--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any human face is a claim on you, because…" description: "\"Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help but understand the singularity of it, the courage and loneliness of it. But this is truest of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png" --- # Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help… ![“Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help but understand the singularity of it, the courage and loneliness of it. But this is truest of the face of an infant. I consider that to be one kind of vision, as mystical as any.” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png) > “Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help but understand the singularity of it, the courage and loneliness of it. But this is truest of the face of an infant. I consider that to be one kind of vision, as mystical as any.” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every human face reveals a unique story of courage and loneliness; recognizing this in infants offers a profound, mystical vision of humanity. **In simple terms:** Faces show courage and loneliness; seeing this in babies is a deep vision. Key Takeaway Practice seeing the humanity in each person. Themes empathy humanity vision loneliness courage Mood contemplative hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - parenting - therapy - art criticism - social work Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing individuality change your interactions? - What does “courage in a face” mean to you? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on infants may overlook adult complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Mystical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystical/) [Singularity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singularity/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [“They say an infant can't see when it is as young as your sister was, but she opened her eyes, and she looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/they-say-an-infant-can-t-see-when-it-is-as-young-as-your-sister-was/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I like the fact that she thinks. The human face is so legible that it sometimes seems possible to watch their thoughts, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bradley-rede/i-like-the-fact-that-she-thinks-the-human-face-is-so-legible-that-it/) [Laura Bradley Rede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bradley-rede/) > [“Despite himself, Beauvoir laughed. "There is strong shadow where there is much light." ... But most he loved a happy human face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/despite-himself-beauvoir-laughed-there-is-strong-shadow-where-there/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [Communism is fascism with a human face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/communism-is-fascism-with-a-human-face/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Contrary to popular opinion, leadership is not a reserved position for a particular group of people who were elected or appointed, ordained or enthroned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/contrary-to-popular-opinion-leadership-is-not-a-reserved-position-for/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [The thing about the human face is that we're so genetically programmed to recognize differences in human faces that, when you're digitally affecting faces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-mostow/the-thing-about-the-human-face-is-that-we-re-so-genetically/) [Jonathan Mostow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-mostow/) > [There is no sight so ugly as the human face in anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/there-is-no-sight-so-ugly-as-the-human-face-in-anger/) [Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/) > [Who sees the human face correctly: the photographer, the mirror, or the painter?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/who-sees-the-human-face-correctly-the-photographer-the-mirror-or-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [More was revealed in a human face than a human being can bear face to face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/more-was-revealed-in-a-human-face-than-a-human-being-can-bear-face-to/) [Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/) > [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [“The horrible monsters in this world are the ones that wear human face”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/69rascal/the-horrible-monsters-in-this-world-are-the-ones-that-wear-human-face/) [69rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/69rascal/) > [True worth is as inevitably discovered by the facial expression, as its opposite is sure to be clearly represented there. The human face is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/true-worth-is-as-inevitably-discovered-by-the-facial-expression-as/) [Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/) > [Our human face happens to be one of the most powerful channels that we all use to communicate social and emotional states: everything from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-el-kaliouby/our-human-face-happens-to-be-one-of-the-most-powerful-channels-that/) [Rana el Kaliouby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-el-kaliouby/) > [I wanted to put a human face on anxiety disorders. I thought people who suffer from anxiety might recognize themselves and gain some comfort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/i-wanted-to-put-a-human-face-on-anxiety-disorders-i-thought-people/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [When I was a graduate student in computer science in the early 2000s, computers were barely able to detect sharp edges in photographs, let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fei-fei-li/when-i-was-a-graduate-student-in-computer-science-in-the-early-2000s/) [Fei-Fei Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fei-fei-li/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. It might take some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-think-sometimes-there-might-be-an-advantage-in-making-people-aware/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [There are two occasions when the sacred beauty of Creation becomes dazzlingly apparent, and they occur together. One is when we feel our mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-are-two-occasions-when-the-sacred-beauty-of-creation-becomes/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Every writer I know, when asked how to become a writer, responds with one word:Read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/every-writer-i-know-when-asked-how-to-become-a-writer-responds-with/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Faith for her was habit and family loyalty, a reverence for the Bible which was also literary, admiration for her mother and father. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/faith-for-her-was-habit-and-family-loyalty-a-reverence-for-the-bible/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Prayer is a discipline in truthfulness, in honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/prayer-is-a-discipline-in-truthfulness-in-honesty/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.’ There are pleasures to be found where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-full-soul-loatheth-an-honeycomb-but-to-the-hungry-soul-every/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I sometimes am discouraged by what seems to be a sort of conventional disparagement of humankind. I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Now that I look back, it seems to me that in all that deep darkness a miracle was preparing. So I am right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/now-that-i-look-back-it-seems-to-me-that-in-all-that-deep-darkness-a/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“My grandfather once told her if you couldn't read with cold feet, there wouldn't be a literate soul in the state of Maine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-grandfather-once-told-her-if-you-couldn-t-read-with-cold-feet/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Cranky old Leviticus gave us—gave Christ—not only “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” but also the rather forgotten “Thou shalt love the stranger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/cranky-old-leviticus-gave-us-gave-christ-not-only-thou-shalt-love-thy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Explore all 450 Marilynne Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## More Claims quotes > [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/) [Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/) [Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/) > [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) > [Those who do not know what love is likens it to beauty Those who claim to know what love is likens it to ugliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/those-who-do-not-know-what-love-is-likens-it-to-beauty-those-who/) [Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/) > [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Life is so full of meaning and of purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find that earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-full-of-meaning-and-of-purpose-so-full-of-beauty-beneath/) [Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/) Browse all 2,762 Claims quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help but understand the singularity of it, the courage and loneliness of it. But this is truest of the face of an infant. I consider that to be one kind of vision, as mystical as any.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilynne Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because-you-can-t-help-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Claims" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because-you-can-t-help-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/49b/marilynne-robinson-602_claims_any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because_3085208.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Any human face is a claim on you, because you can't help but understand the singularity of it, the courage…” — Marilynne Robinson", "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": "Marilynne Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Any human face is a claim...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because-you-can-t-help-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/any-human-face-is-a-claim-on-you-because-you-can-t-help-but/#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 } } ] } ```