---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fiend in his own shape is less…"
description: "\"The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men.\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg"
---

#  The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he…

![“The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg)

> “The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men.”

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## About This Quote

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

Human cruelty can be more terrifying than physical monstrosity, especially when it erupts from within.

**In simple terms:** Inner rage is scarier than outward ugliness.

Key Takeaway

Watch for inner anger in yourself and others.

Themes

human nature violence inner demons

Mood

cautionary introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- team leadership
- personal counseling

Key Concepts

moral psychology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize hidden rage?
- What steps can calm inner turmoil?

A Different Perspective

People may hide inner turmoil behind a calm exterior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fiend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Rage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rage/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/)

## Related quotes

> [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [If only women paid as much attention to their breast as men do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-only-women-paid-as-much-attention-to-their-breast-as-men-do/)

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

> [“You know, there's a thing that stumps me. You're the coldest man I know. And I can't understand why - knowing that you're actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-know-there-s-a-thing-that-stumps-me-you-re-the-coldest-man-i-know/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [“Go, all of you, scum of Paris!” he cried in his clear treble tones— “you who know neither God nor devil! You will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/go-all-of-you-scum-of-paris-he-cried-in-his-clear-treble-tones-you/)

[Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/)

> [“That was their Prince for you, a twisty, vicious fiend who you should never, ever cross, unless you wanted your gullet handed to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-u-pacat/that-was-their-prince-for-you-a-twisty-vicious-fiend-who-you-should/)

[S.U. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-u-pacat/)

> [“There's a big difference on being wise and being crafty. The former is the attribute of God, and the latter is that of Satan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-s-a-big-difference-on-being-wise-and-being-crafty-the-former-is/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [A friend minus R ain't nothing but a fiend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-time-steele/a-friend-minus-r-ain-t-nothing-but-a-fiend/)

[Chris Time Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-time-steele/)

> [“What rending pains were close at hand! Death! and what a death! worse than any other that is to be named! Water, be it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-prescott-spofford/what-rending-pains-were-close-at-hand-death-and-what-a-death-worse/)

[Harriet Prescott Spofford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-prescott-spofford/)

> [“She said several times that Malcolm was a fiend who was determined to destroy his children, and that I was the devil incarnate helping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-francis/she-said-several-times-that-malcolm-was-a-fiend-who-was-determined-to/)

[Dick Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-francis/)

> [I have become a bit obsessed with eyebrows. I used to never have any, and then I realised big eyebrows are good, and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-j/i-have-become-a-bit-obsessed-with-eyebrows-i-used-to-never-have-any/)

[Jessie J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-j/)

> [My best fiend is not the person who sacrifices a lot for me but the one who appreciate me with my flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crosby-kwaw/my-best-fiend-is-not-the-person-who-sacrifices-a-lot-for-me-but-the/)

[Crosby Kwaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crosby-kwaw/)

> [“What the foul fiend is the meaning of all this?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-d-e-n-southworth/what-the-foul-fiend-is-the-meaning-of-all-this/)

[E.D.E.N. Southworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-d-e-n-southworth/)

> [“In the cool afternoon the fiend from hell specifically sent to lovers arrived at Janie's ear. Doubt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/in-the-cool-afternoon-the-fiend-from-hell-specifically-sent-to-lovers/)

[Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/)

> [You may tell a man thou art a fiend, but not your nose wants blowing; to him alone who can bear a thing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/you-may-tell-a-man-thou-art-a-fiend-but-not-your-nose-wants-blowing/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Temptation: the fiend at my elbow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/temptation-the-fiend-at-my-elbow/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

[Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## More Breasts quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/)

[Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/)

> [Where shall the lover rest, Whom the fates sever From his true maiden's breast, Parted for ever? Where, through groves deep and high, Sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/where-shall-the-lover-rest-whom-the-fates-sever-from-his-true-maiden/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/)

[Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/)

> [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [The headline here is not that a woman exposed a breast. It is, rather, that a breast exposed a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts/the-headline-here-is-not-that-a-woman-exposed-a-breast-it-is-rather/)

[Leonard Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts/)

> [With breast cancer, it's all about detection. You have to educate young women and encourage them to do everything they have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/with-breast-cancer-it-s-all-about-detection-you-have-to-educate-young/)

[Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/)

> [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The women I know who have gone through breast cancer still laugh a lot. They're not crying all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/the-women-i-know-who-have-gone-through-breast-cancer-still-laugh-a/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/having-breast-cancer-is-massive-amounts-of-no-fun/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/)

Sally Struthers

Browse all 1,224 Breasts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideous-than-when-he-rages-in-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breasts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideous-than-when-he-rages-in-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/635/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_breasts_the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideo_700908.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of men.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The fiend in his own shape...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideous-than-when-he-rages-in-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-fiend-in-his-own-shape-is-less-hideous-than-when-he-rages-in-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```