--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No glass renders a man's form or likeness…" description: "\"No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his speech.\" — Ben Jonson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png" --- # No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his… ![“No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his speech.” quote by Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png) > “No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his speech.” [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speech reveals a person's true character better than any visual representation. **In simple terms:** Words show true self. Key Takeaway Listen to what people say. Themes honesty communication perception Mood skeptical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - interviews - debates - personal relationships - leadership Key Concepts identity verbal expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify someone's words? - When have words misled you? A Different Perspective Words can be deceptive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glasses/) [Likeness True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likeness-true-5248006/) [Man Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-form-2588227/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Renders Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/renders-man-5248007/) [Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speech/) [True Speech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-speech-3127072/) ## Related quotes > [Language most shows a man; speak that I may see thee; it springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/language-most-shows-a-man-speak-that-i-may-see-thee-it-springs-out-of/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [“Here is the truth: God made us with our eyes open in his “likeness,” which is our true identity. But Satan and people like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/here-is-the-truth-god-made-us-with-our-eyes-open-in-his-likeness/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [The true speech of man is idiomatic, if not of the earth and sky, then at least of the saloon and the bleachers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-true-speech-of-man-is-idiomatic-if-not-of-the-earth-and-sky-then/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [“Man, as a form, bears within him the eternal principle of being, and by economic movement along his endless path his form is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazimir-severinovich-malevich/man-as-a-form-bears-within-him-the-eternal-principle-of-being-and-by/) [Kazimir Severinovich Malevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazimir-severinovich-malevich/) > [A man is a form of life that dreams in order to act and acts in order to dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/a-man-is-a-form-of-life-that-dreams-in-order-to-act-and-acts-in-order/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [Government of man by man in every form is oppression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/government-of-man-by-man-in-every-form-is-oppression/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no better deliverance from the world than through art, and a man can form no surer bond with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/there-is-no-better-deliverance-from-the-world-than-through-art-and-a-2/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The man form is higher than the angel form; of all forms it is the highest. Man is the highest being in creation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-man-form-is-higher-than-the-angel-form-of-all-forms-it-is-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [There is many a monster who wears the form of a man; it is better of the two to have the heart of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-many-a-monster-who-wears-the-form-of-a-man-it-is-better-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh, impertinent, and irksome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/all-discourses-but-my-own-afflict-me-they-seem-harsh-impertinent-and/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [I feel sorry for Obama because he's still got to fight the innate racism of Americans. 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Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by Ben Jonson > [Soul of the Age! The applause! delight! the wonder of our stage! My Shakespeare, rise; I will not lodge thee by Chaucer, or Spenser,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/soul-of-the-age-the-applause-delight-the-wonder-of-our-stage-my/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Ambition, like a torrent, never looks back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/ambition-like-a-torrent-never-looks-back/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Heaven prepares good men with crosses; but no ill can happen to a good man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/heaven-prepares-good-men-with-crosses-but-no-ill-can-happen-to-a-good/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [The dignity of truth is lost with much protesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-dignity-of-truth-is-lost-with-much-protesting/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [True melancholy breeds your perfect fine wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/true-melancholy-breeds-your-perfect-fine-wit/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Leave a kiss but in the cup, and I'll not look for wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/leave-a-kiss-but-in-the-cup-and-i-ll-not-look-for-wine/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [All discourses but my own afflict me; they seem harsh, impertinent, and irksome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/all-discourses-but-my-own-afflict-me-they-seem-harsh-impertinent-and/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [“drink to the cause, and pure vapours”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/drink-to-the-cause-and-pure-vapours/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Spread yourself upon his bosom publicly, whose heart you would eat in private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/spread-yourself-upon-his-bosom-publicly-whose-heart-you-would-eat-in/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [That old bald cheater, Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/that-old-bald-cheater-time/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Rich apparel has strange virtues; it makes him that hath it without means esteemed for an excellent wit; he that enjoys it with means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/rich-apparel-has-strange-virtues-it-makes-him-that-hath-it-without/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Each petty hand Can steer a ship becalm'd; but he that will Govern and carry her to her ends, must know His tides, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/each-petty-hand-can-steer-a-ship-becalm-d-but-he-that-will-govern-and/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [The way to rise is to obey and please.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-way-to-rise-is-to-obey-and-please/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [The covetous man never has money. The prodigal will have none shortly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/the-covetous-man-never-has-money-the-prodigal-will-have-none-shortly/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) > [Fortune, that favors fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/fortune-that-favors-fools/) [Ben Jonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) [Explore all 249 Ben Jonson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. 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Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/) [Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/) > [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/) [Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/) > [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/) [Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/) > [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? 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No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/) [Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/) [Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his speech.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ben Jonson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likeness-so-true-as-his-speech/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communication" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likeness-so-true-as-his-speech/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d3d/ben-jonson-1371_communication_no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likenes_1456037.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No glass renders a man's form or likeness so true as his speech.” — Ben Jonson", "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": "Ben Jonson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-jonson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No glass renders a man's form...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likeness-so-true-as-his-speech/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-jonson/no-glass-renders-a-man-s-form-or-likeness-so-true-as-his-speech/#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 } } ] } ```