---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way to make beauty ugly is to…"
description: "\"“The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy. Like twisting the top off a jar of something wonderful to eat, the moment he's hit by the terr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png"
---

#  The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy…

![“The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy. Like twisting the top off a jar of something wonderful to eat, the moment he's hit by the terrible smell of it gone bad, even the hungriest person will drop the jar in the trash without a second thought.” quote by Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png)

> ““The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy. Like twisting the top off a jar of something wonderful to eat, the moment he's hit by the terrible smell of it gone bad, even the hungriest person will drop the jar in the trash without a second thought.””

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

## About This Quote

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

Beauty becomes grotesque when its underlying madness is exposed, leading even the hungry to reject it.

**In simple terms:** When you see the flaws, beauty loses its appeal.

Key Takeaway

Question appearances and seek deeper truth.

Themes

beauty illusion truth perception

Mood

cynical reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- art criticism
- personal relationships
- consumer choices

Key Concepts

aesthetic philosophy psychology of disgust

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you dismissed something beautiful after learning its flaws?
- Can flaws coexist with appreciation?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may oversimplify complex beauty standards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-ugly-845822/) [Make Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-beauty-247208/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly/) [Ugly Crazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly-crazy-3675630/)

## Related quotes

> ['Into The Gloss,' what I think it did so well was create a conversation around beauty and make beauty the main event as opposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-weiss/into-the-gloss-what-i-think-it-did-so-well-was-create-a-conversation/)

[Emily Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-weiss/)

> [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/)

> [Dont judge a person for their beauty there may be ugly thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-judge-a-person-for-their-beauty-there-may-be-ugly-thoughts/)

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

> [When everyone in the world sees beauty, then ugly exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/when-everyone-in-the-world-sees-beauty-then-ugly-exists/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/i-want-to-see-beauty-in-the-ugly-in-the-sink-in-the-suffering-in-the/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [“Comparisons are inevitable, her face resembles her, he is like him and this old man is like that old man. This is taking things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aporva-kala/comparisons-are-inevitable-her-face-resembles-her-he-is-like-him-and/)

[Aporva Kala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aporva-kala/)

> [We are not beautiful because we fit the popular ideal of beauty, and we are not ugly or unattractive because we don’t measure up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-mahaney/we-are-not-beautiful-because-we-fit-the-popular-ideal-of-beauty-and/)

[Carolyn Mahaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-mahaney/)

> [Gold lends a touch of beauty even to the ugly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/gold-lends-a-touch-of-beauty-even-to-the-ugly/)

[Nicolas Boileau-Despreaux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-boileau-despreaux/)

> [Poverty is the greatest teacher we all need to grow financially. Fake beauty desires artificial hairdo but unique and true beauty is ugly yet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seun-sanni/poverty-is-the-greatest-teacher-we-all-need-to-grow-financially-fake/)

[Seun Sanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seun-sanni/)

> [I thought I'd stumbled on Sleeping Beauty and her ugly sister,' said another voice, 'waiting for the kiss of true love to wake them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/i-thought-i-d-stumbled-on-sleeping-beauty-and-her-ugly-sister-said/)

[John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/)

> [People say there is a Beauty in every Ugly... so does that mean there is a Ugly in every Beauty? what I think to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lajunejean/people-say-there-is-a-beauty-in-every-ugly-so-does-that-mean-there-is/)

[LaJuneJean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lajunejean/)

> [Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/u2/grace-makes-beauty-out-of-ugly-things/)

[U2](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/u2/)

> [“A lily earns its beauty in ugly waters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-lily-earns-its-beauty-in-ugly-waters/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“Everything has beauty. Even the ugly. Because without the ugly, there would be no beauty. Because without beauty, we would not survive our pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-sheehan/everything-has-beauty-even-the-ugly-because-without-the-ugly-there/)

[Madeline Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-sheehan/)

> [Ugly is attractive, ugly is exciting. Maybe because it is newer. The investigation of ugliness is, to me, more interesting than the bourgeois idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miuccia-prada/ugly-is-attractive-ugly-is-exciting-maybe-because-it-is-newer-the/)

[Miuccia Prada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miuccia-prada/)

## More by Jonathan Carroll

> [Eating is sex for old people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/eating-is-sex-for-old-people/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Ive never seen myself as a fantasy writer-ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/ive-never-seen-myself-as-a-fantasy-writer-ever/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [I have never heard anyone say This is it. I know right now is the high point of my life. It will never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/i-have-never-heard-anyone-say-this-is-it-i-know-right-now-is-the-high/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [“One of the most terrible losses man endures in his lifetime is not even noticed by most people, much less mourned. Which is astonishing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/one-of-the-most-terrible-losses-man-endures-in-his-lifetime-is-not/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Everything you want in life has teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/everything-you-want-in-life-has-teeth/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Sometimes it is the smallest thing that saves us: the weather growing cold, a child's smile, and a cup of excellent coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/sometimes-it-is-the-smallest-thing-that-saves-us-the-weather-growing/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [“One of the reasons why I liked living in Manhattan was that the city would share your mood the moment you walked out the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/one-of-the-reasons-why-i-liked-living-in-manhattan-was-that-the-city/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Old people are often impatient, but for what?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/old-people-are-often-impatient-but-for-what/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Kids own nothing. Everything is either promised, borrowed, longed for or exaggerated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/kids-own-nothing-everything-is-either-promised-borrowed-longed-for-or/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Real love is always chaotic. You lose control; you lose perspective. You lose the ability to protect yourself. The greater the love, the greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/real-love-is-always-chaotic-you-lose-control-you-lose-perspective-you/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Everyone coming out of a perfume store is smelling the back of their hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/everyone-coming-out-of-a-perfume-store-is-smelling-the-back-of-their/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Buying a pair of shoes is one of the most optimistic acts I know, next to falling in love. I like nothing better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/buying-a-pair-of-shoes-is-one-of-the-most-optimistic-acts-i-know-next/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Dogs are here to remind us life really is a simple thing. You eat, sleep, take walks, and pee when you must. That's about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/dogs-are-here-to-remind-us-life-really-is-a-simple-thing-you-eat/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [“ Cza­sem li­nia męskiego kar­ku może zmienić całe two­je życie. Sposób, w ja­ki sięga on do kie­sze­ni po drob­ne, po­wodu­je skur­cz ser­ca i chłód…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/cza-sem-li-nia-m-skiego-kar-ku-mo-e-zmieni-ca-e-two-je-ycie-spos-b-w/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

> [Salzburg... is a mountain town with a rushing river running right through the center, everything in the rain various shades of green and brown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/salzburg-is-a-mountain-town-with-a-rushing-river-running-right/)

[Jonathan Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

[Explore all 104 Jonathan Carroll quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/)

## 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": "“The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy. Like twisting the top off a jar of something wonderful to eat, the moment he's hit by the terrible smell of it gone bad, even the hungriest person will drop the jar in the trash without a second thought.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jonathan Carroll"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-show-it-s-crazy-like-twisting/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-show-it-s-crazy-like-twisting/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/209/jonathan-carroll-4590_beauty_the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-s_2833657.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The only way to make beauty ugly is to show it's crazy. Like twisting the top off a jar of something…” — Jonathan Carroll",
                "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": "Jonathan Carroll",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-carroll/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The only way to make beauty...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-show-it-s-crazy-like-twisting/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-carroll/the-only-way-to-make-beauty-ugly-is-to-show-it-s-crazy-like-twisting/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
