--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beauty is no quality in things…" description: "\"“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One perso..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/david-hume-538_beauty_beauty-is-no-quality-in-things-themselve_800659.jpg" --- # Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists… ![“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceive deformity, where another is sensible beauty; and every individual ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, without pretending to…” quote by David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/david-hume-538_beauty_beauty-is-no-quality-in-things-themselve_800659.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/david-hume-538_beauty_beauty-is-no-quality-in-things-themselve_800659.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e29/david-hume-538_beauty_beauty-is-no-quality-in-things-themselve_800659.jpg) > ““Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceive deformity, where another is sensible beauty; and every individual ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment, without pretending to regulate those of others. To seek the real beauty, or real deformity, is as fruitless an enquiry, as to pretend to ascertain the real sweet or real bitter.”” [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) ## 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 subjective, shaped by individual perception, not an objective property. **In simple terms:** Beauty depends on the viewer. Key Takeaway Accept diverse views of beauty. Themes subjectivity perception philosophy aesthetics Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - art criticism - personal relationships - design decisions Key Concepts relativism beauty standards mind‑body relation Questions to Reflect On - Do you think any standards can be universal? - How do personal biases affect your judgments? A Different Perspective Assuming subjectivity can ignore shared cultural values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-individual-2704390/) [Deformity Sensible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deformity-sensible-6131486/) [Different beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-beauty/) [Mind Perceives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-perceives-347113/) [Perceive Deformity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceive-deformity-6131485/) [Person Perceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-perceive-3428756/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Real beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-beauty/) ## Related quotes > [Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-is-no-quality-in-things-themselves-it-exists-merely-in-the-2/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Thus the same object may supply a practical perception to one person and a speculative one to another, or the same person may perceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alexander/thus-the-same-object-may-supply-a-practical-perception-to-one-person/) [Samuel Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alexander/) > [One person might perceive me as godlike, and the next might think I'm a northern thug. I don't think I've done myself any favours...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-brown/one-person-might-perceive-me-as-godlike-and-the-next-might-think-i-m/) [Ian Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-brown/) > [I believe that the core battle of our day is the battle to defend the inherent dignity of each and every person, the inherent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/i-believe-that-the-core-battle-of-our-day-is-the-battle-to-defend-the/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [Bear in mind that beauty is individual and personal, that the look and feeling you're after is one with which you can be comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/bear-in-mind-that-beauty-is-individual-and-personal-that-the-look-and/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [“I love people as I meet them one by one. People are just wonderful as individuals. You see the whole universe in their eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-love-people-as-i-meet-them-one-by-one-people-are-just-wonderful-as/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [The larger the group, the more toxic, the more of your beauty as an individual you have to surrender for the sake of group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-larger-the-group-the-more-toxic-the-more-of-your-beauty-as-an/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“Human lives are conmposed like music. Guided by his sense of beauty, an individual transforms a fortuitous occurrence into a motif, which then assumes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/human-lives-are-conmposed-like-music-guided-by-his-sense-of-beauty-an/) [milan kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“The mind perceives. The heart expresses. The soul experiences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/the-mind-perceives-the-heart-expresses-the-soul-experiences/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“There is no pretty, or ugly... There is only what the individual mind perceives~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sell/there-is-no-pretty-or-ugly-there-is-only-what-the-individual-mind/) [Aaron Sell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sell/) > [“You perceive the world with your five senses. When your mind perceives the world, then the world exists before you. But if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaori-ozaki/you-perceive-the-world-with-your-five-senses-when-your-mind-perceives/) [Kaori Ozaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaori-ozaki/) > [The mind that perceives the limitation is the limitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/the-mind-that-perceives-the-limitation-is-the-limitation/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [I imagine that whenever the mind perceives a mathematical idea, it makes contact with Plato's world of mathematical concepts... When mathematicians communicate, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/i-imagine-that-whenever-the-mind-perceives-a-mathematical-idea-it/) [Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/) > [The criterion and rule of the true is to have made it. Accordingly, our clear and distinct idea of the mind cannot be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-vico/the-criterion-and-rule-of-the-true-is-to-have-made-it-accordingly-our/) [Giambattista Vico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-vico/) > [Without memories to cloud it, the mind perceives with absolute clarity. Each observation stands out in stark relief. In the beginning, when there's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/without-memories-to-cloud-it-the-mind-perceives-with-absolute-clarity/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## More by David Hume > [“Beauty in things exists in the mind that contemplates them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-in-things-exists-in-the-mind-that-contemplates-them/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“It is impossible for us to think of any thing, which we have not antecedently felt, either by our external or internal senses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/it-is-impossible-for-us-to-think-of-any-thing-which-we-have-not/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [All morality depends upon our sentiments; and when any action or quality of the mind pleases us after a certain manner we say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/all-morality-depends-upon-our-sentiments-and-when-any-action-or/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [We may conclude, therefore, that, in order to establish laws for the regulation of property, we must be acquainted with the nature and situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-conclude-therefore-that-in-order-to-establish-laws-for-the/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The observation of human blindness and weakness is the result of all philosophy, and meets us at every turn, in spite of our endeavours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-observation-of-human-blindness-and-weakness-is-the-result-of-all/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The religious hypothesis, therefore, must be considered only as a particular method of accounting for the visible phenomena of the universe: but no just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-religious-hypothesis-therefore-must-be-considered-only-as-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [Manufacturers...gradually shift their places, leaving those countries and provinces which they have already enriched, and flying to others, whether they are allured by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/manufacturers-gradually-shift-their-places-leaving-those-countries/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [We may observe that, in displaying the praises of any humane, beneficent man, there is one circumstance which never fails to be amply insisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-observe-that-in-displaying-the-praises-of-any-humane/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“The most perfect happiness, surely, must arise from the contemplation of the most perfect object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-most-perfect-happiness-surely-must-arise-from-the-contemplation/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“They all make up new species of crime and bring unhappiness in their train. When I hear a man is religious , I conclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/they-all-make-up-new-species-of-crime-and-bring-unhappiness-in-their/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/there-is-not-to-be-found-in-all-history-any-miracle-attested-by-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [“But though there be naturally a wide difference in point of delicacy between one person and another, nothing tends further to encrease and improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-though-there-be-naturally-a-wide-difference-in-point-of-delicacy/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) [Explore all 487 David Hume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) ## 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": "“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty. 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