---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought of what pride would look like…"
description: "\"“I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy in a smoking jacket. Vanity was a tall, beautiful woman with a face like a mask. Envy was a t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg"
---

#  I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy…

![“I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy in a smoking jacket. Vanity was a tall, beautiful woman with a face like a mask. Envy was a treasure-hoarding dragon, dainty and diabolical. As I sketched in the dragon's face, I gave her eyebrows like mine, my turtle necklace around its…” quote by Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg)

> ““I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy in a smoking jacket. Vanity was a tall, beautiful woman with a face like a mask. Envy was a treasure-hoarding dragon, dainty and diabolical. As I sketched in the dragon's face, I gave her eyebrows like mine, my turtle necklace around its scaly neck. Xanda drew them as cliffs and valleys, irrevocably linked pride as a mountain, envy as a valley, hating its lowness and longing to reach, overtake, conquer. She drew vanity as a volcano with an abyss at its core.””

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

## About This Quote

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

A vivid personification of pride, vanity, and envy as mythic figures, illustrating their intertwined nature and destructive desires.

**In simple terms:** Pride, vanity, envy shown as mythic characters.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and balance inner vices.

Themes

pride vanity envy

Mood

creative insightful

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- therapy
- self‑development workshops

Key Concepts

mythology psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do these vices manifest in your life?
- What strategies temper their influence?

A Different Perspective

Risk of oversimplifying complex emotions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beautiful woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-woman/) [Envy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/envy/) [Pride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pride/) [Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanity/)

## Related quotes

> [“I heard Tash say: Nomi, you’re sad man. Get a grip. Walk away. What have I taught you? And I thought: You taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/i-heard-tash-say-nomi-you-re-sad-man-get-a-grip-walk-away-what-have-i/)

[Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/)

> [My dad once told me that he would rather I had an old boyfriend than a tall boyfriend. I don't know why, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-dunham/my-dad-once-told-me-that-he-would-rather-i-had-an-old-boyfriend-than/)

[Lena Dunham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-dunham/)

> [I don't think China should care if this crazy old guy should have a show here or not. You have so many museums in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-don-t-think-china-should-care-if-this-crazy-old-guy-should-have-a/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [New guy, old lines. Old guy, new lies. What's the use? Why even try?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/new-guy-old-lines-old-guy-new-lies-what-s-the-use-why-even-try/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Right guy, Wrong time. Right time, Wrong guy. New guy, Old lines. Old guy, New lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-h/right-guy-wrong-time-right-time-wrong-guy-new-guy-old-lines-old-guy/)

[Miranda H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-h/)

> [“The city overwhelmed me. Every day I’d walk by hundreds of strangers, compete for space in crowded coffee shops, and stand shoulder to shoulder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-weinstein/the-city-overwhelmed-me-every-day-i-d-walk-by-hundreds-of-strangers/)

[Alexander Weinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-weinstein/)

> [I always thought if you run a Marathon in less than 4 hours, there is a tick of athletic accomplishment in that. Anything over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/i-always-thought-if-you-run-a-marathon-in-less-than-4-hours-there-is/)

[Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/)

> [“When I was eleven or twelve, we had this real old guy as a Sunday school teacher. Mom said he'd been in some war:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mullin/when-i-was-eleven-or-twelve-we-had-this-real-old-guy-as-a-sunday/)

[Mike Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mullin/)

> [I hope to give you at least 15 more years of movies. I'm not going to be this old guy that keeps cranking them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/i-hope-to-give-you-at-least-15-more-years-of-movies-i-m-not-going-to/)

[Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/)

> [“New Rule: Democrats must get in touch with their inner asshole. I refer to the case of Van Jones, the man the Obama administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-democrats-must-get-in-touch-with-their-inner-asshole-i-refer/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [“I rooted through my pocketbook and did a fast paraphernalia inventory. I was carrying defense spray, which was a big no-no in a crowded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-rooted-through-my-pocketbook-and-did-a-fast-paraphernalia-inventory/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [It sounds strange to say it, but you can be in a war zone and have a lot of fun. Even though war is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-cockburn/it-sounds-strange-to-say-it-but-you-can-be-in-a-war-zone-and-have-a/)

[Bruce Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-cockburn/)

> [Yes, e-commerce is a strange situation for an old guy like me. You can buy a TV online, OK, but to buy a dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-azria/yes-e-commerce-is-a-strange-situation-for-an-old-guy-like-me-you-can/)

[Max Azria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-azria/)

> [We all experience many freakish and unexpected events - you have to be open to suffering a little. The philosopher Schopenhauer talked about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/we-all-experience-many-freakish-and-unexpected-events-you-have-to-be/)

[Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/)

> [If there is a public perception at all, they see the producer as a big old guy who smokes a cigar and has lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-herskovitz/if-there-is-a-public-perception-at-all-they-see-the-producer-as-a-big/)

[Marshall Herskovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-herskovitz/)

## More by Holly Cupala

> [“Keep your eyes on the future, because that's where the answers are. It's where the hope is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/keep-your-eyes-on-the-future-because-that-s-where-the-answers-are-it/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“I started to sway Lexi again when I realized she was quiet. Waiting. Both of us paused on the cusp of the unknown. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-started-to-sway-lexi-again-when-i-realized-she-was-quiet-waiting/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“If pregnant girls were sinner, what were liars called?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/if-pregnant-girls-were-sinner-what-were-liars-called/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“We're all family--the only family we've got. It doesn't have to be blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/we-re-all-family-the-only-family-we-ve-got-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-blood/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“ASHES. He had reduced me to ashes. And now I would rise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/ashes-he-had-reduced-me-to-ashes-and-now-i-would-rise/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“It's the grit that makes the pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/it-s-the-grit-that-makes-the-pearl/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“Maybe that's why he watched over all of us--because of the ones he couldn't protect, he took care of the ones he could.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/maybe-that-s-why-he-watched-over-all-of-us-because-of-the-ones-he/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“At home, they'd clipped my wings and then caged me so I couldn't fall. Here, they bandaged one another's broken wings, helped each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/at-home-they-d-clipped-my-wings-and-then-caged-me-so-i-couldn-t-fall/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“I thought of Shelley in the hospital, how she said sometimes sadness only looked like anger and judgment. Maybe fear did too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-thought-of-shelley-in-the-hospital-how-she-said-sometimes-sadness/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“Under the bridge, traffic above us and coats around us, hearts thudding with the steady perfection of this moment, I thought of every word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/under-the-bridge-traffic-above-us-and-coats-around-us-hearts-thudding/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“She looked like she wanted to take her right up to the baptismal waters and introduce her to some redemption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/she-looked-like-she-wanted-to-take-her-right-up-to-the-baptismal/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“When the worst happens and you still survive, it sets you free from fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/when-the-worst-happens-and-you-still-survive-it-sets-you-free-from/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

> [“Ask no questions, I tell no lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/ask-no-questions-i-tell-no-lies/)

[Holly Cupala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

[Explore all 14 Holly Cupala quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/)

## More Beautiful woman quotes

> [A beautiful woman must expect to be more accountable for her steps, than one less attractive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/a-beautiful-woman-must-expect-to-be-more-accountable-for-her-steps/)

[Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/)

> [In New York, you are constantly faced with this very urgent decision that you have to make, about every twenty minutes...you have to decide,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cross/in-new-york-you-are-constantly-faced-with-this-very-urgent-decision/)

[David Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cross/)

> [There is nothing touches our imagination so much as a beautiful woman in a plain dress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-nothing-touches-our-imagination-so-much-as-a-beautiful-woman/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [“Muriel sprinkled salt over her haddock mousse. ‘It is not easy to be specific, but both morally and hygienically there is . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/muriel-sprinkled-salt-over-her-haddock-mousse-it-is-not-easy-to-be/)

[Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/)

> [“She told me once that when she was with me she felt like the beautiful woman she never thought she'd be. I can't imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-finn/she-told-me-once-that-when-she-was-with-me-she-felt-like-the/)

[Elizabeth Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-finn/)

> [No matter how beautiful a woman might be, you're always threatened by certain... You're always threatened by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/no-matter-how-beautiful-a-woman-might-be-you-re-always-threatened-by/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [I was in the South of France, in Saint-Tropez and I met her when it was totally unexpected. I was very lucky because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-stern/i-was-in-the-south-of-france-in-saint-tropez-and-i-met-her-when-it/)

[Bert Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-stern/)

> [Being jealous of a beautiful woman is not going to make you more beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zsa-zsa-gabor/being-jealous-of-a-beautiful-woman-is-not-going-to-make-you-more/)

[Zsa Zsa Gabor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zsa-zsa-gabor/)

> [“A strange thing happened to me in my dream. I was rapt into the Seventh Heaven. There sat all the gods assembled. As a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-strange-thing-happened-to-me-in-my-dream-i-was-rapt-into-the/)

[Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/)

> [A beautiful woman that can go out and then come home alone and lay in bed alone, is a woman with standards and self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-beautiful-woman-that-can-go-out-and-then-come-home-alone-and-lay-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Behind every successful man, there's a beautiful woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hammody-ali/behind-every-successful-man-there-s-a-beautiful-woman/)

[Hammody Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hammody-ali/)

> [You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and that's not saying much for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/you-re-the-most-beautiful-woman-i-ve-ever-seen-and-that-s-not-saying/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [A beautiful woman looking at her image in the mirror may very well believe the image is herself. An ugly woman knows it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/a-beautiful-woman-looking-at-her-image-in-the-mirror-may-very-well/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“For here he was, barely able to tread water, some gargantuan lizard in the water with him, and the most beautiful woman in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-d-burns/for-here-he-was-barely-able-to-tread-water-some-gargantuan-lizard-in/)

[Vernon D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-d-burns/)

[Browse all 599 Beautiful woman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-woman/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy in a smoking jacket. Vanity was a tall, beautiful woman with a face like a mask. Envy was a treasure-hoarding dragon, dainty and diabolical. As I sketched in the dragon's face, I gave her eyebrows like mine, my turtle necklace around its scaly neck. Xanda drew them as cliffs and valleys, irrevocably linked pride as a mountain, envy as a valley, hating its lowness and longing to reach, overtake, conquer. She drew vanity as a volcano with an abyss at its core.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Holly Cupala"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like-a-jowly-old-guy-in-a-smoking/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beautiful woman"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like-a-jowly-old-guy-in-a-smoking/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/holly-cupala-33663_beautiful-woman_i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like_2319253.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I thought of what pride would look like, a jowly old guy in a smoking jacket. Vanity was a tall, beautiful…” — Holly Cupala",
                "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": "Holly Cupala",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-cupala/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I thought of what pride would...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like-a-jowly-old-guy-in-a-smoking/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-cupala/i-thought-of-what-pride-would-look-like-a-jowly-old-guy-in-a-smoking/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
