--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Joy is the best makeup. But a little…" description: "\"Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close runner-up.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/anne-lamott-188_joy_joy-is-the-best-makeup-but-a-little-lips_2807619.png" --- # Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close… ![“Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close runner-up.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/anne-lamott-188_joy_joy-is-the-best-makeup-but-a-little-lips_2807619.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/anne-lamott-188_joy_joy-is-the-best-makeup-but-a-little-lips_2807619.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/anne-lamott-188_joy_joy-is-the-best-makeup-but-a-little-lips_2807619.png) > “Joy is the best makeup. But a little lipstick is a close runner-up.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compares joy to makeup, suggesting a little lipstick can be a close substitute for happiness. **In simple terms:** Joy is like makeup; a small touch can uplift. Key Takeaway Use small pleasures to boost mood. Themes joy beauty self‑care Mood lighthearted encouraging Type essay inspirational When to use this quote - daily rituals - self‑expression - mental health Key Concepts psychology of happiness self‑image Questions to Reflect On - What small act lifts your spirits? - How can you cultivate lasting joy? A Different Perspective Superficial fixes don’t replace deeper fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Makeup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/makeup/) [Runner up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner-up/) [Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runners/) ## Related quotes > [“Beauty comes from how you treat people and how you behave. But if a little lipstick makes you smile, then you should wear it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gornall/beauty-comes-from-how-you-treat-people-and-how-you-behave-but-if-a/) [Louise Gornall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gornall/) > [I am absolutely delighted to have come second. Who cares about winning when you can be second? I love being runner-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-weiskopf/i-am-absolutely-delighted-to-have-come-second-who-cares-about-winning/) Tom Weiskopf > [Having waited my entire life to get an award for something, anything...I now get awards all the time for being mentally ill. It’s better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/having-waited-my-entire-life-to-get-an-award-for-something-anything-i/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Well, fortunately we found out that the runner-up our particular year was going to get a record contract also. So it was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-aiken/well-fortunately-we-found-out-that-the-runner-up-our-particular-year/) [Clay Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-aiken/) > [It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you better be running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abe-gubegna/it-doesn-t-matter-whether-you-are-a-lion-or-a-gazelle-when-the-sun/) Abe Gubegna > [What happened to the winner" Adina asked. "She tripped." "And the first runner-up?" Miss Michigan cracked her knuckles. "She tripped, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/what-happened-to-the-winner-adina-asked-she-tripped-and-the-first/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [The fact is, you can't marry the best when you're dating the runner-up. While you're searching for Mr. Right, don't settle for Mr. Right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/the-fact-is-you-can-t-marry-the-best-when-you-re-dating-the-runner-up/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [You have to bear in mind that Mr. Autry's favorite horse was named Champion. He ain't ever had one called Runner Up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-mauch/you-have-to-bear-in-mind-that-mr-autry-s-favorite-horse-was-named/) [Gene Mauch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-mauch/) > [I'm not a director that's about precision and control and perfection, I'm about creating an atmosphere that's organic and interesting and then letting people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gordon-green/i-m-not-a-director-that-s-about-precision-and-control-and-perfection/) [David Gordon Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gordon-green/) > [You have an advantage if you win. I always think it's best to be remembered as a winner rather than as the runner-up. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/you-have-an-advantage-if-you-win-i-always-think-it-s-best-to-be/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) > [And, just for good measure, here are a handful of runners up: For now the seventh summer carries you, A wanderer, across the lands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/and-just-for-good-measure-here-are-a-handful-of-runners-up-for-now/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [If this is what you do to the winner, I'd hate to see how you treat the runner up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/if-this-is-what-you-do-to-the-winner-i-d-hate-to-see-how-you-treat/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [In war there is no second prize for the runner-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-n-bradley/in-war-there-is-no-second-prize-for-the-runner-up/) [Omar N. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-n-bradley/) > [Joy is the best makeup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/joy-is-the-best-makeup/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Ever notice how some of your friends look best with no makeup at all? No matter your age, too much makeup makes you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ever-notice-how-some-of-your-friends-look-best-with-no-makeup-at-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Joy quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“When you finally realize your gifts and talents, joy and satisfaction come as you walk in your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/when-you-finally-realize-your-gifts-and-talents-joy-and-satisfaction/) [Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [Safin, in his way, is very talented. It is a joy to watch them play; it is tennis of a very high quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krajicek/safin-in-his-way-is-very-talented-it-is-a-joy-to-watch-them-play-it/) [Richard Krajicek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krajicek/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) [Browse all 15,003 Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Joy is the best makeup. 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