--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Dignity is often a veil between us and…" description: "\"Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of things.\" — Edwin Percy Whipple" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg" --- # Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of… ![“Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of things.” quote by Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg) > “Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of things.” [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Dignity hides deeper truths, preventing us from seeing reality plainly. **In simple terms:** Dignity can obscure true understanding. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about dignity’s role. Themes philosophy self‑perception truth Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - ethical debates - cultural critique Key Concepts existentialism social psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does dignity influence our judgments? - Can humility reveal hidden truths? A Different Perspective May cause over‑emphasis on status. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Dignity Veil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-veil-1848029/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-truth/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-things-273333/) [Veils](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veils/) ## Related quotes > [Lord Chatham and Napoleon were ns much actors as Garrick or Talma. Now, an imposing air should always be taken as evidence of imposition.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/lord-chatham-and-napoleon-were-ns-much-actors-as-garrick-or-talma-now/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [When a woman veils her body in modest clothing, she is not hiding herself from men. On the contrary, she is revealing her dignity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-evert/when-a-woman-veils-her-body-in-modest-clothing-she-is-not-hiding/) [Jason Evert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-evert/) > [The basic truth of all things, as nearly as we may ever dream of determining and knowing this truth, is form, that which is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/the-basic-truth-of-all-things-as-nearly-as-we-may-ever-dream-of/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [Words are often things also, and very precious, especially on the gravest occasions. Without "words," and the truth of things that is in them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/words-are-often-things-also-and-very-precious-especially-on-the/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [The truth is that things matter. They have to, they are what we live with and touch each and every day. They represent what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/the-truth-is-that-things-matter-they-have-to-they-are-what-we-live/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [The truth of things is the chief nutriment of superior intellects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-truth-of-things-is-the-chief-nutriment-of-superior-intellects/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [I'm interested in time, fame, death, beauty, truth, all those things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-faithfull/i-m-interested-in-time-fame-death-beauty-truth-all-those-things/) [Marianne Faithfull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-faithfull/) > [“Sometimes you get a sense of when the truth of things will not be revealed by microscopes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-vandermeer/sometimes-you-get-a-sense-of-when-the-truth-of-things-will-not-be/) [Jeff VanderMeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-vandermeer/) > [The moon shows the truth of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-delaney/the-moon-shows-the-truth-of-things/) [Joseph Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-delaney/) > [The reason why the Christians in this day are at such a loss as to some things is that they are contented with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/the-reason-why-the-christians-in-this-day-are-at-such-a-loss-as-to/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) > [Artistic expression, sex, and truth are the only things that really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-frusciante/artistic-expression-sex-and-truth-are-the-only-things-that-really/) [John Frusciante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-frusciante/) > [“Not all the things you understand are the truth, and not all the things you don't understand are lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ong/not-all-the-things-you-understand-are-the-truth-and-not-all-the/) [Bob Ong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ong/) > [The hardest thing you'll ever have to do is accept the truth about how things really are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-hardest-thing-you-ll-ever-have-to-do-is-accept-the-truth-about/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“The more familiar that a place becomes, the more mysterious it becomes, as well, if you are alert to the truth of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-more-familiar-that-a-place-becomes-the-more-mysterious-it-becomes/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I want the truth of things. But there's nowhere to find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-want-the-truth-of-things-but-there-s-nowhere-to-find-it/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) ## More by Edwin Percy Whipple > [Cheerfulness in most cheerful people is the rich and satisfying result of strenuous discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/cheerfulness-in-most-cheerful-people-is-the-rich-and-satisfying/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A true teacher should penetrate to whatever is vital in his pupil, and develop that by the light and heat of his own intelligence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-true-teacher-should-penetrate-to-whatever-is-vital-in-his-pupil-and/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Felicity, not fluency of language, is a merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/felicity-not-fluency-of-language-is-a-merit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A politician weakly and amiably in the right is no match for a politician tenaciously and pugnaciously in the wrong. You cannot, by tying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-politician-weakly-and-amiably-in-the-right-is-no-match-for-a/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A thought embodied and embrained in fit words walks the earth a living being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-thought-embodied-and-embrained-in-fit-words-walks-the-earth-a/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Nature and society are so replete with startling contrasts that wit often consists in the mere statement and comparison of facts, as when Hume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/nature-and-society-are-so-replete-with-startling-contrasts-that-wit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [The bitterest satires and noblest eulogies on married life have come from poets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-bitterest-satires-and-noblest-eulogies-on-married-life-have-come/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Genius is not a single power, but a combination of great powers. It reasons, but it is not reasoning; it judges, but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/genius-is-not-a-single-power-but-a-combination-of-great-powers-it/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Nature does not capriciously scatter her secrets as golden gifts to lazy pets and luxurious darlings, but imposes tasks when she presents opportunities, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/nature-does-not-capriciously-scatter-her-secrets-as-golden-gifts-to/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [Even in social life, it is persistency which attracts confidence, more than talents and accomplishments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/even-in-social-life-it-is-persistency-which-attracts-confidence-more/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A nation may be in a tumult to-day for a thought which the timid Erasmus placidly penned in his study more than two centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-nation-may-be-in-a-tumult-to-day-for-a-thought-which-the-timid/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [God is glorified, not by our groans, but by our thanksgivings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/god-is-glorified-not-by-our-groans-but-by-our-thanksgivings/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [As men neither fear nor respect what has been made contemptible, all honor to him who makes oppression laughable as well as detestable. Armies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/as-men-neither-fear-nor-respect-what-has-been-made-contemptible-all/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [What a man does with his wealth depends upon his idea of happiness. Those who draw prizes in life are apt to spend tastelessly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/what-a-man-does-with-his-wealth-depends-upon-his-idea-of-happiness/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) [Explore all 77 Edwin Percy Whipple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) ## More Dignity quotes > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The dignity of man is in free choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/the-dignity-of-man-is-in-free-choice/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) > [One of the things I love about Africa is the amount of dignity and respect and humility you see all the time. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-africa-is-the-amount-of-dignity-and/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [It is well for a man when he has learned to endure what he cannot change, and to give up with dignity what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-well-for-a-man-when-he-has-learned-to-endure-what-he-cannot/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [A man, as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/a-man-as-a-man-could-arrive-at-all-the-dignity-that-a-man-was-capable/) [John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/) > [There is something to be said for anyone who sits alone with dignity and silently begs for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/there-is-something-to-be-said-for-anyone-who-sits-alone-with-dignity/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I just remember that disturbing feeling of walking into that prison, the complete loss of privacy, the complete loss of stimulation, dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/i-just-remember-that-disturbing-feeling-of-walking-into-that-prison/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [The dignity of a woman's life is infinite, her status immeasurable, her capacity unbounded, her role divine...In the fast changing world of today her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-dignity-of-a-woman-s-life-is-infinite-her-status-immeasurable-her/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) [Browse all 3,116 Dignity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edwin Percy Whipple" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-the-real-truth-of-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dignity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-the-real-truth-of-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/edwin-percy-whipple-8845_dignity_dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-t_969037.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Dignity is often a veil between us and the real truth of things.” — Edwin Percy Whipple", "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": "Edwin Percy Whipple", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Dignity is often a veil between...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-the-real-truth-of-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/dignity-is-often-a-veil-between-us-and-the-real-truth-of-things/#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 } } ] } ```