--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was as if a surplus of something so…" description: "\"“It was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her being that it expressed itself beyond her will, now in the brightness of her glance, now in her ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/leo-tolstoy-55_eyes-shone_it-was-as-if-a-surplus-of-something-so-o_666473.png" --- # It was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her… ![“It was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her being that it expressed itself beyond her will, now in the brightness of her glance, now in her smile. She deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will in a barely noticeable smile.” quote by Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/leo-tolstoy-55_eyes-shone_it-was-as-if-a-surplus-of-something-so-o_666473.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/leo-tolstoy-55_eyes-shone_it-was-as-if-a-surplus-of-something-so-o_666473.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/189/leo-tolstoy-55_eyes-shone_it-was-as-if-a-surplus-of-something-so-o_666473.png) > ““It was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her being that it expressed itself beyond her will, now in the brightness of her glance, now in her smile. She deliberately extinguished the light in her eyes, but it shone against her will in a barely noticeable smile.”” [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. An inner abundance overflows despite attempts to hide it, revealing itself in subtle expressions like a smile. **In simple terms:** Hidden emotions surface in small gestures. Key Takeaway Allow genuine feelings to show. Themes emotion selfexpression inner conflict visibility subtlety Mood reflective melancholic Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - personal relationships - artistic performance - social interactions Key Concepts psychology human nature authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you conceal inner joy? - What signs reveal hidden emotions? A Different Perspective Even suppressed feelings can manifest unintentionally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [My candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/my-candle-was-nearly-burnt-out-when-by-the-glimmer-of-the-half/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [“In that brief glance Vronsky has time to notice the restrained animation that played over her face and fluttered between her shining eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/in-that-brief-glance-vronsky-has-time-to-notice-the-restrained/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“As he looked round, she too turned her head .Her shining gray eyes, that looked dark from the thick lashes, rested with friendly attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/as-he-looked-round-she-too-turned-her-head-her-shining-gray-eyes-that/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“After all, your head only had so much room in it. 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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 Eyes Shone quotes > [“I suppose that's how it looks in prose. 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