty-of-storms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish beauty was a face it could have been you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paperboi/i-wish-beauty-was-a-face-it-could-have-been-you/) Paperboi > [“Back then I was always looking ahead to who I wanted to be versus who I didn’t realize I already was, and the wished-for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/back-then-i-was-always-looking-ahead-to-who-i-wanted-to-be-versus-who/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Because people's desire to be comfortable supersedes their desire for self knowledge and well being, they avoid any form of discomfort. This is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stewart/because-people-s-desire-to-be-comfortable-supersedes-their-desire-for/) Ben Stewart > [ They \[the people under you\] may desire help, but more than anything else they desire sympathy. Don't make the mistake of turning such men… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/they-the-people-under-you-may-desire-help-but-more-than-anything-else/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [If you pay attention to the movies they will tell you what people desire and fear. Movies are hardly ever about what they seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/if-you-pay-attention-to-the-movies-they-will-tell-you-what-people/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [In the end, therefore, money will be the one thing people will desire, which is moreover only representative, an abstraction. Nowadays a young man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/in-the-end-therefore-money-will-be-the-one-thing-people-will-desire/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I see what I want of Love... I see horses making the meadow dance, fifty guitars sighing, and a swarm of bees suckling the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-darwish/i-see-what-i-want-of-love-i-see-horses-making-the-meadow-dance-fifty/) [Mahmoud Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-darwish/) ## More by Anne Brontë > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“There was a certain graceful ease and freedom about all he said and did, that gave a sense of repose and expansion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-was-a-certain-graceful-ease-and-freedom-about-all-he-said-and/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“When a lady does consent to listen to an argument against her own opinions, she is always predetermined to withstand it - to listen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/when-a-lady-does-consent-to-listen-to-an-argument-against-her-own/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“There are, I suppose, some men as vain, as selfish, and as heartless as she is, and, perhaps, such women may be useful to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-i-suppose-some-men-as-vain-as-selfish-and-as-heartless-as/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [ “By his \[God's\] help I will arise and address myself diligently to my appointed duty. If happiness in this world is not for me,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/by-his-god-s-help-i-will-arise-and-address-myself-diligently-to-my/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [There is such a thing as looking through a person's eyes into the heart, and learning more of the height, and breadth, and depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-is-such-a-thing-as-looking-through-a-person-s-eyes-into-the/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“Keep a guard over your eyes and ears as the inlets of your heart, and over your lips as the outlet, lest they betray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/keep-a-guard-over-your-eyes-and-ears-as-the-inlets-of-your-heart-and/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [What the world stigmatizes as romantic is often more nearly allied to the truth than is commonly supposed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/what-the-world-stigmatizes-as-romantic-is-often-more-nearly-allied-to/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [I was not really angry: I felt for him all the time, and longed to be reconciled; but I determined he should make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-was-not-really-angry-i-felt-for-him-all-the-time-and-longed-to-be/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“Sullen silence was taken for rapt attention, and gave him greater room to talk; sharp answers were received as smart sallies of girlish vivacity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/sullen-silence-was-taken-for-rapt-attention-and-gave-him-greater-room/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“Revenge! No—what good would that do?—it would make him no better, and me no happier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/revenge-no-what-good-would-that-do-it-would-make-him-no-better-and-me/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [I’ll promise to think twice before I take any important step you seriously disapprove of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/i-ll-promise-to-think-twice-before-i-take-any-important-step-you/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“It’s well to have such a comfortable assurance regarding the worth of those we love. I only wish you may not find your confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/it-s-well-to-have-such-a-comfortable-assurance-regarding-the-worth-of/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [How odd it is that we so often weep for each other's distresses, when we shed not a tear for our own!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/how-odd-it-is-that-we-so-often-weep-for-each-other-s-distresses-when/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [Adoration isn't love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/adoration-isn-t-love/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) [Explore all 235 Anne Brontë quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) ## More Beautiful face quotes > [If I died If I died tonight would you notice? Would you even care? If I died tonight would you find it humorous? Would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-died-if-i-died-tonight-would-you-notice-would-you-even-care-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The man could stop her heart, then send it into full gallop. Just a look at him. They’d been married more than two years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/the-man-could-stop-her-heart-then-send-it-into-full-gallop-just-a/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [“She's grateful for what she was born with. She should be. It's an awesome face, a perfect face, an ethereal face. The kind people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/she-s-grateful-for-what-she-was-born-with-she-should-be-it-s-an/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [To become successful you don't need beautiful face,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/to-become-successful-you-don-t-need-beautiful-face/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [“I don’t know what I want … other than more of this. More of you.” Brock lifted her beautiful face on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-adrian/i-don-t-know-what-i-want-other-than-more-of-this-more-of-you-brock/) [Lara Adrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-adrian/) > [A good pump is a silhouette, like the bone structure of the face. It's like a beautiful face with no make-up. You can cover…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/a-good-pump-is-a-silhouette-like-the-bone-structure-of-the-face-it-s/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [I could be in the absolutely worst mood ever and not want to talk to anyone, but boy, do my feelings change when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-could-be-in-the-absolutely-worst-mood-ever-and-not-want-to-talk-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sea is the most beautiful face in our universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/the-sea-is-the-most-beautiful-face-in-our-universe/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [I want to be with you.” My words brought a hugegrin to his incredibly beautiful face. “You’re my present and my future,Sadie, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/i-want-to-be-with-you-my-words-brought-a-hugegrin-to-his-incredibly/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [Search A Beautiful Heart But Do Not Search A Beautiful Face. Beautiful Things Are Not Alwayes Good. But Good Thing Are Always Beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/search-a-beautiful-heart-but-do-not-search-a-beautiful-face-beautiful/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [People always say that I'm just a beautiful face. So immediately, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be recognized to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/people-always-say-that-i-m-just-a-beautiful-face-so-immediately-i/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [“We are here to witness the creation and abet it. We are here to notice each thing so each thing gets noticed. Together we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-are-here-to-witness-the-creation-and-abet-it-we-are-here-to-notice/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [If you have never seen beauty in a moment of suffering, you have never seen beauty at all. If you have never seen joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/if-you-have-never-seen-beauty-in-a-moment-of-suffering-you-have-never/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [“His vulnerability allowed me to let my guard down, and gently and methodically, he tore apart my well-constructed dam. Waves of tender feelings were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-houck/his-vulnerability-allowed-me-to-let-my-guard-down-and-gently-and/) [Colleen Houck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-houck/) > [It's the beautiful minds of this world that win over beautiful faces. They win hearts by winning minds...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-karina/it-s-the-beautiful-minds-of-this-world-that-win-over-beautiful-faces/) [Anna Karina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-karina/) Browse all 264 Beautiful face quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is foolish to wish for beauty.  Sensible people never either desire it for themselves or care about it in others.  If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior.  So said the teachers of our childhood; and so say we to the children of the present day.  All very judicious and proper, no doubt; but are such assertions supported by actual experience? We are naturally disposed to love what gives us pleasure, and what more pleasing than a beautiful face—when we know no harm of the possessor at least?  A little girl loves her bird—Why?  Because it lives and feels; because it is helpless and harmless?  A toad, likewise, lives and feels, and is equally helpless and harmless; but though she would not hurt a toad, she cannot love it like the bird, with its graceful form, soft feathers, and bright, speaking eyes.  If a woman is fair and amiable, she is praised for both qualities, but especially the former, by the bulk of mankind: if, on the other hand, she is disagreeable in person and character, her plainness is commonly inveighed against as her greatest crime, because, to common observers, it gives the greatest offence; while, if she is plain and good, provided she is a person of retired manners and secluded life, no one ever knows of her goodness, except her immediate connections.  Others, on the contrary, are disposed to form unfavourable opinions of her mind, and disposition, if it be but to excuse themselves for their instinctive dislike of one so unfavoured by nature; and visa versa with her whose angel form conceals a vicious heart, or sheds a false, deceitful charm over defects and foibles that would not be tolerated in another. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Brontë" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensible-people-never-either-desire-3/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful face" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensible-people-never-either-desire-3/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69d/anne-bronte-1444_beautiful-face_it-is-foolish-to-wish-for-beauty-sensibl_3125603.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is foolish to wish for beauty. 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