--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I believe that there is much less…" description: "\"I believe that there is much less difference between the author and his works than is currently supposed; it is usually in the physical appearance of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg" --- # I believe that there is much less difference between the… ![“I believe that there is much less difference between the author and his works than is currently supposed; it is usually in the physical appearance of the writer,--his manners, his mien, his exterior,--that he falls short of the ideal a reasonable man forms of him--rarely in his mind.” quote by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg) > “I believe that there is much less difference between the author and his works than is currently supposed; it is usually in the physical appearance of the writer,--his manners, his mien, his exterior,--that he falls short of the ideal a reasonable man forms of him--rarely in his mind.” [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical traits of a writer matter less than the ideas they convey. **In simple terms:** Ideas outweigh appearance. Key Takeaway Focus on content, not looks. Themes authorship perception identity Mood critical analytical Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - book reviews - author interviews - publishing decisions Key Concepts Literary criticism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you judge a writer’s work? - Can appearance ever be relevant? A Different Perspective Physical bias can still affect reception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) [Authorship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authorship/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Difference Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-author-3892155/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Exterior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exterior/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Forms Rarely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forms-rarely-2336930/) [I believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-believe/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Physical appearance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-appearance/) [Reasonable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable/) [Reasonable man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasonable-man/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writer Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer-manners-4258730/) ## Related quotes > [Inspiration takes many forms, but it's rarely pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilton-als/inspiration-takes-many-forms-but-it-s-rarely-pure/) [Hilton Als](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilton-als/) > [“There is a difference between an author and a writer. The author never gives up when things go wrong, but the writer does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-ashby/there-is-a-difference-between-an-author-and-a-writer-the-author-never/) [Millicent Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-ashby/) > [Obviously it makes a difference if an author has a public online profile of some sort, even just down to the level of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/obviously-it-makes-a-difference-if-an-author-has-a-public-online/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [The faults of a brilliant writer are never dangerous on the long run; a thousand people read his work who would read no other;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-faults-of-a-brilliant-writer-are-never-dangerous-on-the-long-run/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [He who writes prose builds his temple to Fame in rubble; he who writes verses builds it in granite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-who-writes-prose-builds-his-temple-to-fame-in-rubble-he-who-writes-2/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [We may observe in humorous authors that the faults they chiefly ridicule have often a likeness in themselves. Cervantes had much of the knight-errant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/we-may-observe-in-humorous-authors-that-the-faults-they-chiefly/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Certain I am that every author who has written a book with earnest forethought and fondly cherished designs will bear testimony to the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/certain-i-am-that-every-author-who-has-written-a-book-with-earnest/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [“However,he also found himself constantly stalked by marriage-minded mamas and their braying daughters, and, frankly, while he'd thought it rather amusing in a twisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/however-he-also-found-himself-constantly-stalked-by-marriage-minded/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [I want to be a reasonable man in an unreasonable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-to-be-a-reasonable-man-in-an-unreasonable-world/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [An act of God was defined as something which no reasonable man could have expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/an-act-of-god-was-defined-as-something-which-no-reasonable-man-could/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [“Sometimes, you simply must follow your heart," she said. "No reasonable man can blame you for that." A smile. "No reasonable woman can, either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts-jr/sometimes-you-simply-must-follow-your-heart-she-said-no-reasonable/) [Leonard Pitts Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts-jr/) > [The essential tendency of life is toward happiness . . . . Optimism is the only true condition for a reasonable man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-essential-tendency-of-life-is-toward-happiness-optimism-is-the/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [The most reasonable man always manages, when he pulls the trigger, to become a dispenser of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/the-most-reasonable-man-always-manages-when-he-pulls-the-trigger-to/) [Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/) > [Time, which wears down and diminishes all things, augments and increases good deeds, because a good turn liberally offered to a reasonable man grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-rabelais/time-which-wears-down-and-diminishes-all-things-augments-and/) [Francois Rabelais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-rabelais/) > [“He’d parted reluctantly from Amily, thinking again with envy of Lena and Bear. One thing that they hadn’t been forced to deal with during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/he-d-parted-reluctantly-from-amily-thinking-again-with-envy-of-lena/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) ## More by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton > [Only by the candle, held in the skeleton hand of Poverty, can man read his own dark heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/only-by-the-candle-held-in-the-skeleton-hand-of-poverty-can-man-read/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Law dies, books never.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/law-dies-books-never/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [It is a very high mind to which gratitude is not a painful sensation. If you wish to please, you will find it wiser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/it-is-a-very-high-mind-to-which-gratitude-is-not-a-painful-sensation/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The same refinement which brings us new pleasures exposes us to new pains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-same-refinement-which-brings-us-new-pleasures-exposes-us-to-new/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Earnest men never think in vain, though their thoughts may be errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/earnest-men-never-think-in-vain-though-their-thoughts-may-be-errors/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Philosophers have done wisely when they have told us to cultivate our reason rather than our feelings, for reason reconciles us to the daily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/philosophers-have-done-wisely-when-they-have-told-us-to-cultivate-our/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [He that fancies himself very enlightened, because he sees the deficiencies of others, may be very ignorant, because he has not studied his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-that-fancies-himself-very-enlightened-because-he-sees-the/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [I did not fall into love - I rose into love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-did-not-fall-into-love-i-rose-into-love/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Nothing ages like laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/nothing-ages-like-laziness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [Each man forms his duty according to his predominant characteristic; the stern require an avenging judge; the gentle, a forgiving father. Just so the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/each-man-forms-his-duty-according-to-his-predominant-characteristic/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [What's money without happiness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/what-s-money-without-happiness/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The more a man desirous to pass at a value above his worth can contrast, by dignified silence, the garrulity of trivial minds, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-more-a-man-desirous-to-pass-at-a-value-above-his-worth-can/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [He who esteems trifles for themselves is a trifler; he who esteems them for the conclusions to be drawn from them, or the advantage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/he-who-esteems-trifles-for-themselves-is-a-trifler-he-who-esteems/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [The strong and virtuous admit no destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/the-strong-and-virtuous-admit-no-destiny/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) [Explore all 337 Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) [Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appearance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I believe that there is much less difference between the author and his works than is currently supposed; it is usually in the physical appearance of the writer,--his manners, his mien, his exterior,--that he falls short of the ideal a reasonable man forms of him--rarely in his mind.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-difference-between-the-author-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appearance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-difference-between-the-author-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/057/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron_appearance_i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-differ_2110678.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I believe that there is much less difference between the author and his works than is currently supposed; it…” — Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton", "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": "Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I believe that there is much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-difference-between-the-author-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/i-believe-that-there-is-much-less-difference-between-the-author-and/#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 } } ] } ```