---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The smiles that encourage severity of…"
description: "\"The smiles that encourage severity of judgment hide malice and insincerity.\" — Johann Kaspar Lavater"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/johann-kaspar-lavater-1399_insincerity_the-smiles-that-encourage-severity-of-ju_1288666.jpg"
---

#  The smiles that encourage severity of judgment hide malice…

![“The smiles that encourage severity of judgment hide malice and insincerity.” quote by Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/johann-kaspar-lavater-1399_insincerity_the-smiles-that-encourage-severity-of-ju_1288666.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/johann-kaspar-lavater-1399_insincerity_the-smiles-that-encourage-severity-of-ju_1288666.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/johann-kaspar-lavater-1399_insincerity_the-smiles-that-encourage-severity-of-ju_1288666.jpg)

> “The smiles that encourage severity of judgment hide malice and insincerity.”

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

## About This Quote

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

Smiles that seem harsh often conceal hidden malice and false sincerity.

**In simple terms:** Harsh smiles hide ill intent and insincerity.

Key Takeaway

Look beyond surface expressions.

Themes

deception social masks judgment

Mood

cautious inquisitive

Type

psychological observational

When to use this quote

- interpersonal interactions
- leadership
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

psychology authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we detect genuine intent?
- What cues reveal insincerity?

A Different Perspective

Appearances can be misleading.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Insincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insincerity/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Malice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/malice/) [Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiles/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

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> [Who begins with severity, in judging of another, ends commonly with falsehood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/who-begins-with-severity-in-judging-of-another-ends-commonly-with/)

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

> [“I found this hardly comforting, and wondered if there was not some virtue in the quality of insincerity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-found-this-hardly-comforting-and-wondered-if-there-was-not-some/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [What matters in Politics is what men actually do - sincerity is no excuse for acting unpolitically, and insincerity may be channelled by politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/what-matters-in-politics-is-what-men-actually-do-sincerity-is-no/)

[Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/)

> [I love to read the dedications of old books written in monarchies for they invariably honor some (usually insignificant) knight or duke with fulsome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-love-to-read-the-dedications-of-old-books-written-in-monarchies-for/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [...So Englishmen saw it. Lincoln's insincerity was regarded as proven by two things: his earlier denial of any lawful right or wish to free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-vanauken/so-englishmen-saw-it-lincoln-s-insincerity-was-regarded-as-proven-by/)

[Sheldon Vanauken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-vanauken/)

> [It's not unfortunate that people aren't genuine; what's unfortunate is that insincere people try to act sincere and in doing so, mislead and deceive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-not-unfortunate-that-people-aren-t-genuine-what-s-unfortunate-is/)

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

> [Never say sorry to anyone if you don't really mean it, and don't commit about anything that you know you don't really mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/never-say-sorry-to-anyone-if-you-don-t-really-mean-it-and-don-t/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one's real and one's declared aims, one turns, as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-great-enemy-of-clear-language-is-insincerity-when-there-is-a-gap/)

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> [The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-real-loneliness-is-living-among-all-these-kind-people-who-only/)

[Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/)

> [What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-people-call-insincerity-is-simply-a-method-by-which-we-can/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Once you can fake sincerity, you can fake anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/once-you-can-fake-sincerity-you-can-fake-anything/)

[Mary Jo Putney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jo-putney/)

## More by Johann Kaspar Lavater

> [Neatness begets order; but from order to taste there is the same difference as from taste to genius, or from love to friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/neatness-begets-order-but-from-order-to-taste-there-is-the-same/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/habit-is-altogether-too-arbitrary-a-master-for-me-to-submit-to/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

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> [Don't speak evil of someone if you don't know for certain, and if you do know ask yourself, why am I telling it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/don-t-speak-evil-of-someone-if-you-don-t-know-for-certain-and-if-you/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Before thou callest a man hero or genius, investigate whether his exertion has features of indelibility; for all that is celestial, all genius, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/before-thou-callest-a-man-hero-or-genius-investigate-whether-his/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

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[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

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[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

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[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

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[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

[Explore all 245 Johann Kaspar Lavater quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

## More Insincerity quotes

> [Once you can fake sincerity, you can fake anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jo-putney/once-you-can-fake-sincerity-you-can-fake-anything/)

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> [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/)

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> [What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-people-call-insincerity-is-simply-a-method-by-which-we-can/)

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[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [What matters in Politics is what men actually do - sincerity is no excuse for acting unpolitically, and insincerity may be channelled by politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-crick/what-matters-in-politics-is-what-men-actually-do-sincerity-is-no/)

[Bernard Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-crick/)

> [“I found this hardly comforting, and wondered if there was not some virtue in the quality of insincerity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-found-this-hardly-comforting-and-wondered-if-there-was-not-some/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [Nothing is more disgraceful than insincerity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-more-disgraceful-than-insincerity/)

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> [The words that I say and things that I do are different than what I mean.~~~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-chiar/the-words-that-i-say-and-things-that-i-do-are-different-than-what-i/)

[Francine Chiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-chiar/)

[Browse all 112 Insincerity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insincerity/)

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