--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Describing beauty is almost impossible…" description: "\"Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive it, rather than describe it. If you look at a Rembrandt painting and start to try and descri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/john-lennox-19396_beauty_describing-beauty-is-almost-impossible-b_2384546.jpg" --- # Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive… ![“Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive it, rather than describe it. If you look at a Rembrandt painting and start to try and describe what the beauty is you see, your words sound absolutely pathetic.” quote by John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/john-lennox-19396_beauty_describing-beauty-is-almost-impossible-b_2384546.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/john-lennox-19396_beauty_describing-beauty-is-almost-impossible-b_2384546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c9/john-lennox-19396_beauty_describing-beauty-is-almost-impossible-b_2384546.jpg) > “Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive it, rather than describe it. If you look at a Rembrandt painting and start to try and describe what the beauty is you see, your words sound absolutely pathetic.” [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty transcends language; attempts to describe it often fall short of its impact. **In simple terms:** Beauty is felt more than spoken. Key Takeaway Trust intuition over words when appreciating art. Themes a perception language art Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - museum visits - creative writing - teaching art Key Concepts phenomenology subjectivity Questions to Reflect On - Why do we struggle to articulate aesthetic experiences? - Can describing beauty enhance or diminish its effect? A Different Perspective Words can limit personal experience of beauty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [You'd never look at a Rembrandt and say, 'That's just wood and canvas and paint - how much?!' It's all about how many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-hirst/you-d-never-look-at-a-rembrandt-and-say-that-s-just-wood-and-canvas/) [Damien Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-hirst/) > [And I wish that I was made of stone So that I would not have to see A beauty impossible to define A beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-cave/and-i-wish-that-i-was-made-of-stone-so-that-i-would-not-have-to-see-a/) [Nick Cave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-cave/) > [“the difference between love and loss was so slight it was almost impossible to perceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-pag-n/the-difference-between-love-and-loss-was-so-slight-it-was-almost/) [Camille Pagán](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-pag-n/) > [“Picture to yourself the most beautiful girl imaginable! She was so beautiful that there would be no point, in view of my meagre talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-moers/picture-to-yourself-the-most-beautiful-girl-imaginable-she-was-so/) [Walter Moers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-moers/) > [“The night before, I'd gone overboard with my Lila poems, and maybe it's true that I was hoping that in them he'd see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-kephart/the-night-before-i-d-gone-overboard-with-my-lila-poems-and-maybe-it-s/) [Beth Kephart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-kephart/) > [Poetry is something I love to do. Good poetry has an amazing ability to be communicative before it's even understood. I get emotional just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/poetry-is-something-i-love-to-do-good-poetry-has-an-amazing-ability/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [I have devoted myself to architecture as a sublime act of poetic imagination. Consequently, I am only a symbol for all those who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-barragan/i-have-devoted-myself-to-architecture-as-a-sublime-act-of-poetic/) [Luis Barragan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-barragan/) > [“When I feel the beauty in words, I am sensing the logic of heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-i-feel-the-beauty-in-words-i-am-sensing-the-logic-of-heart/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Stars announce their presence with beauty, not words; do likewise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/stars-announce-their-presence-with-beauty-not-words-do-likewise/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Beauty is in the words, not the features. Soul counts for a lot but heart counts for everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-dawn-monks/beauty-is-in-the-words-not-the-features-soul-counts-for-a-lot-but/) [Victoria Dawn Monks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-dawn-monks/) > [The beauty in words is realized only by actions as fragrance is there in flowers but it is felt only by smelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj-somany/the-beauty-in-words-is-realized-only-by-actions-as-fragrance-is-there/) [Anuj Somany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj-somany/) > [It's only when you're at your lowest that you can put the most beauty into the words you write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-draper/it-s-only-when-you-re-at-your-lowest-that-you-can-put-the-most-beauty/) Tyler Draper > [“However, the real beauty is not in the words themselves, but in the listener that has the power to understand them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-marques/however-the-real-beauty-is-not-in-the-words-themselves-but-in-the/) [Luis Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-marques/) > [What beauty there is in words; what a lurking curious charm in the sound some words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/what-beauty-there-is-in-words-what-a-lurking-curious-charm-in-the/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/poetry-is-the-rhythmical-creation-of-beauty-in-words/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) ## More by John Lennox > [“Richard Dawkins regards faith as an evil to be eliminated; he takes all religious faith to be blind faith. (Dawkins says) ‘Scientific belief is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/richard-dawkins-regards-faith-as-an-evil-to-be-eliminated-he-takes/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [“Indeed, faith is a response to evidence, not a rejoicing in the absence of evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/indeed-faith-is-a-response-to-evidence-not-a-rejoicing-in-the-absence/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Atheism is a fairy story for people afraid of the Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/atheism-is-a-fairy-story-for-people-afraid-of-the-light/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Christianity, sharing the Christian faith, in common, gives you instant friendship, and that is the remarkable thing, because it transcends culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/christianity-sharing-the-christian-faith-in-common-gives-you-instant/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [The idea of separating church and state by the Founding Fathers of America was freedom from the domination of one form of religion, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/the-idea-of-separating-church-and-state-by-the-founding-fathers-of/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [The Founding Fathers of America never intended to stop people expressing their faith in the public square. But unfortunately that is the way it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/the-founding-fathers-of-america-never-intended-to-stop-people/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Faith is not a leap in the dark; it’s the exact opposite. It’s a commitment based on evidence… It is irrational to reduce all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/faith-is-not-a-leap-in-the-dark-it-s-the-exact-opposite-it-s-a/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Nonsense is nonsense even when spoken by when said by world-famous scientists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/nonsense-is-nonsense-even-when-spoken-by-when-said-by-world-famous/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [The new atheism as an old atheism, except it's much more aggressive. The new atheism wants to destroy religion. That's a very different thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/the-new-atheism-as-an-old-atheism-except-it-s-much-more-aggressive/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Either human intelligence ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It is strange that some people claim that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/either-human-intelligence-ultimately-owes-its-origin-to-mindless/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [We have only to see a few letters of the alphabet spelling our name in the sand to recognize at once the work of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/we-have-only-to-see-a-few-letters-of-the-alphabet-spelling-our-name/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [I usually have a very clear idea of where I want a song to go, sometimes very specific notes, but I'm generally open to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/i-usually-have-a-very-clear-idea-of-where-i-want-a-song-to-go/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [It seems to me that a Christian like myself is presented with major problems, but they're nothing like the problems of the atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/it-seems-to-me-that-a-christian-like-myself-is-presented-with-major/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Humans alone are created as rational beings in the image of God, capable of a relationship with God and given by him the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/humans-alone-are-created-as-rational-beings-in-the-image-of-god/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) > [Not every statement by a scientist is a statement of science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennox/not-every-statement-by-a-scientist-is-a-statement-of-science/) [John Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) [Explore all 32 John Lennox quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennox/) ## 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": "Describing beauty is almost impossible because we perceive it, rather than describe it. 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