--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A charm invests a face Imperfectly…" description: "\"A charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld,— The lady dare not lift her veil For fear it be dispelled. But peers beyond her mesh, And wishes, and denies..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/emily-dickinson-310_charm_a-charm-invests-a-face-imperfectly-behel_1681832.jpg" --- # A charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld,— The lady dare… ![“A charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld,— The lady dare not lift her veil For fear it be dispelled. But peers beyond her mesh, And wishes, and denies,— Lest interview annul a want That image satisfies.” quote by Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/emily-dickinson-310_charm_a-charm-invests-a-face-imperfectly-behel_1681832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/emily-dickinson-310_charm_a-charm-invests-a-face-imperfectly-behel_1681832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc2/emily-dickinson-310_charm_a-charm-invests-a-face-imperfectly-behel_1681832.jpg) > “A charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld,— The lady dare not lift her veil For fear it be dispelled. But peers beyond her mesh, And wishes, and denies,— Lest interview annul a want That image satisfies.” [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Societal expectations can hide true desires, leading to self‑censorship. **In simple terms:** Fear of judgment hides authenticity. Key Takeaway Allow honest expression despite fear. Themes authenticity social pressure self‑censorship Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - public speaking - creative work Key Concepts identity fear of exposure Questions to Reflect On - What fears keep you from showing your true self? - How might vulnerability improve connections? A Different Perspective Risk of alienating others when revealing true self. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Interviews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interviews/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [To me, there is nothing more soothing than the song of a mosquito that can't get through the mesh to bite you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-smartt-bell/to-me-there-is-nothing-more-soothing-than-the-song-of-a-mosquito-that/) [Madison Smartt Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-smartt-bell/) > [I was loved as a kid; I was raised with more love and emotional support than most folks could wish for my memories aged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-vegas/i-was-loved-as-a-kid-i-was-raised-with-more-love-and-emotional/) [Johnny Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-vegas/) > [A fish does not campaign against fisheries-it only tries to slip through the mesh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/a-fish-does-not-campaign-against-fisheries-it-only-tries-to-slip/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [Um, yeah, it's one of the things that you kind of have to accept at the very beginning, like I'm not going to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/um-yeah-it-s-one-of-the-things-that-you-kind-of-have-to-accept-at-the/) [Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/) > [Salmon farming-the placement of large metal or mesh net cages in the ocean to grow fish-was pioneered in Norway in the 1960s. Since then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/salmon-farming-the-placement-of-large-metal-or-mesh-net-cages-in-the/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-man-who-tells-secrets-or-stories-must-think-of-who-is-hearing-or-2/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [God gave a law ... called justice. But they have made a law for themselves that is terrible and intricate, and they cannot escape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-sampter/god-gave-a-law-called-justice-but-they-have-made-a-law-for-themselves/) Jessie Sampter > [Thank you... adjustable baseball caps with no logo on the front and mesh netting in the back, for being a great way to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/thank-you-adjustable-baseball-caps-with-no-logo-on-the-front-and-mesh/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [Bicycling unites physical harmony coupled with emotional bliss to create a sense of spiritual perfection that combines one's body, mind and spirit into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frosty-wooldridge/bicycling-unites-physical-harmony-coupled-with-emotional-bliss-to/) [Frosty Wooldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frosty-wooldridge/) > [My two interests are spirituality and politics. I would mesh them in some way; maybe try to figure out the politics of spirituality, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-two-interests-are-spirituality-and-politics-i-would-mesh-them-in/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-man-who-tells-secrets-or-stories-must-think-of-who-is-hearing-or/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I mesh with anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-harden/i-mesh-with-anyone/) [James Harden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-harden/) > [motherhood is the great mesh in which all human relations are entangled, in which lurk our most elemental assumptions about love and power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/motherhood-is-the-great-mesh-in-which-all-human-relations-are/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Now here is a key: you want to make it real and present in the realm of your consciousness. You don't say "I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-leonard/now-here-is-a-key-you-want-to-make-it-real-and-present-in-the-realm/) [George Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-leonard/) > [You need to mesh the voices of people with expertise and meritocracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-r-narayana-murthy/you-need-to-mesh-the-voices-of-people-with-expertise-and-meritocracy/) [N. R. Narayana Murthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-r-narayana-murthy/) ## More by Emily Dickinson > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [How softly summer shuts, without the creaking of a door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/how-softly-summer-shuts-without-the-creaking-of-a-door/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Could you tell me how to grow--or is it unconveyed--like Melody--or Witchcraft?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/could-you-tell-me-how-to-grow-or-is-it-unconveyed-like-melody-or/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Inebriate of Air — am I — And Debauchee of Dew — Reeling — thro endless summer days — From Inns of Molten Blue —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/inebriate-of-air-am-i-and-debauchee-of-dew-reeling-thro-endless/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/luck-is-not-chance-it-s-toil-fortune-s-expensive-smile-is-earned/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [The abdication of Belief Makes the Behavior small- Better an ignis fatuus Than no illume at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/the-abdication-of-belief-makes-the-behavior-small-better-an-ignis/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“He ate and drank the precious words, His spirit grew robust; He knew no more that he was poor, Nor that his frame was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/he-ate-and-drank-the-precious-words-his-spirit-grew-robust-he-knew-no/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I SEE thee better in the dark, I do not need a light. The love of thee a prism be Excelling violet. I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-see-thee-better-in-the-dark-i-do-not-need-a-light-the-love-of-thee/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/one-step-at-a-time-is-all-it-takes-to-get-you-there/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Whose fingers string the stalactite- Who counts the Wampum of the night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/whose-fingers-string-the-stalactite-who-counts-the-wampum-of-the-night/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [My life closed twice before its close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/my-life-closed-twice-before-its-close/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Until you have loved, you cannot become yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/until-you-have-loved-you-cannot-become-yourself/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) [Explore all 692 Emily Dickinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## More Charm quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Every woman thinks herself attractive; even the plainest is satisfied with the charms she deems that she possesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/every-woman-thinks-herself-attractive-even-the-plainest-is-satisfied/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-herford/modesty-is-the-gentle-art-of-enhancing-your-charm-by-pretending-not/) [Oliver Herford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-herford/) > [Talk health. The dreary, never-changing tale Of mortal maladies is worn and stale. You cannot charm, or interest, or please By harping in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/talk-health-the-dreary-never-changing-tale-of-mortal-maladies-is-worn/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [I'm an old school guy and love the guys in the monster suits and JAWS; even though everyone makes fun of the shark I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-fessenden/i-m-an-old-school-guy-and-love-the-guys-in-the-monster-suits-and-jaws/) [Larry Fessenden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-fessenden/) > [Every woman has the instinct, the propensity to profit from her charms, and there's a lot to be said for giving oneself without love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/every-woman-has-the-instinct-the-propensity-to-profit-from-her-charms/) [Leopold von Sacher-Masoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leopold-von-sacher-masoch/) > [I don't know that I'm a free spirit or anything like that. I just have my own way of doing things. That's the charm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-schultz/i-don-t-know-that-i-m-a-free-spirit-or-anything-like-that-i-just-have/) [Dave Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-schultz/) > [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“It's a part of life. You never know what you are going to get; you just have to be strong enough to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-hill/it-s-a-part-of-life-you-never-know-what-you-are-going-to-get-you-just/) [Melissa Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-hill/) > [Even after marrying Mallika, I feel that I am her boyfriend. In fact, I believe this feeling enhances the charm and fun of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zayed-khan/even-after-marrying-mallika-i-feel-that-i-am-her-boyfriend-in-fact-i/) [Zayed Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zayed-khan/) > [Criticism even should not be without its charms. When quite devoid of all amenities, it is no longer literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/criticism-even-should-not-be-without-its-charms-when-quite-devoid-of/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [“Never trust charm, it's the most powerful weapon in the devil's armory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-gilbert/never-trust-charm-it-s-the-most-powerful-weapon-in-the-devil-s-armory/) Anthony Gilbert > [Paul Taylor's 'Offenbach Overtures' has lots of zip and charm, and its pair of dueling soldiers in red, who end up starry-eyed about each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/paul-taylor-s-offenbach-overtures-has-lots-of-zip-and-charm-and-its/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [Time's stern tide, with cold Oblivion's wave, Shall soon dissolve each fair, each fading charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-seward/time-s-stern-tide-with-cold-oblivion-s-wave-shall-soon-dissolve-each/) [Anna Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-seward/) > [Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/washington-is-a-city-of-southern-efficiency-and-northern-charm/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) [Browse all 1,415 Charm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A charm invests a face Imperfectly beheld,— The lady dare not lift her veil For fear it be dispelled. 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