---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At first sight, his address is certainly…"
description: "\"At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg"
---

#  At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and…

![“At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is perceived.” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg)

> “At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is perceived.”

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## About This Quote

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

Physical appearance is secondary to the expressive quality of one’s eyes and overall demeanor.

**In simple terms:** Eyes and demeanor matter more than looks.

Key Takeaway

Notice and appreciate inner charm.

Themes

appearance perception inner beauty

Mood

contemplative observational

Type

literary character study

When to use this quote

- dating
- social gatherings
- personal introductions

Key Concepts

social judgment first impressions

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you judge someone beyond looks?
- Can eye expression change perception?

A Different Perspective

Physical traits can still dominate first impressions despite deeper qualities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [First sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-sight/) [Sweetness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweetness/)

## Related quotes

> [“At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly-not-striking-and-his-person/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Without adversity a person hardly knows whether they are honest or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/without-adversity-a-person-hardly-knows-whether-they-are-honest-or-not/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [A habit is something a person hardly notices until it is too late to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-habit-is-something-a-person-hardly-notices-until-it-is-too-late-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [For let us women be never so ill-favored, I imagine that we are always delighted to hear ourselves called handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/for-let-us-women-be-never-so-ill-favored-i-imagine-that-we-are-always/)

[Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/)

> [“Women glance at hands like men stare at asses. Why do you think attractive men are called handsome?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/women-glance-at-hands-like-men-stare-at-asses-why-do-you-think/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“All right, I’ll go with this one called ‘Handsome Devil’. That’s me after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-brookshire/all-right-i-ll-go-with-this-one-called-handsome-devil-that-s-me-after/)

[April Brookshire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-brookshire/)

> [I've been called handsome, a gentleman, honest, and many other things but nothing compares to being called her love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-been-called-handsome-a-gentleman-honest-and-many-other-things/)

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

> [“Even now,when she wanted to pummel him for having the audacity to follow her,she still had to admire the strenght and power he radiated.He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-reus/even-now-when-she-wanted-to-pummel-him-for-having-the-audacity-to/)

[Katie Reus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-reus/)

> [“But what we have here is not a nice girl, as generally understood. For one thing, she’s not beautiful. There’s a certain set to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-what-we-have-here-is-not-a-nice-girl-as-generally-understood-for/)

[terry pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [There could have never been two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison, no countenances so beloved. Now they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/there-could-have-never-been-two-hearts-so-open-no-tastes-so-similar/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Your countenance perfectly informs me that you were in company last night with the person, whom you think the most agreeable in the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/your-countenance-perfectly-informs-me-that-you-were-in-company-last/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [At this point in history when all things which concern man and the structure and elements of history itself are suddenly revealed to us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-mannheim/at-this-point-in-history-when-all-things-which-concern-man-and-the/)

[Karl Mannheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-mannheim/)

> [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/)

[L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/)

> [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/)

> [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

## More by Jane Austen

> [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“How earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions had been more reasonable, more moderate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/how-earnestly-did-she-then-wish-that-her-former-opinions-had-been/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one's life, for the sake of being able to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-very-well-worth-while-to-be-tormented-for-two-or-three-years-of/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [ “Everybody is taken in at some period or another. \[...\] In marriage especially. \[...\] There is not one in a hundred of either sex,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or-another-in-marriage/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [She knew that what Marianne and her mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next: that with them, to wish was to hope, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-knew-that-what-marianne-and-her-mother-conjectured-one-moment/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“…for I look upon the Frasers to be about as unhappy as most other married people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-i-look-upon-the-frasers-to-be-about-as-unhappy-as-most-other/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“It raises my spleen more than any thing, to have the pretence of being asked, of being given a choice, and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-raises-my-spleen-more-than-any-thing-to-have-the-pretence-of-being/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-spirits-wanted-the-solitude-and-silence-which-only-numbers-could/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“But in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/but-in-such-cases-as-these-a-good-memory-is-unpardonable/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“I must tell you what you will not ask, though I may wish it unsaid the next moment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-must-tell-you-what-you-will-not-ask-though-i-may-wish-it-unsaid-the/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/lady-catherine-seemed-quite-astonished-at-not-receiving-a-direct/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“He had suffered, and he had learnt to think, two advantages that he had never known before…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/he-had-suffered-and-he-had-learnt-to-think-two-advantages-that-he-had/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Eliot's character; vanity of person and of situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/vanity-was-the-beginning-and-the-end-of-sir-walter-eliot-s-character/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

[Explore all 2,013 Jane Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## More Addresses quotes

> [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/)

[Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/)

> [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/)

[Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/)

> [Each Act of Parliament intended to address harassment and discrimination has faced objections on the basis of 'you'll never be able to prove...' and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-field/each-act-of-parliament-intended-to-address-harassment-and/)

[Tim Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-field/)

> [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [You will find a spring by the dwelling of the dead, to the left. Next to it stands a white cypress. Do not approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/you-will-find-a-spring-by-the-dwelling-of-the-dead-to-the-left-next/)

[Gustaw Herling-Grudzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustaw-herling-grudzinski/)

> [ \[T\]he appropriate form of address between man and man ought to be, not monsieur, sir, but fellow sufferer, compagnon de miseres. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/t-he-appropriate-form-of-address-between-man-and-man-ought-to-be-not/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [Like a versatile baller, George Dohrmann swings seamlessly from position to position: investigative journalist, social critic, gifted storyteller. The result is a gem of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-jon-wertheim/like-a-versatile-baller-george-dohrmann-swings-seamlessly-from/)

[L. Jon Wertheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-jon-wertheim/)

> [Each email contains an unsubscribe link. We will NEVER sell, rent, loan, or abuse your email address in ANY way. Writing has been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-mccaffrey/each-email-contains-an-unsubscribe-link-we-will-never-sell-rent-loan/)

[Anne McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-mccaffrey/)

> [The malady of civilized man is his knowledge of death. The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [In science, address the few, in literature the many. In science, the few must dictate opinion to the many; in literature, the many, sooner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/in-science-address-the-few-in-literature-the-many-in-science-the-few/)

[Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/)

> [Pedestrian's rights - because we live in California, I've got to address this issue. I don't know where on the fence I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/pedestrian-s-rights-because-we-live-in-california-i-ve-got-to-address/)

[Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/)

> [With no other privilege than that of sympathy and sincere good wishes, I would address an affectionate exhortation to the youthful literati, grounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/with-no-other-privilege-than-that-of-sympathy-and-sincere-good-wishes/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [Senator Obama will be taking office at a critical juncture. There are many pressing challenges facing the international community, including the global financial crisis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-clark/senator-obama-will-be-taking-office-at-a-critical-juncture-there-are/)

[Helen Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-clark/)

Browse all 1,100 Addresses quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is perceived.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Austen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly-not-striking-and-his-person-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Addresses"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly-not-striking-and-his-person-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/jane-austen-39_addresses_at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly_3027593.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person can hardly be called handsome, till…” — Jane Austen",
                "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": "Jane Austen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "At first sight, his address is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly-not-striking-and-his-person-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/at-first-sight-his-address-is-certainly-not-striking-and-his-person-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
