--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We unwittingly judge products by their…" description: "\"We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by their covers, and even corporation's annual reports by their nice glossy finish.\" — Leonard Mlod..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg" --- # We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by… ![“We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by their covers, and even corporation's annual reports by their nice glossy finish.” quote by Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg) > “We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by their covers, and even corporation's annual reports by their nice glossy finish.” [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often judge the quality of a product or idea based on its superficial packaging rather than its substance. **In simple terms:** We judge by appearance, not content. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface appearances. Themes perception marketing bias decision making critical thinking Mood analytical skeptical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - shopping - investment decisions - media consumption Key Concepts cognitive bias branding consumer behavior Questions to Reflect On - How often do you check the details? - What strategies reduce superficial judgments? A Different Perspective First impressions can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Annual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annual/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Corporation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporation/) [Covers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covers/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finish/) [Glossy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glossy-1092672/) [Glossy Finish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glossy-finish-3844710/) [Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judge/) [Judge Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judge-products-3844711/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Nice Glossy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-glossy-3844713/) [Products](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/products/) [Reports](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reports/) [Unwittingly Judge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwittingly-judge-3844712/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think we will use the 80s glossy sound again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-wilson/i-don-t-think-we-will-use-the-80s-glossy-sound-again/) [Ann Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-wilson/) > [“The way I viewed it, there were lots of very ugly things in London, so, on the occasions when something beautiful with a glossy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-cox/the-way-i-viewed-it-there-were-lots-of-very-ugly-things-in-london-so/) [Tom Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-cox/) > [I don't like glossy covers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-bloomfield/i-don-t-like-glossy-covers/) [April Bloomfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-bloomfield/) > [I love the Kopari Lip Glossy. I always have three of those. Every time I see them, I buy another one because I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-kostek/i-love-the-kopari-lip-glossy-i-always-have-three-of-those-every-time/) [Camille Kostek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-kostek/) > [“The paint was glossy, the car was clean, and we had a full tank of gas to us. The future was up to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alysha-speer/the-paint-was-glossy-the-car-was-clean-and-we-had-a-full-tank-of-gas/) [Alysha Speer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alysha-speer/) > [“What a beautiful and chaste-looking mouth! from floor to ceiling, lines, or rather papered with a glistening white membrane, glossy as bridal satins.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/what-a-beautiful-and-chaste-looking-mouth-from-floor-to-ceiling-lines/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [I don't care at all about the mainstream; I don't care about popularity contests; I don't care about who's got the biggest-selling album; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-anselmo/i-don-t-care-at-all-about-the-mainstream-i-don-t-care-about/) [Phil Anselmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-anselmo/) > [I am extremely devoted to Amazon Prime - which offers speedier free deliveries, free movie streaming and other benefits for an annual fee -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/i-am-extremely-devoted-to-amazon-prime-which-offers-speedier-free/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [I am for making of terms annual, and for sending an entire new set every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-am-for-making-of-terms-annual-and-for-sending-an-entire-new-set/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [Serious drama in a significant degree began at Harvard in the 1880s. In 1881, the Cercle Francais initiated the annual French play, and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-lukas/serious-drama-in-a-significant-degree-began-at-harvard-in-the-1880s/) [J. Anthony Lukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-lukas/) > [Cape Cod baseball dates back to the time of the Civil War. A poster at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown touts a round-trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/cape-cod-baseball-dates-back-to-the-time-of-the-civil-war-a-poster-at/) [Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/) > [We've been paying for 100 percent of preventive care. But if you're not getting annual physicals, then you're not going to gain a financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-burd/we-ve-been-paying-for-100-percent-of-preventive-care-but-if-you-re/) [Steven Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-burd/) > [The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/the-whole-purpose-of-annual-reviews-is-to-keep-you-abreast-of-whether/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) ## More by Leonard Mlodinow > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I always liked movies, so I started writing for Hollywood, but my day job was physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/i-always-liked-movies-so-i-started-writing-for-hollywood-but-my-day/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“At the University of Bologna, there was another bizarre twist on what is the norm today: students fined their professors for unexcused absence or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/at-the-university-of-bologna-there-was-another-bizarre-twist-on-what/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“The first step in battling the illusion of control is to be aware of if. But even then it is difficult, once we think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/the-first-step-in-battling-the-illusion-of-control-is-to-be-aware-of/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Social connection is such a basic feature of human experience that when we are deprived of it, we suffer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/social-connection-is-such-a-basic-feature-of-human-experience-that/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [You have to have passion for a subject to write about it. You can't expect your readers to feel any excitement if it's nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/you-have-to-have-passion-for-a-subject-to-write-about-it-you-can-t/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [We routinely participate in elaborate nonverbal exchanges even when we are not consciously aware of doing so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-routinely-participate-in-elaborate-nonverbal-exchanges-even-when/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Touch seems to be such an important tool for enhancing social cooperation and affiliation that we have evolved a special physical route along which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/touch-seems-to-be-such-an-important-tool-for-enhancing-social/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [“In fact, when some wedding guest inevitably complains about the seating arrangements, you might point out how long it would have taken you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/in-fact-when-some-wedding-guest-inevitably-complains-about-the/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Whether it's fiction or nonfiction, writing takes me to another world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/whether-it-s-fiction-or-nonfiction-writing-takes-me-to-another-world/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Says Bargh: "We all hold dear idea that we´re the captain of our own sould, and we´re in charge, and it´s a very scary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/says-bargh-we-all-hold-dear-idea-that-we-re-the-captain-of-our-own/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [My best subjects were chemistry and math.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/my-best-subjects-were-chemistry-and-math/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [We should keep in mind that it is easy to concoct stories explaining the past or to become confident about dubious scenarios of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-should-keep-in-mind-that-it-is-easy-to-concoct-stories-explaining/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [Subliminal is about how we misinterpret our behavior because were unaware of what our unconscious minds are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/subliminal-is-about-how-we-misinterpret-our-behavior-because-were/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) > [I've always loved science, as far back as I can remember. I was very, very curious about how everything worked: the world, the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/i-ve-always-loved-science-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember-i-was-very/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Explore all 88 Leonard Mlodinow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) ## More Annual quotes > [The whole purpose of annual reviews is to keep you abreast of whether or not you are fulfilling the requirements of tenure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-finkelstein/the-whole-purpose-of-annual-reviews-is-to-keep-you-abreast-of-whether/) [Norman Finkelstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-finkelstein/) > [We've been paying for 100 percent of preventive care. But if you're not getting annual physicals, then you're not going to gain a financial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-burd/we-ve-been-paying-for-100-percent-of-preventive-care-but-if-you-re/) [Steven Burd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-burd/) > [Cape Cod baseball dates back to the time of the Civil War. A poster at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown touts a round-trip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/cape-cod-baseball-dates-back-to-the-time-of-the-civil-war-a-poster-at/) [Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/) > [Serious drama in a significant degree began at Harvard in the 1880s. In 1881, the Cercle Francais initiated the annual French play, and shortly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-lukas/serious-drama-in-a-significant-degree-began-at-harvard-in-the-1880s/) [J. Anthony Lukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-lukas/) > [Even as global warming increases the frequency of El Nino and the Atlantic event, their effects are being amplified by the annual loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/even-as-global-warming-increases-the-frequency-of-el-nino-and-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [All cultures are different. Some commit genocide. Some are uniquely peaceful. Some frequent bathhouses in groups. Some don't show each other the soles of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/all-cultures-are-different-some-commit-genocide-some-are-uniquely/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [I am for making of terms annual, and for sending an entire new set every year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-adams/i-am-for-making-of-terms-annual-and-for-sending-an-entire-new-set/) [John Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-adams/) > [I am extremely devoted to Amazon Prime - which offers speedier free deliveries, free movie streaming and other benefits for an annual fee -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-oster/i-am-extremely-devoted-to-amazon-prime-which-offers-speedier-free/) [Emily Oster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-oster/) > [Many people think that buying a fake product is harmless, but counterfeiting is estimated to result in annual losses of over $20 billion dollars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/many-people-think-that-buying-a-fake-product-is-harmless-but/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [The West begins where the average annual rainfall drops below twenty inches. Water is important to people who do not have it, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-west-begins-where-the-average-annual-rainfall-drops-below-twenty/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Lawmakers have good reason to want a healthy broadcast industry. Broadcast TV stations provide more than 186,000 jobs on an annual basis, which directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-smith/lawmakers-have-good-reason-to-want-a-healthy-broadcast-industry/) [Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-smith/) > [My interest in Women in Film came from attending the Crystal Awards in 1998 where Meryl Streep and producers Gale Anne Hurd and Lucy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lawrence/my-interest-in-women-in-film-came-from-attending-the-crystal-awards/) [Sharon Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lawrence/) > [The nation did not begin to realize the extraordinary possibilities of the vast Western territory until its attention was thus suddenly and definitely concentrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moody/the-nation-did-not-begin-to-realize-the-extraordinary-possibilities/) [John Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moody/) > [You do something annual every year, don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-noory/you-do-something-annual-every-year-don-t-you/) [George Noory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-noory/) > [I saw my potential as artistic director, which is very different from designer. Fashion companies might have $200 million to $300 million in annual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/i-saw-my-potential-as-artistic-director-which-is-very-different-from/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) [Browse all 45 Annual quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/annual/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by their covers, and even corporation's annual reports by their nice glossy finish.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Mlodinow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-boxes-books-by-their-covers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Annual" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-boxes-books-by-their-covers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/leonard-mlodinow-7753_annual_we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-b_1236596.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We unwittingly judge products by their boxes, books by their covers, and even corporation's annual reports…” — Leonard Mlodinow", "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": "Leonard Mlodinow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We unwittingly judge products by their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-boxes-books-by-their-covers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/we-unwittingly-judge-products-by-their-boxes-books-by-their-covers/#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 } } ] } ```