--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Her eyes, always sad, now looked into the…" description: "\"“Her eyes, always sad, now looked into the mirror with particular hopelessness. \"She's flattering me,\" thought the princess, and she turned away and we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/leo-tolstoy-55_beauty_her-eyes-always-sad-now-looked-into-the_1961018.png" --- # Her eyes, always sad, now looked into the mirror with… ![“Her eyes, always sad, now looked into the mirror with particular hopelessness. "She's flattering me," thought the princess, and she turned away and went on reading. Julie, however, was not flattering her friend: indeed, the princess's eyes, large, deep, and luminous (sometimes it was as if rays of…” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/leo-tolstoy-55_beauty_her-eyes-always-sad-now-looked-into-the_1961018.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/leo-tolstoy-55_beauty_her-eyes-always-sad-now-looked-into-the_1961018.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/881/leo-tolstoy-55_beauty_her-eyes-always-sad-now-looked-into-the_1961018.png) > ““Her eyes, always sad, now looked into the mirror with particular hopelessness. "She's flattering me," thought the princess, and she turned away and went on reading. Julie, however, was not flattering her friend: indeed, the princess's eyes, large, deep, and luminous (sometimes it was as if rays of light came from them in sheaves), were so beautiful that very often, despite the unattractiveness of the whole face, those eyes were more attractive than beauty. But the princess had never seen the good expression of thise eyes, the expression they had in moments when she was not thinking of herself. As with all people, the moment she looked in the mirror, her face assumed a strained, unnatural, bad expression.”” [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑absorption blinds us to our own beauty, while genuine self‑reflection reveals deeper inner qualities beyond surface appearance. **In simple terms:** Self‑reflection reveals true beauty. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface to see inner worth. Themes self‑awareness beauty reflection Mood introspective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - art criticism - mental health counseling - self‑esteem work Key Concepts psychology literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - When do you notice your own self‑criticism? - How can you cultivate a kinder inner voice? A Different Perspective Self‑reflection can be painful and may trigger insecurity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-princess-3237707/) [Eyes Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-sad-298003/) [Princess Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/princess-eyes-3237705/) [Princess Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/princess-seen-3237706/) [Thought Princess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-princess-1302544/) [Ugliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugliness/) [Unattractiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unattractiveness-197156/) ## Related quotes > [“But the princess had never seen the beautiful expression of her eyes; the expression that came into them when she was not thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/but-the-princess-had-never-seen-the-beautiful-expression-of-her-eyes/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I am sure that nothing has such a decisive influence upon a man's course as his personal appearance, and not so much his appearance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-am-sure-that-nothing-has-such-a-decisive-influence-upon-a-man-s/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [She's got the smile of a princess eyes of a queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-teuke/she-s-got-the-smile-of-a-princess-eyes-of-a-queen/) [Brett Teuke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-teuke/) > [“How pale the Princess is! 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/much-protective-self-criticism-stems-from-growing-up-around-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“The very insurmountability of the task, its very unattractiveness, was in the end what attracted me to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/the-very-insurmountability-of-the-task-its-very-unattractiveness-was/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [My detractors, who delight in using my name as a byword for unattractiveness, will find it hard to believe, but looking in the mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-widdecombe/my-detractors-who-delight-in-using-my-name-as-a-byword-for/) [Ann Widdecombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-widdecombe/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“The Ghost-Girl's lips was fixed in a bitter smile, but her creamy eyes was sad so sad but proud'n'strong too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-ghost-girl-s-lips-was-fixed-in-a-bitter-smile-but-her-creamy-eyes/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) ## More by Leo Tolstoy > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“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/) > [Energy rests upon love; and come as it will, there's no forcing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/energy-rests-upon-love-and-come-as-it-will-there-s-no-forcing-it/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“If you only knew what those society women are, and women in general! 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She was standing talking to a lady at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-knew-she-was-there-by-the-rapture-and-the-terror-that-seized-on/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Rest, nature, books, music...such is my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/rest-nature-books-music-such-is-my-idea-of-happiness/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“He was not to blame for being born with an irrepressible charachter and a mind some how constrained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-was-not-to-blame-for-being-born-with-an-irrepressible-charachter/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I ask one thing only: I ask for the right to hope, to suffer as I do. But if even that cannot be, command…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-ask-one-thing-only-i-ask-for-the-right-to-hope-to-suffer-as-i-do/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The idea shared by many that life is a vale of tears is just as false as the idea shared by the great majority,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-idea-shared-by-many-that-life-is-a-vale-of-tears-is-just-as-false/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-say-that-a-work-of-art-is-good-but-incomprehensible-to-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [True life is lived when tiny changes occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/true-life-is-lived-when-tiny-changes-occur/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) [Explore all 1,754 Leo Tolstoy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. 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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. 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