--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is nothing to be found in human…" description: "\"“There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is their terrifying and dolorous enigma, their abominable and delusive charm. There is nothing bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/jean-lorrain-16607_decadence_there-is-nothing-to-be-found-in-human-ey_1657023.jpg" --- # There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is… ![“There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is their terrifying and dolorous enigma, their abominable and delusive charm. There is nothing but that which we put there ourselves. That is why honest gazes are only to be found in portraits. The faded and weary eyes of martyrs, expressions…” quote by Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/jean-lorrain-16607_decadence_there-is-nothing-to-be-found-in-human-ey_1657023.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/jean-lorrain-16607_decadence_there-is-nothing-to-be-found-in-human-ey_1657023.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9cb/jean-lorrain-16607_decadence_there-is-nothing-to-be-found-in-human-ey_1657023.jpg) > ““There is nothing to be found in human eyes, and that is their terrifying and dolorous enigma, their abominable and delusive charm. There is nothing but that which we put there ourselves. That is why honest gazes are only to be found in portraits. The faded and weary eyes of martyrs, expressions tortured by ecstasy, imploring and suffering eyes, some resigned, others desperate... the gazes of saints, mendicants and princesses in exile, with pardoning smiles... the gazes of the possessed, the chosen and the hysterical... and sometimes of little girls, the eyes of Ophelia and Canidia, the eyes of virgins and witches... as you live in the museums, what eternal life, dolorous and intense, shines out of you! Like precious stones enshrined between the painted eyelids of masterpieces, you disturb us across time and across space, receivers of the dream which created you! You have souls, but they are those of the artists who wished you into being, and I am delivered to despair and mortification because I have drunk the draught of poison congealed in the irises of your eyes. The eyes of portraits ought to be plucked out.”” [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human perception is shaped by our projections; eyes in art reveal deeper truths and suffering. **In simple terms:** Our view reflects our inner world. Key Takeaway Question what you project onto others. Themes art perception human nature Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - gallery visits - art criticism - self‑analysis Key Concepts projection subjectivity existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What do you see in others’ eyes? - How do your emotions color perception? A Different Perspective May over‑generalize artistic intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Decadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadence/) [Eternal life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal-life/) [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Eyes Martyrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-martyrs-716486/) [Eyes Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-portraits-716483/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Gazes Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gazes-portraits-716485/) [Gazes Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gazes-possessed-716482/) [Honest Gazes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-gazes-716484/) [Honesty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honesty/) [Paintings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paintings/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Precious stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-stones/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [“At this point, the sequence of my memories is disrupted. 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One day it came into his mind to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/there-was-an-artist-in-the-city-of-kouroo-who-was-disposed-to-strive/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“The opinions, eloquence and articulacy of the man or woman on the street can often be as invaluable as precious stones”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-wiggins/the-opinions-eloquence-and-articulacy-of-the-man-or-woman-on-the/) [Karl Wiggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-wiggins/) > [“I seen the ring in that tangle of riches and it seemed to dark to be ruby. Might have been garnet, I still don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-greene/i-seen-the-ring-in-that-tangle-of-riches-and-it-seemed-to-dark-to-be/) [Amy Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-greene/) > [“Nothing is richer than precious stones and than gold; nothing is finer than adamant, nothing nobler than the blood of kings; nothing is sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-passerat/nothing-is-richer-than-precious-stones-and-than-gold-nothing-is-finer/) [Jean Passerat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-passerat/) > [“Holmes took up the stone and held it against the light. "It's a bonny thing," said he. "Just see how it glints and sparkles.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/holmes-took-up-the-stone-and-held-it-against-the-light-it-s-a-bonny/) [Sir Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-arthur-conan-doyle/) ## More by Jean Lorrain > [“But that woman is an encyclopedia! Of all vices, ancient and modern, and terribly interesting to leaf through! ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/but-that-woman-is-an-encyclopedia-of-all-vices-ancient-and-modern-and/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“...the presence of others has become even more intolerable to me, their conversation most of all. Oh, how it all annoys and exasperates me:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-presence-of-others-has-become-even-more-intolerable-to-me-their/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“The beauty of the twentieth century is the charm of the hospital, the grace of the cemetery, of consumption and emaciation. I admit that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-beauty-of-the-twentieth-century-is-the-charm-of-the-hospital-the/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“His fame as an artist requires very tender care. 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I sank into a chaos of brief, incoherent and bizarre hallucinations, in which the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/at-this-point-the-sequence-of-my-memories-is-disrupted-i-sank-into-a/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“The ring which you are holding, my friend, is identical to that one. I had it cut according to the model of the king's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-ring-which-you-are-holding-my-friend-is-identical-to-that-one-i/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [The fancies that take their monstrous birth from the spinelessness and boredom of usurped wealth bring in their wake every defect ... and though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-fancies-that-take-their-monstrous-birth-from-the-spinelessness/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“The Marquis de V... - whose falsetto voice and little watery eyes I have always detested - was saying to me with a wicked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-marquis-de-v-whose-falsetto-voice-and-little-watery-eyes-i-have/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [Her vice takes hold of her again, but she still refrains until some moment when, gnawed by some hideous caprice, she comes aground like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/her-vice-takes-hold-of-her-again-but-she-still-refrains-until-some/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [The charm of horror only tempts the strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/the-charm-of-horror-only-tempts-the-strong/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“March 1898 What a strange dream I had last night! I wandered in the warm streets of a port, in the low quarter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/march-1898-what-a-strange-dream-i-had-last-night-i-wandered-in-the/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“This Sarah Perez had the most beautiful eyes in the world, those green eyes spangled with gold that you love so much: the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/this-sarah-perez-had-the-most-beautiful-eyes-in-the-world-those-green/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) > [“It is a sort of quasi-monastic diabolical vision. In a landscape populated with larvae - flowing and undulating larvae called forth like a cascade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-lorrain/it-is-a-sort-of-quasi-monastic-diabolical-vision-in-a-landscape/) [Jean Lorrain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) [Explore all 39 Jean Lorrain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-lorrain/) ## More Decadence quotes > [One defining symptom of decadence is a fondness for vast and nonsensical extravagance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/one-defining-symptom-of-decadence-is-a-fondness-for-vast-and/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [“Like symbolism, decadence puts forth the idea that the function of literature is to evoke impressions and 'correspondences', rather than to realistically depict the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asti-hustvedt/like-symbolism-decadence-puts-forth-the-idea-that-the-function-of/) [Asti Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asti-hustvedt/) > [I think Illium can take care of himself.” “Not if he keeps flirting with you.” A fine, almost elegant tendril of heat, champagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/i-think-illium-can-take-care-of-himself-not-if-he-keeps-flirting-with/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“(Decadent style) is ingenious, complicated, learned, full of shades of meaning and research, always pushing further the limits of language... forcing itself to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/decadent-style-is-ingenious-complicated-learned-full-of-shades-of/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“After two years' absence she finally returned to chilly Europe, a trifle weary, a trifle sad, disgusted by our banal entertainments, our shrunken landscapes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octave-mirbeau/after-two-years-absence-she-finally-returned-to-chilly-europe-a/) [Octave Mirbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octave-mirbeau/) > [I definitely consider 'Poses' - the whole album in fact - to be kind of a miracle. 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