--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Appearance should never attain reality…" description: "\"Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature conquers, then must art retire.\" — Friedrich Schiller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png" --- # Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature… ![“Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature conquers, then must art retire.” quote by Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png) > “Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature conquers, then must art retire.” [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Art should not imitate reality; nature surpasses art, making art obsolete. **In simple terms:** Nature outshines art. Key Takeaway Let nature guide artistic expression. Themes art nature authenticity Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - painting - design - architecture - environmental activism Key Concepts Aesthetic philosophy Romanticism Questions to Reflect On - When does art enhance our understanding of nature? - Can art and nature coexist productively? A Different Perspective Art can still offer unique perspectives beyond pure nature. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [There is no other reality than nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-casagrande/there-is-no-other-reality-than-nature/) Marco Casagrande > [affectation is fond of making a greater show than reality. ... Nature and truth have never learned to blow the trumpet, and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-m-child/affectation-is-fond-of-making-a-greater-show-than-reality-nature-and/) [Lydia M. Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-m-child/) > [Until now, physical theories have been regarded as merely models with approximately describe the reality of nature. As the models improve, so the fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/until-now-physical-theories-have-been-regarded-as-merely-models-with/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [You have not known even a fragment of My reality. The full nature of this reality can never be understood by anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/you-have-not-known-even-a-fragment-of-my-reality-the-full-nature-of/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [Even if any given terminology is a reflection of reality, by its very nature as a terminology it must be a selection of reality;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-burke/even-if-any-given-terminology-is-a-reflection-of-reality-by-its-very/) [Kenneth Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-burke/) > [Art is not merely an imitation of the reality of nature, but in truth a metaphysical supplement to the reality of nature, placed alongside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/art-is-not-merely-an-imitation-of-the-reality-of-nature-but-in-truth/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“To make this journey, we'll need imagination but imagination alone is not enough because the reality of nature is far more wondrous than anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/to-make-this-journey-we-ll-need-imagination-but-imagination-alone-is/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [This is the merit and distinction of art: to be more real than reality, to be not nature but nature's essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ernest-henley/this-is-the-merit-and-distinction-of-art-to-be-more-real-than-reality/) [William Ernest Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ernest-henley/) > [“The reality of nature, the reality of life is oneness. But we humans have such a strong egotistic nature. We are the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyomay-m-kubose-2/the-reality-of-nature-the-reality-of-life-is-oneness-but-we-humans/) [Gyomay M Kubose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyomay-m-kubose-2/) > [Any honest inquiry into the reality of nature also yields insights about ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/any-honest-inquiry-into-the-reality-of-nature-also-yields-insights/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [You shouldn't be afraid of science. Accepting the reality of nature makes life more exciting and even more precious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-m-krauss/you-shouldn-t-be-afraid-of-science-accepting-the-reality-of-nature/) [Lawrence M. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-m-krauss/) > [“So that this so solid-seeming World, after all, were but an air-image, our ME the only reality: and Nature, with its thousandfold production and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jagadish-chandra-chatterji/so-that-this-so-solid-seeming-world-after-all-were-but-an-air-image/) Jagadish Chandra Chatterji > [“Empirical reality becomes nature when we view it with respect to its universal characteristics; it becomes history when we view it as particular and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-nardin/empirical-reality-becomes-nature-when-we-view-it-with-respect-to-its/) [Terry Nardin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-nardin/) > [Imagination alone is not enough, because the reality of nature is far more wondrous than anything we can imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/imagination-alone-is-not-enough-because-the-reality-of-nature-is-far/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I always joke and say I want to invent a comfortable stiletto and then retire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-blakely/i-always-joke-and-say-i-want-to-invent-a-comfortable-stiletto-and/) [Sara Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-blakely/) ## More by Friedrich Schiller > [An axe at home saves hiring a carpenter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/an-axe-at-home-saves-hiring-a-carpenter/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [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/) > [I have enjoyed the happiness of the world; I have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/i-have-enjoyed-the-happiness-of-the-world-i-have-loved/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [It is easy to give advice from a port of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-easy-to-give-advice-from-a-port-of-safety/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Why should I deem myself to be a chisel, when I could be the artist?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/why-should-i-deem-myself-to-be-a-chisel-when-i-could-be-the-artist/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [It is through beauty that we arrive at freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-through-beauty-that-we-arrive-at-freedom/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [The first great law is to obey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/the-first-great-law-is-to-obey/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [To gain a crown by fighting is great, to reject it divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/to-gain-a-crown-by-fighting-is-great-to-reject-it-divine/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Even the weak become strong when they are united.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/even-the-weak-become-strong-when-they-are-united/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/man-only-plays-when-in-the-full-meaning-of-the-word-he-is-a-man-and/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Ah, to that far distant strand Bridge there was not to convey, Not a bark was near at hand, Yet true love soon found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/ah-to-that-far-distant-strand-bridge-there-was-not-to-convey-not-a/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [A gloomy guest fits not a wedding feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/a-gloomy-guest-fits-not-a-wedding-feast/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [If you have never seen beauty in a moment of suffering, you have never seen beauty at all. If you have never seen joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/if-you-have-never-seen-beauty-in-a-moment-of-suffering-you-have-never/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Fear of death is worse than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/fear-of-death-is-worse-than-dying/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [The dream is short, repentance long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/the-dream-is-short-repentance-long/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) [Explore all 350 Friedrich Schiller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) ## 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": "Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature conquers, then must art retire.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Schiller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/appearance-should-never-attain-reality-and-if-nature-conquers-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appearance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/appearance-should-never-attain-reality-and-if-nature-conquers-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/830/friedrich-schiller-832_appearance_appearance-should-never-attain-reality-a_1494418.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Appearance should never attain reality, And if nature conquers, then must art retire.” — Friedrich Schiller", "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": "Friedrich Schiller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Appearance should never attain reality, And...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/appearance-should-never-attain-reality-and-if-nature-conquers-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/appearance-should-never-attain-reality-and-if-nature-conquers-then/#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 } } ] } ```