---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Margaret liked this smile; it was the…"
description: "\"Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character, shown in all the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg"
---

#  Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had…

![“Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character, shown in all these details of appearance she had just been noticing, seemed to explain the attraction they evidently felt towards each other.” quote by Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg)

> “Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character, shown in all these details of appearance she had just been noticing, seemed to explain the attraction they evidently felt towards each other.”

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

## About This Quote

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

Physical attraction can mask deeper character traits that draw people together.

**In simple terms:** Looks can hint at deeper personal qualities.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond appearance to understand true connection.

Themes

attraction character perception

Mood

reflective romantic

Type

narrative observational

When to use this quote

- dating
- friendship
- team building
- social networking

Key Concepts

first impressions psychology of love

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you assess character beyond looks?
- What values matter most in a relationship?

A Different Perspective

First impressions can be misleading.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Attraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [New friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friends/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/)

## Related quotes

> [“She looked up at me with a polite smile, her dark hair long and appealing...I liked the smile. Maybe I didn't look like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/she-looked-up-at-me-with-a-polite-smile-her-dark-hair-long-and/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [“She'd never been anything other than absolutely professional with him. Always in a good mood, the calm in the center of every storm. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/she-d-never-been-anything-other-than-absolutely-professional-with-him/)

[Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/)

> [There is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/there-is-much-worth-noticing-that-often-escapes-the-eye/)

[Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/)

> [I think that people find that's a fresh look at a relationship between two best friends, between two soul mates, that people haven't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-zissis/i-think-that-people-find-that-s-a-fresh-look-at-a-relationship/)

[Steve Zissis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-zissis/)

> [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/)

[Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/)

> [Gail Anderson-Dargatz has a noticing eye, a voice as unique as the countryside she writes about, and a heart large enough to love her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hodgins/gail-anderson-dargatz-has-a-noticing-eye-a-voice-as-unique-as-the/)

Jack Hodgins

> [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/)

[John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/)

> [We'd been noticing how much more important the internet had become - once information is out there in the world now, anyone can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/we-d-been-noticing-how-much-more-important-the-internet-had-become/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [This is the secret of propaganda: To totally saturate the person, whom the propaganda wants to lay hold of, with the ideas of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/this-is-the-secret-of-propaganda-to-totally-saturate-the-person-whom/)

[Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/)

> [I remember noticing, when I had my babies, how much I liked them, and not just loved them, but I was really into them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-remember-noticing-when-i-had-my-babies-how-much-i-liked-them-and/)

[Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/)

> [Everyone is skeptical. Only the media are not skeptical, but, then, they were also not skeptical when the administration put out the line that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/everyone-is-skeptical-only-the-media-are-not-skeptical-but-then-they/)

[Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/)

> [You could drive past it without noticing and from what I understand, you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-could-drive-past-it-without-noticing-and-from-what-i-understand/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [When every day seems the same, it is because we have stopped noticing the good things that appear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-every-day-seems-the-same-it-is-because-we-have-stopped-noticing/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [I'm getting less good at faking it. People in my family are noticing and asking what's wrong. My friends give me invitations to talk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/i-m-getting-less-good-at-faking-it-people-in-my-family-are-noticing/)

[Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/)

> [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/)

[Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/)

## More by Elizabeth Gaskell

> [“Osborne and Roger knowing that the wife of the former was a Frenchwoman, and, conscious of each other's knowledge, felt doubly awkward; while Molly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/osborne-and-roger-knowing-that-the-wife-of-the-former-was-a/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Well, He had known what love was-a sharp pang, a fierce experience, in the midst of whose flames he was struggling! but, through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/well-he-had-known-what-love-was-a-sharp-pang-a-fierce-experience-in/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [But Margaret went less abroad, among machinery and men; saw less of power in its public effect, and, as it happened, she was thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/but-margaret-went-less-abroad-among-machinery-and-men-saw-less-of/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“And besides, in the matter of friendship, I have observed that the disappointment here arises chiefly, not from liking our friends too well, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/and-besides-in-the-matter-of-friendship-i-have-observed-that-the/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [What other people may think of the rightness or wrongness is nothing in comparison to my own deep knowledge, my innate conviction that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/what-other-people-may-think-of-the-rightness-or-wrongness-is-nothing/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“The first question sobbed out by his choking voice, oppressed with emotion, was-- "Where is she?" They led him to the room where his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/the-first-question-sobbed-out-by-his-choking-voice-oppressed-with/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Wearily she went to bed, wearily she arose in four or five hours' time. But with the morning came hope, and a brighter view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/wearily-she-went-to-bed-wearily-she-arose-in-four-or-five-hours-time/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [No one loves me, - no one cares for me, but you, mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/no-one-loves-me-no-one-cares-for-me-but-you-mother/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [I won't say she was silly, but I think one of us was silly, and it wasn't me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/i-won-t-say-she-was-silly-but-i-think-one-of-us-was-silly-and-it-wasn/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Mr. Thorton love Margaret! Why, Margraret would never think of him, I'm sure! Such a thing has never entered her head." "Entering her heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/mr-thorton-love-margaret-why-margraret-would-never-think-of-him-i-m/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [“Ay! but mother's words are scarce, and weigh heavy. Father's liker me, and we talk a deal o' rubble; but mother's words are liker…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/ay-but-mother-s-words-are-scarce-and-weigh-heavy-father-s-liker-me/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [Don’t be afraid,” she said, coldly, “ as far as love may go she may be worthy of you. It must have taken a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/don-t-be-afraid-she-said-coldly-as-far-as-love-may-go-she-may-be/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

> [In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-the-first-place-cranford-is-in-possession-of-the-amazons-all-the/)

[Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

[Explore all 330 Elizabeth Gaskell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/)

## 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

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and the opposition of character, shown in all these details of appearance she had just been noticing, seemed to explain the attraction they evidently felt towards each other.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Gaskell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-first-thing-she-had-admired-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Appearance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-first-thing-she-had-admired-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/61b/elizabeth-gaskell-894_appearance_margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-fir_131811.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Margaret liked this smile; it was the first thing she had admired in this new friend of her father's; and…” — Elizabeth Gaskell",
                "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": "Elizabeth Gaskell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Margaret liked this smile; it was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-first-thing-she-had-admired-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/margaret-liked-this-smile-it-was-the-first-thing-she-had-admired-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
