---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such thing as beauty…"
description: "\"“There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face.”\" — Charles Bukowski"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg"
---

#  There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human…

![“There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face.” quote by Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg)

> ““There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face.””

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## 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 not an inherent quality, especially in human faces, suggesting that aesthetic value is subjective and often constructed by cultural standards.

**In simple terms:** Beauty is subjective, not inherent.

Key Takeaway

Question societal standards of beauty.

Themes

beauty subjectivity culture humanity perception

Mood

critical contemplative skeptical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- media representation
- self‑image
- art criticism
- social media
- interpersonal interactions

Key Concepts

aesthetics social constructivism philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define beauty beyond appearance?
- What influences shape your perception of attractiveness?

A Different Perspective

Some may find beauty in faces despite cultural narratives.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Especially](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-especially-2369998/) [Especially Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/especially-human-2077199/) [Face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face/) [Human face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-face/) [Thing Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-beauty/)

## Related quotes

> [“Habits are hard to let go, especially if they are human beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani-wordions/habits-are-hard-to-let-go-especially-if-they-are-human-beings/)

[Drishti Bablani, Wordions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani-wordions/)

> [She had a way of seeing the beauty in others, even, and perhaps most especially, when that person couldn't see it in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-had-a-way-of-seeing-the-beauty-in-others-even-and-perhaps-most/)

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

> [“There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face… what we call the physiognomy. It’s all a mathematical and imagined alignment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especially-in-the-human-face-what-we/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Four days alone with nothing. Emerge empowered. The first human face you see will knock you back 50%.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/four-days-alone-with-nothing-emerge-empowered-the-first-human-face/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I wanted to put a human face on anxiety disorders. I thought people who suffer from anxiety might recognize themselves and gain some comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/i-wanted-to-put-a-human-face-on-anxiety-disorders-i-thought-people/)

[Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/)

> [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/)

[Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/)

> [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/)

> [My favorite thing about beauty and fashion in all seasons is that it's a way to reinvent ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannie-mai/my-favorite-thing-about-beauty-and-fashion-in-all-seasons-is-that-it/)

[Jeannie Mai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannie-mai/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy till sunrise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-till-sunrise/)

[Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/)

> [“This thing of Beauty is a Guilt forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/this-thing-of-beauty-is-a-guilt-forever/)

[Irene Nemirovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/)

> [In our society, women are valued for their sexual attraction. I'd like to get away from the sex symbol idea of what beauty is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/in-our-society-women-are-valued-for-their-sexual-attraction-i-d-like/)

[Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/)

> [If you admire yourself in the mirror, let it be in fear and not delight, because the only thing that beauty will bring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelie-nothomb/if-you-admire-yourself-in-the-mirror-let-it-be-in-fear-and-not/)

[Amelie Nothomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelie-nothomb/)

> [Where there are obstacles, a thing of beauty has a miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/where-there-are-obstacles-a-thing-of-beauty-has-a-miracle/)

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

> [The most liberating thing about beauty is realizing you are the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/the-most-liberating-thing-about-beauty-is-realizing-you-are-the/)

[Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/)

> [O love, what strange and wonderful fits: one sole thing, one beauty alone, can give me life and deprive me of wits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspara-stampa/o-love-what-strange-and-wonderful-fits-one-sole-thing-one-beauty/)

[Gaspara Stampa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspara-stampa/)

## More by Charles Bukowski

> [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [well, death says, as he walks by, I'm going to get you anyhow no matter what you've been: writer, cab-driver, pimp, butcher, sky-diver, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/well-death-says-as-he-walks-by-i-m-going-to-get-you-anyhow-no-matter/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“There is only one place to write and that is alone at a typewriter. A writer who has to go into the streets is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-only-one-place-to-write-and-that-is-alone-at-a-typewriter-a/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [Even the stove and the refrigerator looked human, I mean good human - they seemed to have arms and voices and they said, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/even-the-stove-and-the-refrigerator-looked-human-i-mean-good-human/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“nerves twitching in the sheets -- to face the sunlight again, that's clearly trouble. I like the city better when the neon lights are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/nerves-twitching-in-the-sheets-to-face-the-sunlight-again-that-s/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Their Love Is Average, Seeks Average But There Is Genius In Their Hatred”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/their-love-is-average-seeks-average-but-there-is-genius-in-their/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I climbed the stairway (there was no elevator) and put the key in. The door swung open. Somebody had changed all the furniture around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-climbed-the-stairway-there-was-no-elevator-and-put-the-key-in-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I was like a turd that drew flies instead of like a flower that butterflies and bees desired. I wanted to live alone,I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-was-like-a-turd-that-drew-flies-instead-of-like-a-flower-that/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [It's 4:30 in the morning, it's always 4:30 in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/it-s-4-30-in-the-morning-it-s-always-4-30-in-the-morning/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I had no feeling for the things so many others needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-had-no-feeling-for-the-things-so-many-others-needed/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“I am sick with caring.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-am-sick-with-caring/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [I went home each night dizzy and sick. He was murdering me with the sound of his voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-went-home-each-night-dizzy-and-sick-he-was-murdering-me-with-the/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

> [“the nights you fight best are when all the weapons are pointed at you, when all the voices hurl their insults while the dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/the-nights-you-fight-best-are-when-all-the-weapons-are-pointed-at-you/)

[Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

[Explore all 1,492 Charles Bukowski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [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/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [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/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

[Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/)

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Bukowski"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especially-in-the-human-face/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especially-in-the-human-face/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/charles-bukowski-73_beauty_there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especia_1434583.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no such thing as beauty, especially in the human face.” — Charles Bukowski",
                "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 Bukowski",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“There is no such thing as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especially-in-the-human-face/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-is-no-such-thing-as-beauty-especially-in-the-human-face/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
