---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He looked to be a little over forty…"
description: "\"“He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow twisted. Clean-shaven. Dark-haired. Right eye black, left -for some reason- green. Dark eyebrows, b..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg"
---

#  He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow…

![“He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow twisted. Clean-shaven. Dark-haired. Right eye black, left -for some reason- green. Dark eyebrows, but one higher than the other. In short, a foreigner.” quote by Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg)

> ““He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow twisted. Clean-shaven. Dark-haired. Right eye black, left -for some reason- green. Dark eyebrows, but one higher than the other. In short, a foreigner.””

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

## About This Quote

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

A detailed physical description highlights the character’s foreignness and distinctiveness.

**In simple terms:** Physical traits emphasize otherness.

Key Takeaway

Notice subtle visual cues.

Themes

characterization identity otherness

Mood

observant thoughtful

Type

literary analytical

When to use this quote

- novel writing
- film casting
- role‑playing games

Key Concepts

visual description cultural contrast

Questions to Reflect On

- How does appearance affect perception?
- What assumptions arise from such details?

A Different Perspective

Risk of stereotyping.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dark Haired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-haired-397530/) [Foreigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigner/) [Haired Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haired-right-1538773/) [Mouth Twisted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouth-twisted-1411153/) [Short Foreigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-foreigner-1538772/) [Suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suit/)

## Related quotes

> [It was really terrific but Foreigner was nothing like Yes and that style did not suit our music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-gramm/it-was-really-terrific-but-foreigner-was-nothing-like-yes-and-that/)

[Lou Gramm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-gramm/)

> [“Some of the intensity left Vincent’s face and his mouth twisted into a boyish grin, but he never broke eye contact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-west/some-of-the-intensity-left-vincent-s-face-and-his-mouth-twisted-into/)

[Priscilla West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-west/)

> [“I stand by the bed where a young woman lies, her face postoperative, her mouth twisted in palsy, clownish. A tiny twig of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-selzer/i-stand-by-the-bed-where-a-young-woman-lies-her-face-postoperative/)

[Richard Selzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-selzer/)

> [“I still feel like I got shafted. By my lover, my best friend and my family, all at once.” His mouth twisted. “All you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-parker/i-still-feel-like-i-got-shafted-by-my-lover-my-best-friend-and-my/)

[Lucy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-parker/)

> [“Gretchen," Clint said, his voice full of the same luscious agony Gretchen felt building inside of her. "I'm going to kiss you." He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aria-kane/gretchen-clint-said-his-voice-full-of-the-same-luscious-agony/)

[Aria Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aria-kane/)

> [“He was impressed and surprised and, more than anything, he was intrigued. He was growing to enjoy the way her eyes squinted and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/he-was-impressed-and-surprised-and-more-than-anything-he-was/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [“First," he said, "let me remind everyone that in my youth, I was by no means the angel I am now." Lillian's mouth twisted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/first-he-said-let-me-remind-everyone-that-in-my-youth-i-was-by-no/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [“Lora…” Her name was a tormented whisper as he kissed her harder, fiercer than before, as if he was starving for the taste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-robards/lora-her-name-was-a-tormented-whisper-as-he-kissed-her-harder-fiercer/)

[Karen Robards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-robards/)

> [Emmett Till and I were about the same age. A week after he was murdered... I stood on a corner with a gang of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/emmett-till-and-i-were-about-the-same-age-a-week-after-he-was/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [“I grimaced. “I’ve never done that before.” He smiled. “They all say that. But if it’s true, we’re even. I’ve never kissed a trick.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev-bentham/i-grimaced-i-ve-never-done-that-before-he-smiled-they-all-say-that/)

[Dev Bentham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev-bentham/)

> [“There was also a dark-haired man of about thirty (BMI approximately twenty) who appeared not to have shaved for several days, and, beside him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-simsion/there-was-also-a-dark-haired-man-of-about-thirty-bmi-approximately/)

[Graeme Simsion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-simsion/)

> [Am I pretty :) I'm the dark haired one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/am-i-pretty-i-m-the-dark-haired-one/)

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

> [“Purple Hair stopped dusting blush over Cameron’s cheeks. “Hold up. Are you talking about the dark-haired guy who came in with you? The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-james/purple-hair-stopped-dusting-blush-over-cameron-s-cheeks-hold-up-are/)

[Julie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-james/)

> [Shaming and blaming your kid isn't going to make them change. You can't change yourself. Would I love to be tall and blonde? Yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-panozzo/shaming-and-blaming-your-kid-isn-t-going-to-make-them-change-you-can/)

[Chuck Panozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-panozzo/)

> [My hair got lighter, and I gradually went blonde. I liked it. Had more fun. But my image of myself in my head is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kudrow/my-hair-got-lighter-and-i-gradually-went-blonde-i-liked-it-had-more/)

[Lisa Kudrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kudrow/)

## More by Mikhail Bulgakov

> [“The Procurator did not squint because the sun dazzled him. No! For some reason, he did not want to see the group of condemned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/the-procurator-did-not-squint-because-the-sun-dazzled-him-no-for-some/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“…i głośno, radośnie oznajmił: - Utną panu głowę!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/i-g-o-no-rado-nie-oznajmi-utn-panu-g-ow/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [If it is true that cowardice is the most grave vice, then the dog, at least, is not guilty of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/if-it-is-true-that-cowardice-is-the-most-grave-vice-then-the-dog-at/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“-No, to rzeczywiście nie są pieniądze – lekceważąco powiedział do swego gościa Woland – chociaż szczerze mówiąc, nawet tyle nie jest panu potrzebne. -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/no-to-rzeczywi-cie-nie-s-pieni-dze-lekcewa-co-powiedzia-do-swego-go/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [The tongue can conceal the truth, but the eyes never! You're asked an unexpected question, you don't even flinch, it takes just a second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/the-tongue-can-conceal-the-truth-but-the-eyes-never-you-re-asked-an/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [This twenty-year-old boy was distinguished from childhood by strange qualities, a dreamer and an eccentric. A girl fell in love with him, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/this-twenty-year-old-boy-was-distinguished-from-childhood-by-strange/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“You should never ask anyone for anything. Never—and especially from those who are more powerful than yourself. They will make the offer and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/you-should-never-ask-anyone-for-anything-never-and-especially-from/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [Cowardice is the greatest sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/cowardice-is-the-greatest-sin/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“Too bad!' the feisty poet responded. 'Yes, too bad!' the stranger agreed, his eye flashing, and went on: 'But here is a question that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/too-bad-the-feisty-poet-responded-yes-too-bad-the-stranger-agreed-his/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“Don't be afraid, your majesty... Don't be afraid, your majesty, the blood has long since drained away into the earth and grapes have grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/don-t-be-afraid-your-majesty-don-t-be-afraid-your-majesty-the-blood/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“But this is what disturbs me: if there is no God, then, the question is, who is in control of man's life and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/but-this-is-what-disturbs-me-if-there-is-no-god-then-the-question-is/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“If you’ve been exiled, why don’t you send me word of yourself? People do send word. Have you stopped loving me? No, for some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/if-you-ve-been-exiled-why-don-t-you-send-me-word-of-yourself-people/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“Tu nieznajomy uprzejmie zdjął beret i pisarzom nie pozostawało nic innego, jak wstać i ukłonić się.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/tu-nieznajomy-uprzejmie-zdj-beret-i-pisarzom-nie-pozostawa-o-nic/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“Thou art a black God! I curse Thee, God of thieves, their soul and protector! (191)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/thou-art-a-black-god-i-curse-thee-god-of-thieves-their-soul-and/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

> [“-No, więc ja wysłałem depeszę. I co dalej? Popławskiemu zawirowało w głowie, stracił władzę w rękach i nogach, wypuścił z ręki walizkę i opadł…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/no-wi-c-ja-wys-a-em-depesz-i-co-dalej-pop-awskiemu-zawirowa-o-w-g/)

[Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

[Explore all 186 Mikhail Bulgakov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/)

## More Foreigner quotes

> [A foreigner is an individual who is considered either comic or sinister. When the victim of a disaster - preferably natural but sometimes political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ralston-saul/a-foreigner-is-an-individual-who-is-considered-either-comic-or/)

[John Ralston Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ralston-saul/)

> [“It was a poor thing she felt for anyone to be born a foreigner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-was-a-poor-thing-she-felt-for-anyone-to-be-born-a-foreigner/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Although I've lived in England for more than twenty years, I still have a foreigner's passion for all the details of English history and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/although-i-ve-lived-in-england-for-more-than-twenty-years-i-still/)

[Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/)

> [When you have been stuck in that heel, bad-guy role as the foreigner who never talks, you want to get out of there, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusev/when-you-have-been-stuck-in-that-heel-bad-guy-role-as-the-foreigner/)

[Rusev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusev/)

> [“I’m a foreigner in the world and I don’t understand the language. It’s a miserable feeling. I’ve had it all my life. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster-daddy-long-legs/i-m-a-foreigner-in-the-world-and-i-don-t-understand-the-language-it-s/)

[Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster-daddy-long-legs/)

> [I loved this idea of always being a foreigner. There's this thing where people bring cultures, bring the music together. I love it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-loved-this-idea-of-always-being-a-foreigner-there-s-this-thing/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [To be a foreigner may be an advantage but disadvantage as well. It was advantage for me for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rusev/to-be-a-foreigner-may-be-an-advantage-but-disadvantage-as-well-it-was/)

[Rusev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rusev/)

> [A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/a-foreigner-and-an-hired-servant-shall-not-eat-thereof/)

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/)

> [Moving to India was challenging being a foreigner. I don't have any family here. I didn't have anyone to guide me. But I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-fernandez/moving-to-india-was-challenging-being-a-foreigner-i-don-t-have-any/)

[Jacqueline Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-fernandez/)

> [India is a place where one of the great pleasures for a foreigner is that you're constantly surprised. Everywhere you look is something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-anderson/india-is-a-place-where-one-of-the-great-pleasures-for-a-foreigner-is/)

[Wes Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-anderson/)

> [A poor man is like a foreigner in his own country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/a-poor-man-is-like-a-foreigner-in-his-own-country/)

[Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/)

> [I am an Indian. In fact, I feel like a foreigner when I go abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-gandhi/i-am-an-indian-in-fact-i-feel-like-a-foreigner-when-i-go-abroad/)

[Sonia Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-gandhi/)

> [But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-hazanavicius/but-i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-foreigner-or-a-frenchman-i-just/)

[Michel Hazanavicius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-hazanavicius/)

> [The moment there's a foreigner in a film it gives a novelty to the script. We make regional films and we need to hype…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arin-paul/the-moment-there-s-a-foreigner-in-a-film-it-gives-a-novelty-to-the/)

[Arin Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arin-paul/)

> [“That I am a foreigner is not my fault. I would rather have been born here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/that-i-am-a-foreigner-is-not-my-fault-i-would-rather-have-been-born/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

[Browse all 115 Foreigner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foreigner/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow twisted. Clean-shaven. Dark-haired. Right eye black, left -for some reason- green. Dark eyebrows, but one higher than the other. In short, a foreigner.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Bulgakov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mouth-somehow-twisted-clean/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Foreigner"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mouth-somehow-twisted-clean/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/mikhail-bulgakov-1389_quote_he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mout_1743223.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He looked to be a little over forty. Mouth somehow twisted. Clean-shaven. Dark-haired. Right eye black, left…” — Mikhail Bulgakov",
                "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": "Mikhail Bulgakov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He looked to be a little...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mouth-somehow-twisted-clean/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/he-looked-to-be-a-little-over-forty-mouth-somehow-twisted-clean/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
