--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He was afflicted by the thought that…" description: "\"He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was why so many people looked on it as immoral...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png" --- # He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was… ![“He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was why so many people looked on it as immoral.” quote by John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png) > “He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was why so many people looked on it as immoral.” [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty is portrayed as chaotic and morally ambiguous, suggesting that true beauty defies simple, straight‑forward expectations. **In simple terms:** Beauty seems messy and can immoral. Key Takeaway Accept complexity in aesthetics. Themes beauty morality perception Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - art criticism - personal relationships - cultural analysis Key Concepts aesthetics subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - How do you define beauty beyond appearance? - Can chaos be beautiful? A Different Perspective Beauty may be judged by societal standards, not intrinsic value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Beauty means this to one person, perhaps, and that to another. And yet when any one of us has seen or heard or read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/beauty-means-this-to-one-person-perhaps-and-that-to-another-and-yet/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [There was such a difference, he thought, between the beauty that illuminated, and the beauty that was illuminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/there-was-such-a-difference-he-thought-between-the-beauty-that/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Thought and beauty, like a hurricane or waves, should not know conventional, delimited forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/thought-and-beauty-like-a-hurricane-or-waves-should-not-know/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [A great work of Art demands a great thought or a thought of beauty adequately expressed. - Neither in Art nor Literature more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-fuller/a-great-work-of-art-demands-a-great-thought-or-a-thought-of-beauty/) [Margaret Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-fuller/) > [“No, you don't feel it now. Some day, when you are old and wrinkled and ugly, when thought has seared your forehead with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/no-you-don-t-feel-it-now-some-day-when-you-are-old-and-wrinkled-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Oh what a shame if she thought any beauty she has came from him. She didn't understand the beauty of her own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-sandozz/oh-what-a-shame-if-she-thought-any-beauty-she-has-came-from-him-she/) [Jasmine Sandozz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-sandozz/) > [“I've often thought that beauty can be a deterrent to love,” Fern's father mused. “Why?” “Because sometimes we fall in love with a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/i-ve-often-thought-that-beauty-can-be-a-deterrent-to-love-fern-s/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [People say sometimes that Beauty is superficial. That may be so. But at least it is not so superficial as Thought is. To me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/people-say-sometimes-that-beauty-is-superficial-that-may-be-so-but-at/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“...and you thought beauty was the outward show - but now you know the truth, my Love - it's always been the inner fire...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/and-you-thought-beauty-was-the-outward-show-but-now-you-know-the/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“There is an admirable fact about the psychology of France: she knows no half measures, loathsome or sublime, she forges the thought and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephin-peladan/there-is-an-admirable-fact-about-the-psychology-of-france-she-knows/) [Josephin Peladan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephin-peladan/) > [“Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift from God, but Mom had another notion; she thought that beauty could be earned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/throughout-human-history-beauty-has-been-seen-as-a-gift-from-god-but/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“He’d never thought of beauty as a form of power, but that’s the way Piper had seemed—powerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-d-never-thought-of-beauty-as-a-form-of-power-but-that-s-the-way/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I thought that beauty alone would satisfy, but the soul is gone. I can’t bear those empty, staring eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-beaumont/i-thought-that-beauty-alone-would-satisfy-but-the-soul-is-gone-i-can/) [Charles Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-beaumont/) > [He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret. He thought that the world’s heart beat at some terrible cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-beauty-of-the-world-were-hid-a-secret-he/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [Things thought too long can be no longer thought, For beauty dies of beauty, worth of worth, And ancient lineaments are blotted out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/things-thought-too-long-can-be-no-longer-thought-for-beauty-dies-of/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) ## More by John Galsworthy > [“She stood and tried hard not to believe in God. It seemed mean and petty to have more belief in God when things were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/she-stood-and-tried-hard-not-to-believe-in-god-it-seemed-mean-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“Love is no hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/love-is-no-hot-house-flower-but-a-wild-plant-born-of-a-wet-night-born/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [ “Justice is a machine that, when someone has once given it the starting push, rolls on of itself. - John Galsworthy, Justice \[1910\], act II” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/justice-is-a-machine-that-when-someone-has-once-given-it-the-starting/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [By the cigars they smoke, and the composers they love, ye shall know the texture of men's souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/by-the-cigars-they-smoke-and-the-composers-they-love-ye-shall-know/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Memory heaps dead leaves on corpse-like deeds, from under which they do but vaguely offend the sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/memory-heaps-dead-leaves-on-corpse-like-deeds-from-under-which-they/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“That tendency...to lie awake between the hours of two and four, when the chrysalis of faint misgiving becomes so readily the butterfly of panic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/that-tendency-to-lie-awake-between-the-hours-of-two-and-four-when-the/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“Here’s a sentence in a book I’m reading: ‘We belong, of course, to a generation that’s seen through things, seen how futile everything is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/here-s-a-sentence-in-a-book-i-m-reading-we-belong-of-course-to-a/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“James and the other eight children of 'Superior Dosset,' of whom there are still five alive, may be said to have represented Victorian England,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/james-and-the-other-eight-children-of-superior-dosset-of-whom-there/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Justice is a machine that, when some one has once given it the starting push, rolls on of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/justice-is-a-machine-that-when-some-one-has-once-given-it-the/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Love! Beyond measure — beyond death — it nearly kills. But one wouldn't have been without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/love-beyond-measure-beyond-death-it-nearly-kills-but-one-wouldn-t/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Society is built on marriage ... marriage and its consequences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/society-is-built-on-marriage-marriage-and-its-consequences/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [We are all familiar with the argument: Make war dreadful enough, and there will be no war. And we none of us believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/we-are-all-familiar-with-the-argument-make-war-dreadful-enough-and/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [When Man evolved Pity, he did a queer thing - deprived himself of the power of living life as it is without wishing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/when-man-evolved-pity-he-did-a-queer-thing-deprived-himself-of-the/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [Public opinion's always in advance of the law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/public-opinion-s-always-in-advance-of-the-law/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“An epoch which had gilded individual liberty so that if a man had money he was free in law and fact, and if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/an-epoch-which-had-gilded-individual-liberty-so-that-if-a-man-had/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) [Explore all 113 John Galsworthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was why so many people looked on it as immoral.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Galsworthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-where-beauty-was-nothing-ever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-where-beauty-was-nothing-ever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/692/john-galsworthy-4232_beauty_he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-whe_1122284.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was…” — John Galsworthy", "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": "John Galsworthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He was afflicted by the thought...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-where-beauty-was-nothing-ever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-where-beauty-was-nothing-ever/#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 } } ] } ```