--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Throughout human history beauty has been…" description: "\"“Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift from God, but Mom had another notion; she thought that beauty could be earned through self-kno..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/ruth-reichl-13523_beauty_throughout-human-history-beauty-has-been_1269767.jpg" --- # Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift… ![“Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift from God, but Mom had another notion; she thought that beauty could be earned through self-knowledge. It may be a revolutionary idea, but it has offered me great comfort.” quote by Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/ruth-reichl-13523_beauty_throughout-human-history-beauty-has-been_1269767.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/ruth-reichl-13523_beauty_throughout-human-history-beauty-has-been_1269767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/143/ruth-reichl-13523_beauty_throughout-human-history-beauty-has-been_1269767.jpg) > ““Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift from God, but Mom had another notion; she thought that beauty could be earned through self-knowledge. It may be a revolutionary idea, but it has offered me great comfort.”” [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Beauty is traditionally seen as divine, but can also be earned through self‑knowledge, offering comfort and empowerment. **In simple terms:** Beauty can be earned through self‑knowledge. Key Takeaway Seek self‑understanding to feel empowered. Themes beauty self‑knowledge empowerment Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - self‑esteem - creative work - healing - comfort seeking Key Concepts philosophy psychology spirituality Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑knowledge change your view of beauty? - Can beauty be both a gift and a skill? A Different Perspective May overlook external societal pressures on appearance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Gift from god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift-from-god/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Self knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [“Beauty by mistake' -- the final phase in the history of beauty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-by-mistake-the-final-phase-in-the-history-of-beauty/) [milan kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Before beauty disappears entirely from the earth, it will go on existing for a while by mistake. "Beauty by mistake"- the final phase in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/before-beauty-disappears-entirely-from-the-earth-it-will-go-on-2/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-walk-about-paris-will-provide-lessons-in-history-beauty-and-in-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Look at the history of literature, and you find the history of beauty on the one hand and the IOUs on the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/look-at-the-history-of-literature-and-you-find-the-history-of-beauty/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [Oh what a shame if she thought any beauty she has came from him. She didn't understand the beauty of her own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-sandozz/oh-what-a-shame-if-she-thought-any-beauty-she-has-came-from-him-she/) [Jasmine Sandozz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-sandozz/) > [“I've often thought that beauty can be a deterrent to love,” Fern's father mused. “Why?” “Because sometimes we fall in love with a face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/i-ve-often-thought-that-beauty-can-be-a-deterrent-to-love-fern-s/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [People say sometimes that Beauty is superficial. That may be so. But at least it is not so superficial as Thought is. To me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/people-say-sometimes-that-beauty-is-superficial-that-may-be-so-but-at/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“...and you thought beauty was the outward show - but now you know the truth, my Love - it's always been the inner fire...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/and-you-thought-beauty-was-the-outward-show-but-now-you-know-the/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“Beauty means this to one person, perhaps, and that to another. And yet when any one of us has seen or heard or read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/beauty-means-this-to-one-person-perhaps-and-that-to-another-and-yet/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“There is an admirable fact about the psychology of France: she knows no half measures, loathsome or sublime, she forges the thought and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephin-peladan/there-is-an-admirable-fact-about-the-psychology-of-france-she-knows/) [Josephin Peladan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephin-peladan/) > [He was afflicted by the thought that where Beauty was, nothing ever ran quite straight, which no doubt, was why so many people looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-galsworthy/he-was-afflicted-by-the-thought-that-where-beauty-was-nothing-ever/) [John Galsworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-galsworthy/) > [“He’d never thought of beauty as a form of power, but that’s the way Piper had seemed—powerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/he-d-never-thought-of-beauty-as-a-form-of-power-but-that-s-the-way/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [I thought that beauty alone would satisfy, but the soul is gone. I can’t bear those empty, staring eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-beaumont/i-thought-that-beauty-alone-would-satisfy-but-the-soul-is-gone-i-can/) [Charles Beaumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-beaumont/) > [He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret. He thought that the world’s heart beat at some terrible cost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-thought-that-in-the-beauty-of-the-world-were-hid-a-secret-he/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [There was such a difference, he thought, between the beauty that illuminated, and the beauty that was illuminated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/there-was-such-a-difference-he-thought-between-the-beauty-that/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) ## More by Ruth Reichl > [...in the end you are the only one who can make yourself happy. More important, ...it is never too late to find out how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/in-the-end-you-are-the-only-one-who-can-make-yourself-happy-more/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [When a person has lived generously and fought fiercely, she deserves more than sadness at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/when-a-person-has-lived-generously-and-fought-fiercely-she-deserves/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“but when I told her they didn’t cost one penny and were very nutritious (I made that part up, but I’m sure it must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/but-when-i-told-her-they-didn-t-cost-one-penny-and-were-very/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“He was like a jazz musician, joyfully improvising, imagining tastes that ordinary people could not. He pulled ingredients apart and reconstructed them in endlessly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/he-was-like-a-jazz-musician-joyfully-improvising-imagining-tastes/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“Every restaurant is a theater, and the truly great ones allow us to indulge in the fantasy that we are rich and powerful. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/every-restaurant-is-a-theater-and-the-truly-great-ones-allow-us-to/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“She took a sip of wine and held it in her mouth, straining to identify the flavors. Cherry, she thought. Licorice. Thorns. She imagined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/she-took-a-sip-of-wine-and-held-it-in-her-mouth-straining-to-identify/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“She's always sniffing the bottles in the spice cabinet." I didn't know she'd even noticed. At first it was just curiosity; why did fennel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/she-s-always-sniffing-the-bottles-in-the-spice-cabinet-i-didn-t-know/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [Plain fresh bread, its crust shatteringly crisp. Sweet cold butter. There is magic in the way they come together in your mouth to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/plain-fresh-bread-its-crust-shatteringly-crisp-sweet-cold-butter/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“Tommy and I put on a radio play to entertain everyone while they unpacked their cookies. It was about a girl who saves up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/tommy-and-i-put-on-a-radio-play-to-entertain-everyone-while-they/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“I remember the pissaladière. We stood there watching them cook and eating that soft, oily bread. Back then I was so poor I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/i-remember-the-pissaladi-re-we-stood-there-watching-them-cook-and/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“The meal began with pickled squid, oyster shooters, marinated anchovies, and scungilli salad. Then Rosalie set an enormous bowl of pasta con le vongole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/the-meal-began-with-pickled-squid-oyster-shooters-marinated-anchovies/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“...I was not prepared for the feel of the noodles in my mouth, or the purity of the taste. I had been in Japan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/i-was-not-prepared-for-the-feel-of-the-noodles-in-my-mouth-or-the/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [It is not 'only' food, I said heatedly. There's meaning hidden underneath each dish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/it-is-not-only-food-i-said-heatedly-there-s-meaning-hidden-underneath/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“You'll find that historical research is extremely soothing. When you spend all day among old papers, the people come alive for you, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/you-ll-find-that-historical-research-is-extremely-soothing-when-you/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) > [“I wish you could have seen the kitchen when I was done: It looked like a hurricane had blown right in the door! But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-reichl/i-wish-you-could-have-seen-the-kitchen-when-i-was-done-it-looked-like/) [Ruth Reichl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) [Explore all 50 Ruth Reichl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-reichl/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Throughout human history beauty has been seen as a gift from God, but Mom had another notion; she thought that beauty could be earned through self-knowledge. 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