--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beauty is its own excuse." description: "\"Beauty is its own excuse.\" — John Greenleaf Whittier" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png" --- # Beauty is its own excuse. ![“Beauty is its own excuse.” quote by John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png) > “Beauty is its own excuse.” [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty itself justifies its existence, needing no external reason. **In simple terms:** Beauty is its own justification. Key Takeaway Appreciate beauty for its inherent value. Themes aetry beauty existence aesthetics Mood contemplative appreciative Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - art criticism - personal reflection - teaching - creative writing Key Concepts intrinsic value philosophy of art nature Questions to Reflect On - When do you find beauty unnecessary? - How does beauty influence decisions? A Different Perspective Beauty can be subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-excuse-2621102/) [Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuse/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-eyes-were-made-for-seeing-then-beauty-is-its-own-excuse-for-being/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Rhodora! If the sages ask thee why This charm is wasted on the earth and sky, Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/rhodora-if-the-sages-ask-thee-why-this-charm-is-wasted-on-the-earth/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Tell them dear, that if eyes were made for seeing, Then beauty is its own excuse for being: Why thou wert there, O rival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/tell-them-dear-that-if-eyes-were-made-for-seeing-then-beauty-is-its/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“Beauty is its own excuse for being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/beauty-is-its-own-excuse-for-being/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Then beauty is its own excuse for being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/then-beauty-is-its-own-excuse-for-being/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Go ahead. Weep for the rare, the never seen this way again, the excruciating, ineffable, unmitigated beauty of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/go-ahead-weep-for-the-rare-the-never-seen-this-way-again-the/) [Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Win without boasting. Lose without excuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-payson-terhune/win-without-boasting-lose-without-excuse/) [Albert Payson Terhune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-payson-terhune/) > [International friendly games are not worth the lives of the silk worms who perish to make the pennants. They do not even have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/international-friendly-games-are-not-worth-the-lives-of-the-silk/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [The number of poor, and poorly prepared, students who succeed in college and beyond undercuts the simplistic notion that economic or educational disadvantage is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-merullo/the-number-of-poor-and-poorly-prepared-students-who-succeed-in/) [Roland Merullo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-merullo/) > [My non-career. My excuse for a career? Honestly, I never think about the word 'career.' I've had managers, the minute they say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/my-non-career-my-excuse-for-a-career-honestly-i-never-think-about-the/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) ## More by John Greenleaf Whittier > [Here Greek and Roman find themselves alive along these crowded shelves; and Shakespeare treads again his stage, and Chaucer paints anew his age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/here-greek-and-roman-find-themselves-alive-along-these-crowded/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [the joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/the-joy-that-you-give-to-others-is-the-joy-that-comes-back-to-you/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [No lance have I, in joust or fight, To splinter in my lady's sight; But, at her feet, how blest were I For any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/no-lance-have-i-in-joust-or-fight-to-splinter-in-my-lady-s-sight-but/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [A little smile, a word of cheer, A bit of love from someone near, A little gift from one held dear, Best wishes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/a-little-smile-a-word-of-cheer-a-bit-of-love-from-someone-near-a/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [On leaf of palm, on sedge-wrought roll; on plastic clay and leather scroll, man wrote his thoughts; the ages passed, and lo! the Press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/on-leaf-of-palm-on-sedge-wrought-roll-on-plastic-clay-and-leather/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [What does the good ship bear so well? The cocoa-nut with its stony shell, And the milky sap of its inner cell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/what-does-the-good-ship-bear-so-well-the-cocoa-nut-with-its-stony/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [Love hath never known a law beyond its own sweet will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/love-hath-never-known-a-law-beyond-its-own-sweet-will/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness His own thy will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/leaning-on-him-make-with-reverent-meekness-his-own-thy-will/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [Sweeter than any sungMy songs that found no tongue;Nobler than any factMy wish that failed of act.Others shall sing the song,Others shall right the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/sweeter-than-any-sungmy-songs-that-found-no-tongue-nobler-than-any/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [The Present, the Present is all thou hast For thy sure possessing; Like the patriarch's angel hold it fast Till it gives its blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/the-present-the-present-is-all-thou-hast-for-thy-sure-possessing-like/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [They who wander widest lift No more of beauties' jealous veils, Than they who from their doorways see The miracle of flowers and trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/they-who-wander-widest-lift-no-more-of-beauties-jealous-veils-than/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [Once more the liberal year laughs out O'er richer stores than gems or gold: Once more with harvest song and shout Is nature's boldest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/once-more-the-liberal-year-laughs-out-o-er-richer-stores-than-gems-or/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [Quite the ugliest face I ever saw was that of a woman whom the world called beautiful. Through its silver veil the evil and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/quite-the-ugliest-face-i-ever-saw-was-that-of-a-woman-whom-the-world/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [With smoking axle hot with speed, with steeds of fire and steam, Wide-waked To-day leaves Yesterday behind him like a dream. Still, from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/with-smoking-axle-hot-with-speed-with-steeds-of-fire-and-steam-wide/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) > [If woman lost us Eden, such As she alone restore it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/if-woman-lost-us-eden-such-as-she-alone-restore-it/) [John Greenleaf Whittier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) [Explore all 188 John Greenleaf Whittier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Beauty is its own excuse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Greenleaf Whittier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/beauty-is-its-own-excuse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/beauty-is-its-own-excuse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84b/john-greenleaf-whittier-2061_beauty_beauty-is-its-own-excuse-2686181_2686181.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beauty is its own excuse.” — John Greenleaf Whittier", "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 Greenleaf Whittier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-greenleaf-whittier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Beauty is its own excuse.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/beauty-is-its-own-excuse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-greenleaf-whittier/beauty-is-its-own-excuse/#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 } } ] } ```