---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea of beauty which man creates for…"
description: "\"The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg"
---

#  The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints…

![“The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture, and in the long run even ends by subtly penetrating the very features of his face. Man ends by looking like his ideal self. These engravings can…” quote by Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg)

> “The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture, and in the long run even ends by subtly penetrating the very features of his face. Man ends by looking like his ideal self. These engravings can be translated either into beauty or ugliness; in one direction, they become caricatures, in the other, antique statues.”

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

## About This Quote

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

Our aesthetic ideals shape our appearance and behavior, eventually reflecting on our very faces.

**In simple terms:** Beauty we create molds our look and actions.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate mindful ideals.

Themes

self‑image beauty identity self‑expression

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- fashion choices
- personal grooming
- public speaking
- artistic creation

Key Concepts

aesthetic influence psychology of appearance social perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What ideals are you embodying?
- How do your choices reveal your inner self?

A Different Perspective

Idealizing can lead to superficiality or loss of authenticity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Antiques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiques/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Caricatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caricatures/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Gestures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gestures/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Long runs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-runs/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Rounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rounds/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Ugliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugliness/)

## Related quotes

> [Any extraordinary degree of beauty in man or woman involves a moral charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/any-extraordinary-degree-of-beauty-in-man-or-woman-involves-a-moral/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [“And yes, even in the poor lighting, I could see that she was beautiful—in a deadly way—and that struck me too. Her pictures hadn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/and-yes-even-in-the-poor-lighting-i-could-see-that-she-was-beautiful/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [Energy is more attractive than beauty in a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/energy-is-more-attractive-than-beauty-in-a-man/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [The mate for beauty should be a man and not a money-chest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-mate-for-beauty-should-be-a-man-and-not-a-money-chest/)

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

> [“The source of beauty in a man, It is humbleness and grace; Equality is the pearl of a king, Justice his scepter; Salvation is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-attia/the-source-of-beauty-in-a-man-it-is-humbleness-and-grace-equality-is/)

[Stephan Attia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-attia/)

> [“Each man must seek for himself the people who hold the essential beauty, and each man must eventually say to himself as I do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/each-man-must-seek-for-himself-the-people-who-hold-the-essential/)

[Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/)

> [The idea which man forms of beauty imprints itself throughout his attire, rumples or stiffens his garments, rounds off or aligns his gestures, and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-idea-which-man-forms-of-beauty-imprints-itself-throughout-his/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Paris, like every pretty woman, is subject to inexplicable whims of beauty and ugliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/paris-like-every-pretty-woman-is-subject-to-inexplicable-whims-of/)

[Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/)

> [The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-beauty-or-ugliness-of-a-character-lay-not-only-in-its/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [Whats beauty anyway but ugliness if it hurts you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-toomer/whats-beauty-anyway-but-ugliness-if-it-hurts-you/)

[Jean Toomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-toomer/)

> [I prefer ugliness to beauty, because ugliness endures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-gainsbourg/i-prefer-ugliness-to-beauty-because-ugliness-endures/)

[Serge Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-gainsbourg/)

> [“There’s beauty and there’s ugliness. You have to love both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-harner/there-s-beauty-and-there-s-ugliness-you-have-to-love-both/)

[Sandra Harner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-harner/)

> [“Truth is Bitter &amp; It's the Real Beauty in Ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gollapalli-nithin-kumar/truth-is-bitter-it-s-the-real-beauty-in-ugliness/)

Gollapalli Nithin Kumar

> [“You have to look past the beauty to see the ugliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nath-jones/you-have-to-look-past-the-beauty-to-see-the-ugliness/)

Nath Jones

> [Beauty and ugliness are only possible in the light. Common sense also survives in the dark. So do crassness, ignorance, dumbness!...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/beauty-and-ugliness-are-only-possible-in-the-light-common-sense-also/)

[Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/)

## More by Charles Baudelaire

> [Who would dare assign to art the sterile function of imitating nature?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/who-would-dare-assign-to-art-the-sterile-function-of-imitating-nature/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”—Charles Baudelaire “The second greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-was-convincing-the-world-he/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“This life is a hospital in which each patient is possessed by the desire to change beds. One wants to suffer in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/this-life-is-a-hospital-in-which-each-patient-is-possessed-by-the/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [There is no such thing as a long piece of work, except one that you dare not start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-long-piece-of-work-except-one-that-you/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [But the true voyagers are only those who leave Just to be leaving; hearts light, like balloons, They never turn aside from their fatality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-the-true-voyagers-are-only-those-who-leave-just-to-be-leaving/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Amer savoir, celui qu'on tire du voyage! Bitter is the knowledge gained in travelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/amer-savoir-celui-qu-on-tire-du-voyage-bitter-is-the-knowledge-gained/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“Car je cherche le vide, el le noir, el le nu!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/car-je-cherche-le-vide-el-le-noir-el-le-nu/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“I can barely conceive a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/i-can-barely-conceive-a-type-of-beauty-in-which-there-is-no-melancholy/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [The vices of man, as full of horror as one might suppose them to be, contain the proof (if in nothing else but their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-vices-of-man-as-full-of-horror-as-one-might-suppose-them-to-be/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Multitude, solitude: equal and interchangeable terms for the active and prolific poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/multitude-solitude-equal-and-interchangeable-terms-for-the-active-and/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Any healthy man can go without food for two days - but not without poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/any-healthy-man-can-go-without-food-for-two-days-but-not-without/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Drink wine, drink poetry, drink virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/drink-wine-drink-poetry-drink-virtue/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [Man loves man so much that when he flees the city, it is still to seek the crowd, that is, to rebuild the city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/man-loves-man-so-much-that-when-he-flees-the-city-it-is-still-to-seek/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“—But why is she weeping? She, the perfect beauty, Who could put at her feet the conquered human race, What secret malady gnaws at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/but-why-is-she-weeping-she-the-perfect-beauty-who-could-put-at-her/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

[Explore all 454 Charles Baudelaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

## More Antiques quotes

> [“The spectacle shop was old, long, and narrow, with a glass front and a small thin door that opened onto a somewhat busy avenue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-alexander/the-spectacle-shop-was-old-long-and-narrow-with-a-glass-front-and-a/)

K. M. Alexander

> [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/)

Micky Barnetti

> [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/)

[John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/)

> [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. Some of the books were antiques for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-berenger/i-had-already-done-a-lot-of-research-for-rough-riders-keeping/)

[Tom Berenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-berenger/)

> [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/)

[Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/)

> [“The problem: If you've an antique for sale, then, sad to relate, the world isn't your oyster. It's not that easy. Even if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gash/the-problem-if-you-ve-an-antique-for-sale-then-sad-to-relate-the/)

[Jonathan Gash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gash/)

> [I was being ridiculed for going to school... But, you see, I had looked hard at the other musicians and the whole show-business scene...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-byrd/i-was-being-ridiculed-for-going-to-school-but-you-see-i-had-looked/)

[Donald Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-byrd/)

> [I think when you get interested in antiques, the most frustrating thing is that books don't have enough photos. When you go to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-miller/i-think-when-you-get-interested-in-antiques-the-most-frustrating/)

[Judith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-miller/)

> [Thou fool! Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom; that idle crag thou sittest on is six thousand years of age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/thou-fool-nature-alone-is-antique-and-the-oldest-art-a-mushroom-that/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [I shop at thrift stores a lot. I have a lot of silver pitchers and I put my flowers in those. I collect antiques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/i-shop-at-thrift-stores-a-lot-i-have-a-lot-of-silver-pitchers-and-i/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [You know what, maybe I just want a different kind of life. Maybe I want to open an antique store and coffee shop, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aya-cash/you-know-what-maybe-i-just-want-a-different-kind-of-life-maybe-i-want/)

[Aya Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aya-cash/)

> [I always fish out antique ideas, very old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-always-fish-out-antique-ideas-very-old-ideas/)

[Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/)

> [Force yourself to write down what is of no interest, what is most obvious, most common, most colourless...antique shops, clothes, hi-fi, etc. Don't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-perec/force-yourself-to-write-down-what-is-of-no-interest-what-is-most/)

[Georges Perec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-perec/)

[Browse all 203 Antiques quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiques/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens his dress, rounds off or squares his gesture, and in the long run even ends by subtly penetrating the very features of his face. Man ends by looking like his ideal self. These engravings can be translated either into beauty or ugliness; in one direction, they become caricatures, in the other, antique statues.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Baudelaire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for-himself-imprints-itself-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Antiques"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for-himself-imprints-itself-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/225/charles-baudelaire-473_antiques_the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for_1226103.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The idea of beauty which man creates for himself imprints itself on his whole attire, crumples or stiffens…” — Charles Baudelaire",
                "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": "Charles Baudelaire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The idea of beauty which man...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for-himself-imprints-itself-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-idea-of-beauty-which-man-creates-for-himself-imprints-itself-on/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
