---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was surprised at how much the genuine…"
description: "\"“I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me feel like a monk. I would remember that—that the details mattered, not just in how you looked,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png"
---

#  I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me…

![“I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me feel like a monk. I would remember that—that the details mattered, not just in how you looked, but in how you felt, in the kind of unconscious vibe you emanated and that people might key on one way or the other.” quote by Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png)

> ““I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me feel like a monk. I would remember that—that the details mattered, not just in how you looked, but in how you felt, in the kind of unconscious vibe you emanated and that people might key on one way or the other.””

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attention to clothing details influences self‑perception and the subtle signals we send to others.

**In simple terms:** How you dress shapes how you feel and how others read you.

Key Takeaway

Mindful dressing can boost confidence and presence.

Themes

self‑image presentation confidence

Mood

reflective insightful

Type

advice observational

When to use this quote

- job interview
- first date
- public speaking
- networking

Key Concepts

psychology of clothing social signaling

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your wardrobe affect your mood?
- Do you judge others by their attire?

A Different Perspective

Style alone cannot compensate for lack of competence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authenticity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/)

## Related quotes

> [The first thing I think about is music, and the last thing I think about is music. I'm like some Monk. I don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-first-thing-i-think-about-is-music-and-the-last-thing-i-think/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [“The man lived like a monk. And made love like a sinner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/the-man-lived-like-a-monk-and-made-love-like-a-sinner/)

[Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/)

> [Being an actor is like being a monk: you have got to be dedicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jason/being-an-actor-is-like-being-a-monk-you-have-got-to-be-dedicated/)

[David Jason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jason/)

> [“I’m like a praying mantis, except not so devout. And I make love like a monk in meditation, which can often be confused with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-like-a-praying-mantis-except-not-so-devout-and-i-make-love-like-a/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [But I really want to be an artist, so therefore I have to live a little bit like a monk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lone/but-i-really-want-to-be-an-artist-so-therefore-i-have-to-live-a/)

[John Lone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lone/)

> [I'm like a monk with a taste for hookers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-m-like-a-monk-with-a-taste-for-hookers/)

[Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/)

> [Without sounding too pretentious, I feel my job is almost like becoming a monk or a nun - it's a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/without-sounding-too-pretentious-i-feel-my-job-is-almost-like/)

[Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/)

> [“There weren't any promises of a future life together, either, but he didn't need to live like a monk anymore. Two years was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-york/there-weren-t-any-promises-of-a-future-life-together-either-but-he/)

[Zoe York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-york/)

> [“Divinity is not playful. The universe was not made in jest but in solemn, incomprehensible earnest. By a power that is unfathomably secret, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/divinity-is-not-playful-the-universe-was-not-made-in-jest-but-in-2/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [I think I would like to be a monk. I really considered Catholicism a few years ago, but there were some things that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-think-i-would-like-to-be-a-monk-i-really-considered-catholicism-a/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [I think I would like to be a monk. I really considered Catholicism a few years ago, but there were some things that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-think-i-would-like-to-be-a-monk-i-really-considered-catholicism-a-2/)

[Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/)

> [“He looked at her. There was something about her. When he was with her he felt happy, excited; when he was apart from her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-mones/he-looked-at-her-there-was-something-about-her-when-he-was-with-her/)

[Nicole Mones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-mones/)

> [What made the biggest difference to how I looked and felt was cutting out all sugar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-flack/what-made-the-biggest-difference-to-how-i-looked-and-felt-was-cutting/)

[Caroline Flack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-flack/)

> [Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/janie-looked-down-on-him-and-felt-a-self-crushing-love-so-her-soul/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [“She looked at him. He saw her tendrils of damp hair. He looked off, but he had never felt this thing so deep before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-fisher/she-looked-at-him-he-saw-her-tendrils-of-damp-hair-he-looked-off-but/)

[Karen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-fisher/)

## More by Barry Eisler

> [“But, like all indulgences that are valued not just for their product but for their process, the sento will never entirely disappear. For in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/but-like-all-indulgences-that-are-valued-not-just-for-their-product/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“She’s a bargirl. You don’t know where her loyalties lie. That one was unconvincing. No one had directed her against me—I was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/she-s-a-bargirl-you-don-t-know-where-her-loyalties-lie-that-one-was/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“In my unpleasant experience, unarmed against a knife, you’ve basically got four options. Your best bet is to run like hell, if you can.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/in-my-unpleasant-experience-unarmed-against-a-knife-you-ve-basically/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“That I was apparently into body building at all at this stage in my life probably meant affairs with young women, for whom a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/that-i-was-apparently-into-body-building-at-all-at-this-stage-in-my/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“Immediately the sounds of the street below grew detached, distant, the meaningless echoes of urban voices whose urgent notes reached but held no sway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/immediately-the-sounds-of-the-street-below-grew-detached-distant-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I heard laughter and looked up. Some kids at the terminal next to me, playing an online game. I wondered for a moment how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-heard-laughter-and-looked-up-some-kids-at-the-terminal-next-to-me/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I shifted my head slightly. The corners of our mouths brushed together. I felt her breath on my cheek. Then we were kissing. Her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-shifted-my-head-slightly-the-corners-of-our-mouths-brushed-together/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I looked at her. Why was it her question seemed suffused with double entendre? She was attractive, of course, more than attractive, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-looked-at-her-why-was-it-her-question-seemed-suffused-with-double/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I realized my knowledge of that potentially damning evidence gave Delilah a reason to want me out of the way. “Out of the way”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-realized-my-knowledge-of-that-potentially-damning-evidence-gave/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“I picked up the earthen cup and went to take a sip. “Not like that,” Miyamoto said. “Let it cool a little. Give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-picked-up-the-earthen-cup-and-went-to-take-a-sip-not-like-that/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“It seemed he’d recently learned the value of playing up the difficulty of accomplishing whatever he was tasked with, the better to play the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-seemed-he-d-recently-learned-the-value-of-playing-up-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [“Yukiko walked over, her mouth stretching into a feline grin at the sight of Murakami. Naomi followed a moment later. She was wearing another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/yukiko-walked-over-her-mouth-stretching-into-a-feline-grin-at-the/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [It would be awesome to be so impressive that we could sway people to our way of thinking just by declaiming our thoughts, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/it-would-be-awesome-to-be-so-impressive-that-we-could-sway-people-to/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

[Explore all 305 Barry Eisler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

## More Authenticity quotes

> [“the property that grounded the self in Romanticism was sincerity, and in modernism was authenticity, then in postmod ernism it is visibility.10”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-property-that-grounded-the-self-in-romanticism-was-sincerity-and/)

[Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/)

> [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Real artists offer authenticity, not just money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhymefest/real-artists-offer-authenticity-not-just-money/)

[Rhymefest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhymefest/)

> [“I figure the more people think I'm just mildly weird, the less likely they are to know how weird I really am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-hooyenga/i-figure-the-more-people-think-i-m-just-mildly-weird-the-less-likely/)

Melanie Hooyenga

> [I think people can read authenticity and they know when you're involved and when you're just slapping your name on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/i-think-people-can-read-authenticity-and-they-know-when-you-re/)

[La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/)

> [“I strive for authenticity even though it brings with it vulnerability and the inevitable judgment of others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-r-w-lee/i-strive-for-authenticity-even-though-it-brings-with-it-vulnerability/)

[L.R.W. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-r-w-lee/)

> [Children go where they find sincerity and authenticity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-cantona/children-go-where-they-find-sincerity-and-authenticity/)

[Eric Cantona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-cantona/)

> [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/)

[Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/)

> [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/)

[Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/)

> [Anything that I ever do is from the heart and authentic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belinda-carlisle/anything-that-i-ever-do-is-from-the-heart-and-authentic/)

[Belinda Carlisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belinda-carlisle/)

> [What I love about Nivea is they're all about authenticity. The brand isn't pretending to be anything it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-virtue/what-i-love-about-nivea-is-they-re-all-about-authenticity-the-brand/)

[Tessa Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-virtue/)

> [There is nothing which so certifies the genuineness of a man's faith as his patience and his patient endurance, his keeping on steadily in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-which-so-certifies-the-genuineness-of-a-man-s-faith/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you're really famous, there's very little authenticity in people, so you prefer the company of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/when-you-re-really-famous-there-s-very-little-authenticity-in-people/)

[Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/)

> [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [No man knows the genuineness of his convictions until he has sacrificed something for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/no-man-knows-the-genuineness-of-his-convictions-until-he-has/)

[Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/)

[Browse all 1,437 Authenticity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authenticity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me feel like a monk. I would remember that—that the details mattered, not just in how you looked, but in how you felt, in the kind of unconscious vibe you emanated and that people might key on one way or the other.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barry Eisler"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine-clothes-made-me-feel-like-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authenticity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine-clothes-made-me-feel-like-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/378/barry-eisler-1009_authenticity_i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine_413137.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was surprised at how much the genuine clothes made me feel like a monk. I would remember that—that the…” — Barry Eisler",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barry Eisler",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I was surprised at how much...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine-clothes-made-me-feel-like-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-was-surprised-at-how-much-the-genuine-clothes-made-me-feel-like-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
