--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Was it really right to look the way he…" description: "\"“Was it really right to look the way he did? His prominent nose was altogether too immodest for his humble position in life; and he let his hair grow r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/knut-hamsun-1203_artist_was-it-really-right-to-look-the-way-he-d_1458673.png" --- # Was it really right to look the way he did? His prominent… ![“Was it really right to look the way he did? His prominent nose was altogether too immodest for his humble position in life; and he let his hair grow right through the winter so that he appeared more and more artistic. His fiancée reacted by saying that he looked like a painter who had ended up as…” quote by Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/knut-hamsun-1203_artist_was-it-really-right-to-look-the-way-he-d_1458673.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/knut-hamsun-1203_artist_was-it-really-right-to-look-the-way-he-d_1458673.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a1/knut-hamsun-1203_artist_was-it-really-right-to-look-the-way-he-d_1458673.png) > ““Was it really right to look the way he did? His prominent nose was altogether too immodest for his humble position in life; and he let his hair grow right through the winter so that he appeared more and more artistic. His fiancée reacted by saying that he looked like a painter who had ended up as a photographer.”” [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator questions superficial judgments based on appearance, highlighting how external traits can clash with perceived humility and artistic identity. **In simple terms:** Looks can mislead judgments about character. Key Takeaway Beware of judging by appearances. Themes appearance judgment identity artistry Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type observational analytical social commentary When to use this quote - workplace interactions - first impressions - artistic self‑image - romantic relationships Key Concepts social perception self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile outward appearance with inner values? - What biases affect your perception of others? A Different Perspective Superficial judgments often ignore deeper qualities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ## Related quotes > [You were spying on us?" 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You were right there by the workshop with Will. it looked like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-were-spying-on-us-it-was-kind-of-hard-not-to-you-were-right-there/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Close up, the guy looked like an oiled, airbrushed spawn of Steven Seagal and a Ken doll.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roe-horvat/close-up-the-guy-looked-like-an-oiled-airbrushed-spawn-of-steven/) Roe Horvat > [“he looked like something more than human, or something less.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lee/he-looked-like-something-more-than-human-or-something-less/) [Edward Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lee/) > [“He looked like a hallucinating ballerina in boxer shorts, but the blemmyae politely got out of his way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-looked-like-a-hallucinating-ballerina-in-boxer-shorts-but-the/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Dark hair fell in a sweep over his forehead. He looked like a man who would write vers libre, as indeed he did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dark-hair-fell-in-a-sweep-over-his-forehead-he-looked-like-a-man-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I put on your sequined ball gown and I checked the mirror there. Why, I looked like Cindy Crawford, but with much more body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-reed/i-put-on-your-sequined-ball-gown-and-i-checked-the-mirror-there-why-i/) [Jerry Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-reed/) > [“He looked like a cross between The Terminator and a secret service agent— a really hot secret service agent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-humphreys/he-looked-like-a-cross-between-the-terminator-and-a-secret-service/) [Sara Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-humphreys/) > [“He looked like a once-green leaf that had begun to dry and to reveal the structure of its veins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-joyce/he-looked-like-a-once-green-leaf-that-had-begun-to-dry-and-to-reveal/) [Graham Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-joyce/) > [“Besides, they looked like brothers. They looked like two examples of the same theme.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ryan-hyde/besides-they-looked-like-brothers-they-looked-like-two-examples-of/) [Catherine Ryan Hyde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ryan-hyde/) > [We probably looked like starving orphan children. Hey! We were starving orphan children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/we-probably-looked-like-starving-orphan-children-hey-we-were-starving/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“he'd been a cop long enough to know what actual perversion looked like and it sure wasn't two guys or two women going out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tere-michaels/he-d-been-a-cop-long-enough-to-know-what-actual-perversion-looked/) [Tere Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tere-michaels/) > [“He was shouting now. His face looked like a candy apple with eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pratt/he-was-shouting-now-his-face-looked-like-a-candy-apple-with-eyes/) [Scott Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pratt/) > [Hollis thought he looked like William Burroughs, minus the bohemian substrate (or perhaps the methadone). Like someone who'd be invited quail shooting with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/hollis-thought-he-looked-like-william-burroughs-minus-the-bohemian/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“It looked like precisely the sort of place where a living body might go if it wanted to become a dead one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ritter/it-looked-like-precisely-the-sort-of-place-where-a-living-body-might/) [William Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ritter/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by Knut Hamsun > [“Well, God be with you,’ she said as she finally left him. ’I’m sure He is,’ he replied. She gave a start. ’Are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/well-god-be-with-you-she-said-as-she-finally-left-him-i-m-sure-he-is/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“De sier hun er melle firti og femti, men hun er mindst seksti, ropte han, og er slikt menneskelig? Gå og vifte med næseborene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/de-sier-hun-er-melle-firti-og-femti-men-hun-er-mindst-seksti-ropte/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [No worse fate can befall a young man or woman than becoming prematurely entrenched in prudence and negation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/no-worse-fate-can-befall-a-young-man-or-woman-than-becoming/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Værsåartig, her var nu litt om bær, vore bærsorter...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/v-rs-artig-her-var-nu-litt-om-b-r-vore-b-rsorter/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“The ships whose masts I saw outlined against the sky looked, with their black hulls, like silent monsters that were raising their hackles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/the-ships-whose-masts-i-saw-outlined-against-the-sky-looked-with/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [And love became the world's origin and the world's ruler, yet littered its path is with flowers and blood, flowers and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/and-love-became-the-world-s-origin-and-the-world-s-ruler-yet-littered/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [But what really matters is not what you believe but the faith and conviction with which you believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/but-what-really-matters-is-not-what-you-believe-but-the-faith-and/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [No, I don't admire the genius. But I admire and love the result of the genius's activity in the world, of which the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/no-i-don-t-admire-the-genius-but-i-admire-and-love-the-result-of-the/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Gud hvor De ser ut som en sån melankolsk fabelkat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/gud-hvor-de-ser-ut-som-en-s-n-melankolsk-fabelkat/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Daniel var en mand som forstod adskillig, han hadde været ute for et og andet i livet, hadde mistet både sin farsgård og sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/daniel-var-en-mand-som-forstod-adskillig-han-hadde-v-ret-ute-for-et/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“I imagined I had discovered a new word. I rise up in bed and say, "It is not in the language; I have discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/i-imagined-i-had-discovered-a-new-word-i-rise-up-in-bed-and-say-it-is/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Poteten det var en ny frukt, det var intet mystisk ved den, intet religiøst, kvinnfolk og barn kunne være med og få den satt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/poteten-det-var-en-ny-frukt-det-var-intet-mystisk-ved-den-intet/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“Solen er forlængst dukket under synsranden, fjældene er blit hvitlig grønne, de ser ut i sin fjærnhet og i sin vælde som en verden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/solen-er-forl-ngst-dukket-under-synsranden-fj-ldene-er-blit-hvitlig/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [“If I happened to find a diamond one day, I would call it Dagny, because the very sound of your name thrills me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/if-i-happened-to-find-a-diamond-one-day-i-would-call-it-dagny-because/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) > [There are some people who cannot help giving. Why? Because they experience a real psychological pleasure in doing so. They don't do it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/there-are-some-people-who-cannot-help-giving-why-because-they/) [Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) [Explore all 197 Knut Hamsun quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/) ## More Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [Designers shouldn’t design for museums any more than mummies should die for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-caplan/designers-shouldn-t-design-for-museums-any-more-than-mummies-should/) [Ralph Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-caplan/) > [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [I am not the avant-garde. I am the artist who comes after the advancing guard. I am more concerned with continuity of ideas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-oliveira/i-am-not-the-avant-garde-i-am-the-artist-who-comes-after-the/) [Nathan Oliveira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-oliveira/) > [I am a horrible visual artist. I can't fix a car, sew, knit, cook, etc. Statistically, there is more I don't do than do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/i-am-a-horrible-visual-artist-i-can-t-fix-a-car-sew-knit-cook-etc/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) [Browse all 32,600 Artist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Was it really right to look the way he did? His prominent nose was altogether too immodest for his humble position in life; and he let his hair grow right through the winter so that he appeared more and more artistic. 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