---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I understood that expensive shirts looked…"
description: "\"“I understood that expensive shirts looked better than cheap shirts. The fabric wasn't shiny, no - shiny would be cheap. But it glowed, like there was ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg"
---

#  I understood that expensive shirts looked better than…

![“I understood that expensive shirts looked better than cheap shirts. The fabric wasn't shiny, no - shiny would be cheap. But it glowed, like there was light coming through from the inside. It was a fucking beautiful shirt, is what I'm saying” quote by Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg)

> ““I understood that expensive shirts looked better than cheap shirts. The fabric wasn't shiny, no - shiny would be cheap. But it glowed, like there was light coming through from the inside. It was a fucking beautiful shirt, is what I'm saying””

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker values quality and inner radiance over superficial shine, finding true beauty in depth and authenticity.

**In simple terms:** True beauty comes from inner glow, not surface shine.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth over flash.

Themes

authenticity beauty materialism

Mood

reflective appreciative

Type

literary personal observational

When to use this quote

- fashion critique
- personal style
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

aesthetic appreciation self‑expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “inner light” mean to you?
- How do you distinguish genuine quality from flashy appearance?

A Different Perspective

Surface appeal can be deceptive; deeper value may be overlooked.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Expensive Shirts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expensive-shirts-4609142/) [Shirt Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirt-saying-1721913/) [Shirts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirts/) [Shirts Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirts-fabric-4609143/) [Shirts Looked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirts-looked-780160/)

## Related quotes

> [“As far as I could see, she didn't take any better care of her apparel than I did mine, but I owned shirts that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/as-far-as-i-could-see-she-didn-t-take-any-better-care-of-her-apparel/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [I'm going to make this T-Shirt up saying, 'you can either be right or be happy.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/i-m-going-to-make-this-t-shirt-up-saying-you-can-either-be-right-or/)

[Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/)

> [I just saw a baby wearing a shirt saying: 'Santa doesn't exist, but that's ok, cause I can't read.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-just-saw-a-baby-wearing-a-shirt-saying-santa-doesn-t-exist-but-that/)

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

> [You can make jeans and a t-shirt super stylish. It's what you make of it, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lim/you-can-make-jeans-and-a-t-shirt-super-stylish-it-s-what-you-make-of/)

[Phillip Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lim/)

> [I like guys who wear nice clothes, nice jeans, nice trainers - I hate skinny jeans and those T-shirts that are really low-cut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-salpa/i-like-guys-who-wear-nice-clothes-nice-jeans-nice-trainers-i-hate/)

[Georgia Salpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-salpa/)

> [People don't ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/people-don-t-ask-jay-z-to-take-his-shirt-off-when-he-rhymes/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [The door swung open and Kate walked in. Her jeans and T-shirt were splattered with blood and she was carrying a severed vampire head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-door-swung-open-and-kate-walked-in-her-jeans-and-t-shirt-were/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Did he only wear a shirt during class? Oh my God, he seriously lived across the hall. Jacob was going to flip... and probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/did-he-only-wear-a-shirt-during-class-oh-my-god-he-seriously-lived/)

[J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/)

> [Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?" "If you wanted me to rip my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/is-this-the-part-where-you-start-tearing-off-strips-of-your-shirt-to/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [ \[Virginia Madsen\] big part in that movie \['Class'\] required her shirt to get ripped off, and looking back, it couldn't be a more egregious,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/virginia-madsen-big-part-in-that-movie-class-required-her-shirt-to/)

[Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/)

> [When I see scarves or shirts, I think: 'Why have they got my name on? They could have Pogba or Rashford or Lingard.' When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-james/when-i-see-scarves-or-shirts-i-think-why-have-they-got-my-name-on/)

[Daniel James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-james/)

> [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [For Christmas one year I bought my son a BB gun. He bought me a t-shirt with a bulls eye on the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/for-christmas-one-year-i-bought-my-son-a-bb-gun-he-bought-me-a-t/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [Got to say, dying would really wreck my best day. Been there, done that, and now that I think about it, Artemis forgot to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/got-to-say-dying-would-really-wreck-my-best-day-been-there-done-that/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I would like to see the Pope wearing my T-shirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-would-like-to-see-the-pope-wearing-my-t-shirt/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

## More by Jennifer Egan

> [“Behind the desk was nothing but view-the whole city flung out in front of us the way street vendors fling out their towels packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/behind-the-desk-was-nothing-but-view-the-whole-city-flung-out-in/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I just think that, for my particular personality, feeling slightly invisible is always a help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-just-think-that-for-my-particular-personality-feeling-slightly/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [Between books, I have to throw out everything I did before, because the tools I've used to write the previous book will not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/between-books-i-have-to-throw-out-everything-i-did-before-because-the/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [As a reader and a writer, I'm happiest when apparently mutually exclusive states can somehow coexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/as-a-reader-and-a-writer-i-m-happiest-when-apparently-mutually/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I teach intermittently, and while I enjoy it, I don't find that it's a calling for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-teach-intermittently-and-while-i-enjoy-it-i-don-t-find-that-it-s-a/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [Like all failed experiments, that one taught me something I didn’t expect: one key ingredient of so-called experience is the delusional faith that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/like-all-failed-experiments-that-one-taught-me-something-i-didn-t/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. I clutch at Dad's arm: "Why are they doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/thousands-of-solar-panels-lift-and-tilt-at-the-same-time-in-the-same/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [It was the hat. He looked sweet in the hat. How could a man in a fuzzy blue hat have used human bones to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/it-was-the-hat-he-looked-sweet-in-the-hat-how-could-a-man-in-a-fuzzy/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [“The seconds pass. I know what’s going on because it’s the same thing that always happens: give me something nice, something I love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/the-seconds-pass-i-know-what-s-going-on-because-it-s-the-same-thing/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I had this idea that I could hire myself out as a person to go on archeological digs and dig, without any training! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-had-this-idea-that-i-could-hire-myself-out-as-a-person-to-go-on/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [At night, the house thick with sleep, she would peer out her bedroom window at the trees and sky and feel the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/at-night-the-house-thick-with-sleep-she-would-peer-out-her-bedroom/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/read-at-the-level-at-which-you-want-to-write-reading-is-the/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

> [I was a stepchild in two different families. The hardest thing about being a stepchild is you know that in some way everything would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-was-a-stepchild-in-two-different-families-the-hardest-thing-about-2/)

[Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

[Explore all 358 Jennifer Egan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/)

## More Shirts quotes

> [I would like to see the Pope wearing my T-shirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-would-like-to-see-the-pope-wearing-my-t-shirt/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [Got to say, dying would really wreck my best day. Been there, done that, and now that I think about it, Artemis forgot to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/got-to-say-dying-would-really-wreck-my-best-day-been-there-done-that/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [For Christmas one year I bought my son a BB gun. He bought me a t-shirt with a bulls eye on the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/for-christmas-one-year-i-bought-my-son-a-bb-gun-he-bought-me-a-t/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [When I see scarves or shirts, I think: 'Why have they got my name on? They could have Pogba or Rashford or Lingard.' When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-james/when-i-see-scarves-or-shirts-i-think-why-have-they-got-my-name-on/)

[Daniel James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-james/)

> [ \[Virginia Madsen\] big part in that movie \['Class'\] required her shirt to get ripped off, and looking back, it couldn't be a more egregious,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/virginia-madsen-big-part-in-that-movie-class-required-her-shirt-to/)

[Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/)

> [Is this the part where you start tearing off strips of your shirt to bind my wounds?" "If you wanted me to rip my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/is-this-the-part-where-you-start-tearing-off-strips-of-your-shirt-to/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [Did he only wear a shirt during class? Oh my God, he seriously lived across the hall. Jacob was going to flip... and probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lynn/did-he-only-wear-a-shirt-during-class-oh-my-god-he-seriously-lived/)

[J. Lynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lynn/)

> [The door swung open and Kate walked in. Her jeans and T-shirt were splattered with blood and she was carrying a severed vampire head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-door-swung-open-and-kate-walked-in-her-jeans-and-t-shirt-were/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [People don't ask Jay-Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/people-don-t-ask-jay-z-to-take-his-shirt-off-when-he-rhymes/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [I like guys who wear nice clothes, nice jeans, nice trainers - I hate skinny jeans and those T-shirts that are really low-cut.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-salpa/i-like-guys-who-wear-nice-clothes-nice-jeans-nice-trainers-i-hate/)

[Georgia Salpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-salpa/)

> [You can make jeans and a t-shirt super stylish. It's what you make of it, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-lim/you-can-make-jeans-and-a-t-shirt-super-stylish-it-s-what-you-make-of/)

[Phillip Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillip-lim/)

> [I was getting close to thirty and was trying on the idea of becoming more mature. I was reading more. I had gone out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/i-was-getting-close-to-thirty-and-was-trying-on-the-idea-of-becoming/)

[Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/)

> [Today at school I will learn to read at once; then tomorrow I will begin to write, and the day after tomorrow to cipher.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-collodi/today-at-school-i-will-learn-to-read-at-once-then-tomorrow-i-will/)

[Carlo Collodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-collodi/)

> [Reducing your life down to three pairs of jeans, two skirts, a couple of shirts, and a few pairs of shoes was so nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/reducing-your-life-down-to-three-pairs-of-jeans-two-skirts-a-couple/)

[Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/)

[Browse all 1,391 Shirts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shirts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I understood that expensive shirts looked better than cheap shirts. The fabric wasn't shiny, no - shiny would be cheap. But it glowed, like there was light coming through from the inside. It was a fucking beautiful shirt, is what I'm saying”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jennifer Egan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looked-better-than-cheap-shirts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Shirts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looked-better-than-cheap-shirts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c5d/jennifer-egan-825_quote_i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looke_1353506.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I understood that expensive shirts looked better than cheap shirts. The fabric wasn't shiny, no - shiny…” — Jennifer Egan",
                "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": "Jennifer Egan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I understood that expensive shirts looked...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looked-better-than-cheap-shirts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-understood-that-expensive-shirts-looked-better-than-cheap-shirts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
