---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I already know a thing or two. I know…"
description: "\"“I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinct..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg"
---

#  I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes…

![“I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction or costliness of their finery. I know the problem lies elsewhere. I don't know where. I only know it isn't where women think.” quote by Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg)

> ““I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction or costliness of their finery. I know the problem lies elsewhere. I don't know where. I only know it isn't where women think.””

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker suggests that a woman's beauty is not derived from external appearances or products, but from an unknown deeper source.

**In simple terms:** Beauty isn’t about clothes or cosmetics.

Key Takeaway

Seek inner truth beyond surface expectations.

Themes

beauty selfper identity perception women

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- self‑esteem
- media influence
- beauty standards
- self‑acceptance

Key Concepts

selfesteem social pressure inner value

Questions to Reflect On

- What inner qualities truly define beauty?
- How do societal expectations shape self‑image?

A Different Perspective

External focus can distract from deeper personal growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/)

## Related quotes

> [I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction of costliness of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women-beautiful-or-otherwise-nor/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [As you know, the thing that I know the least about is the topic of sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/as-you-know-the-thing-that-i-know-the-least-about-is-the-topic-of/)

[John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/)

> [Don't act like you know me when the only thing you know about me is my name and the only thing I know about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mielya-saladdin/don-t-act-like-you-know-me-when-the-only-thing-you-know-about-me-is/)

[Mielya Saladdin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mielya-saladdin/)

> [“Why know the name of a thing when the thing itself you do not know? Whose work is it but your own to open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/why-know-the-name-of-a-thing-when-the-thing-itself-you-do-not-know/)

[George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/)

> [“To learn a thing was to know a thing; to know a thing was to understand a thing; to understand a thing was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-edward-miller/to-learn-a-thing-was-to-know-a-thing-to-know-a-thing-was-to/)

Ashley Edward Miller

> [I know one thing, that I know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-know-one-thing-that-i-know-nothing/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [I only know one thing, and that is I know nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/i-only-know-one-thing-and-that-is-i-know-nothing/)

[Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/)

> [The first thing you should know about people is that you don’t know the first thing about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-cumming/the-first-thing-you-should-know-about-people-is-that-you-don-t-know/)

[Charles Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-cumming/)

> [If you really want to know something,get to that thing and you will know something about it, don't hate what you don't know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bismark-frimpong/if-you-really-want-to-know-something-get-to-that-thing-and-you-will/)

[Bismark Frimpong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bismark-frimpong/)

> [.I may not know everything, but there's one thing that I know and am sure of I love you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-may-not-know-everything-but-there-s-one-thing-that-i-know-and-am/)

Hemantsmarty

> [I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-the-wisest-man-alive-for-i-know-one-thing-and-that-is-that-i/)

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

> [I'm not going to pretend to know one more thing than I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-m-not-going-to-pretend-to-know-one-more-thing-than-i-know/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [To know one thing, you must know the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/to-know-one-thing-you-must-know-the-opposite/)

[Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/)

> [As I've gotten older, I can look at myself more clearly and own the things that I'm good at and work on the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-can-look-at-myself-more-clearly-and-own-the/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [What people don't know is: Clothes don't really fit you unless they're made for you. Especially when you wear men's clothes, like I do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-people-don-t-know-is-clothes-don-t-really-fit-you-unless-they-re/)

[Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/)

## More by Marguerite Duras

> [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction of costliness of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women-beautiful-or-otherwise-nor/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“And modern houses don't have passages, either, for children to play and run about in, and for dogs, umbrellas, coats and satchels. And don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/and-modern-houses-don-t-have-passages-either-for-children-to-play-and/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [When a woman drinks it's as if an animal were drinking, or a child. Alcoholism is scandalous in a woman, and a female alcoholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/when-a-woman-drinks-it-s-as-if-an-animal-were-drinking-or-a-child/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [Some people are like that - closed - they can't learn from anyone. Us, for example, we can't learn anything, neither I from you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/some-people-are-like-that-closed-they-can-t-learn-from-anyone-us-for/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [I often think of the image only I can see now, and of which I’ve never spoken. It’s always there, in the same silence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-often-think-of-the-image-only-i-can-see-now-and-of-which-i-ve-never/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [In love there are no vacations. No such thing. Love has to be lived fully with its boredom and all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/in-love-there-are-no-vacations-no-such-thing-love-has-to-be-lived/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Très vite dans ma vie il a été trop tard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/tr-s-vite-dans-ma-vie-il-a-t-trop-tard/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“she can remember everyone admiring a rare kind of evening they spoke of as something they ought to save from oblivion to describe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/she-can-remember-everyone-admiring-a-rare-kind-of-evening-they-spoke/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [All that remains of that minute is time in all its purity, bone-white time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/all-that-remains-of-that-minute-is-time-in-all-its-purity-bone-white/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Paradoxically, the freedom of Paris is associated with a persistent belief that nothing ever changes. Paris, they say, is the city that changes least.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/paradoxically-the-freedom-of-paris-is-associated-with-a-persistent/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“─ No le conozco a usted. Nadie puede conocerle, ponerse en su lugar, usted no tiene lugar, no sabe dónde encontrar un lugar. Por…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/no-le-conozco-a-usted-nadie-puede-conocerle-ponerse-en-su-lugar-usted/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [She represents the un-vowed aspiration of the male human being, his potential infidelity - and infidelity of a very special kind, which would lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/she-represents-the-un-vowed-aspiration-of-the-male-human-being-his/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“I think it was during this journey that the image became detached, removed from all the rest. It might have existed, a photograph might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-think-it-was-during-this-journey-that-the-image-became-detached/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

> [“Among all the other nights upon nights, the girl had spent that one on the boat….when it happened, the burst of Chopin…. There wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/among-all-the-other-nights-upon-nights-the-girl-had-spent-that-one-on/)

[Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

[Explore all 129 Marguerite Duras quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/)

## More Fashion quotes

> [“I can either be a victim—or a winner. Fuck victimhood. I don’t wear it well; it clashes with my wardrobe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/i-can-either-be-a-victim-or-a-winner-fuck-victimhood-i-don-t-wear-it/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Personal Style comes from within. It's when the woman, her individuality and spirit come through. She uses clothes to express who she is and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-karan/personal-style-comes-from-within-it-s-when-the-woman-her/)

[Donna Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-karan/)

> [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/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [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/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [Never in a million years would I imagine Calvin Klein flying me out to my first men's fashion show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-dallas/never-in-a-million-years-would-i-imagine-calvin-klein-flying-me-out/)

[Cameron Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-dallas/)

> [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [No one knows whom the shoe pinches - no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholom-aleichem/no-one-knows-whom-the-shoe-pinches-no-one/)

[Sholom Aleichem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholom-aleichem/)

> [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/)

[Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/)

> [I have always been too round to do fashion shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-klum/i-have-always-been-too-round-to-do-fashion-shows/)

[Heidi Klum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-klum/)

> [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/)

[Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/)

> [I've retired my sneakers for stilettos, baby!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivica-a-fox/i-ve-retired-my-sneakers-for-stilettos-baby/)

[Vivica A. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivica-a-fox/)

[Browse all 19,830 Fashion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction or costliness of their finery. I know the problem lies elsewhere. I don't know where. I only know it isn't where women think.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marguerite Duras"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fashion"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/marguerite-duras-2040_fashion_i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it_534856.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I already know a thing or two. I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty…” — Marguerite Duras",
                "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": "Marguerite Duras",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I already know a thing or...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/i-already-know-a-thing-or-two-i-know-it-s-not-clothes-that-make-women/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
