--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do not allow yourself to be misled by the…" description: "\"Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things\" — Rainer Maria Rilke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg" --- # Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things ![“Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things” quote by Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg) > “Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things” [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Superficial appearances can deceive; deeper truth lies beyond the surface. **In simple terms:** Looks can be misleading. Key Takeaway Look beyond appearances. Themes perception truth appearance philosophy Mood inquisitive thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art criticism - first impressions - decision making - media consumption Key Concepts phenomenology critical thinking skepticism Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make based on looks? - How can you verify deeper truth? A Different Perspective Surface judgments may miss essential reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allow Misled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allow-misled-5155265/) [Misled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misled/) [Misled Surfaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misled-surfaces-5155263/) [Surface](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surface/) [Surfaces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfaces/) [Surfaces Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surfaces-things-5155264/) ## Related quotes > [Do not be bewildered by the surfaces: in the depths all becomes law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/do-not-be-bewildered-by-the-surfaces-in-the-depths-all-becomes-law/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Give me truths for I am weary of the surfaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/give-me-truths-for-i-am-weary-of-the-surfaces/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I did finals on all the surfaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrey-rublev/i-did-finals-on-all-the-surfaces/) [Andrey Rublev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrey-rublev/) > [It's good to have different surfaces, I think that's good for the sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniil-medvedev/it-s-good-to-have-different-surfaces-i-think-that-s-good-for-the-sport/) [Daniil Medvedev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniil-medvedev/) > [Strike rates depend on the surfaces you play on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-gambhir/strike-rates-depend-on-the-surfaces-you-play-on/) [Gautam Gambhir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-gambhir/) > [“What lies behind the innocent looks? What lies behind the kind words? What lies behind the gentle smiles? Do not remain on the surface…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/what-lies-behind-the-innocent-looks-what-lies-behind-the-kind-words/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We live amid surfaces, and the true art of life is to skate well on them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-live-amid-surfaces-and-the-true-art-of-life-is-to-skate-well-on/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The real world is in a much darker and deeper place than this, and most of it is occupied by jellyfish and things. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-real-world-is-in-a-much-darker-and-deeper-place-than-this-and/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [My photographs don't go below the surface. They don't go below anything. They're readings of the surface. I have great faith in surfaces. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/my-photographs-don-t-go-below-the-surface-they-don-t-go-below-2/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [“Of people, of places, surfaces don't interest me. Depths do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadia-hakim/of-people-of-places-surfaces-don-t-interest-me-depths-do/) [Sadia Hakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadia-hakim/) > [“You must let it glide on surfaces so you don't make a mess of things”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/you-must-let-it-glide-on-surfaces-so-you-don-t-make-a-mess-of-things/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [In particular, I am interested in understanding hyperbolic surfaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryam-mirzakhani/in-particular-i-am-interested-in-understanding-hyperbolic-surfaces/) [Maryam Mirzakhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryam-mirzakhani/) > [“We live, I regret to say, in an age of surfaces”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/we-live-i-regret-to-say-in-an-age-of-surfaces/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I am pleased enough with the surfaces - in fact they alone seem to me to be of much importance. Such things for example…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/i-am-pleased-enough-with-the-surfaces-in-fact-they-alone-seem-to-me/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“But it wasn't the right season to lift off. Not yet. I sat in my apartment and looked out over the city, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/but-it-wasn-t-the-right-season-to-lift-off-not-yet-i-sat-in-my/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) ## More by Rainer Maria Rilke > [The artist's experience lies so unbelievably close to the sexual, to its pain and its pleasure, that the two phenomena are really just different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-artist-s-experience-lies-so-unbelievably-close-to-the-sexual-to/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“Out of infinite longings rise finite deeds like weak fountains, falling back just in time and trembling. And yet, what otherwise remains silent, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/out-of-infinite-longings-rise-finite-deeds-like-weak-fountains/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“I love the dark hours of my being. My mind deepens into them. 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Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms, like books written in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/have-patience-with-everything-that-remains-unsolved-in-your-heart-try/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) [Explore all 861 Rainer Maria Rilke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## More Misled quotes > [We need guidance, we've been misled, young and hostile, but not stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blink-182/we-need-guidance-we-ve-been-misled-young-and-hostile-but-not-stupid/) [Blink 182](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blink-182/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) > [Do not be misled by appearances for these are apt to be deceptive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-abi-talib/do-not-be-misled-by-appearances-for-these-are-apt-to-be-deceptive/) [Ali ibn Abi Talib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ibn-abi-talib/) > [You should not be misled about the so-called single opposition candidate. There are so many of them now that you will lack the fingers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lukashenko/you-should-not-be-misled-about-the-so-called-single-opposition/) [Alexander Lukashenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lukashenko/) > [He said to tell you to remember your heart in all things, that it is where your honor and your destiny will be found.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/he-said-to-tell-you-to-remember-your-heart-in-all-things-that-it-is/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [It is a tribute to the American people that our leaders perceived that they had to lie to us, it is not a tribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ellsberg/it-is-a-tribute-to-the-american-people-that-our-leaders-perceived/) [Daniel Ellsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ellsberg/) > [Before knowing the truth, if you depend on your intelligence, you can be misled completely. Intelligence that is without the spiritual insight is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/before-knowing-the-truth-if-you-depend-on-your-intelligence-you-can/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [The Blue Degrees are but the outer court...of the temple. Part of the symbols are displayed there to the initiate, but he is intentionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/the-blue-degrees-are-but-the-outer-court-of-the-temple-part-of-the/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [“The faithful must not be misled”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-chamberlin/the-faithful-must-not-be-misled/) [Ann Chamberlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-chamberlin/) > [She tried to be calm, and leave things to take their course; and tried to dwell much on this argument of rational dependence –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-tried-to-be-calm-and-leave-things-to-take-their-course-and-tried-2/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [The capitalist can only make a whole people go to war . . . by capturing the popular will. The only prophylactic against that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-angell/the-capitalist-can-only-make-a-whole-people-go-to-war-by-capturing/) [Norman Angell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-angell/) > [He who is not aware of his ignorance will be only misled by his knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/he-who-is-not-aware-of-his-ignorance-will-be-only-misled-by-his/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [“The stars, that nature hung in heaven, and filled their lamps with everlasting oil, give due light to the misled and lonely traveler".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-stars-that-nature-hung-in-heaven-and-filled-their-lamps-with/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Do not be misled by the fact that you are at liberty and relatively free; that for the moment you are not under lock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/do-not-be-misled-by-the-fact-that-you-are-at-liberty-and-relatively/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [The Avatar appears to be human and we are misled into thinking of him in these terms but the Avatar himself warns us against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/the-avatar-appears-to-be-human-and-we-are-misled-into-thinking-of-him/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) [Browse all 142 Misled quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misled/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rainer Maria Rilke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-the-surfaces-of-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Misled" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-the-surfaces-of-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ba/rainer-maria-rilke-193_misled_do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-th_642454.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do not allow yourself to be misled by the surfaces of things” — Rainer Maria Rilke", "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": "Rainer Maria Rilke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do not allow yourself to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-the-surfaces-of-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/do-not-allow-yourself-to-be-misled-by-the-surfaces-of-things/#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 } } ] } ```