--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The beauty of melancholy cannot be…" description: "\"“The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking. You must embrace the terror it breeds. Then you will be pleased.”\" — S.E. Lindberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg" --- # The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking… ![“The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking. You must embrace the terror it breeds. Then you will be pleased.” quote by S.E. Lindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg) > ““The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking. You must embrace the terror it breeds. Then you will be pleased.”” S.E. Lindberg ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Melancholy must be felt, not observed; confronting its fear yields satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Feel sadness to find peace. Key Takeaway Embrace fear to enjoy melancholy. Themes emotion self‑acceptance philosophy Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art criticism - personal reflection - therapy - creative writing Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you safely explore melancholy? - What does “terror” mean to you? A Different Perspective Feeling melancholy may deepen depression if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Melancholy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/melancholy/) ## Related quotes > [“I can barely conceive a type of beauty in which there is no melancholy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/i-can-barely-conceive-a-type-of-beauty-in-which-there-is-no-melancholy/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [I find beauty in melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/i-find-beauty-in-melancholy/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [I am an avid follower of the news, and sometimes you just can't take any more war, any more disasters, and you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/i-am-an-avid-follower-of-the-news-and-sometimes-you-just-can-t-take/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [Elysian beauty, melancholy grace, Brought from a pensive though a happy place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/elysian-beauty-melancholy-grace-brought-from-a-pensive-though-a-happy/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [There is a life and there is a death, and there are beauty and melancholy between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-is-a-life-and-there-is-a-death-and-there-are-beauty-and/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I who once wrote songs with keen delight am now by sorrow driven to take up melancholy measures. Wounded Muses tell me what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/i-who-once-wrote-songs-with-keen-delight-am-now-by-sorrow-driven-to/) [Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/) > [Sorrow, terror, anguish, despair itself are often the chosen expressions of an approximation to the highest good. Our sympathy in tragic fiction depends on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/sorrow-terror-anguish-despair-itself-are-often-the-chosen-expressions/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [There was only the broad square with the scattered dim moons of the street lamps and with the monumental stone arch which receded into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/there-was-only-the-broad-square-with-the-scattered-dim-moons-of-the/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [In such a diversity it was impossible I should be disposed to melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boone/in-such-a-diversity-it-was-impossible-i-should-be-disposed-to/) [Daniel Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boone/) > [“Nothing you did made sense and nothing you’ll ever do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hogan/nothing-you-did-made-sense-and-nothing-you-ll-ever-do/) [Michael Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hogan/) > [“They laughed, but I was melancholy. The remnants of Rome always make me sad, simply because they are proof that we slide inexorably towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/they-laughed-but-i-was-melancholy-the-remnants-of-rome-always-make-me/) [Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [“Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-oxenhandler/wish-in-one-hand-shit-in-the-other-see-which-one-fills-up-faster/) Noelle Oxenhandler > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) ## More by S.E. Lindberg > [“Have you ever dreamt? At night, with your eyes closed?... Then you know that even with eyes closed, even in complete darkness, your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/have-you-ever-dreamt-at-night-with-your-eyes-closed-then-you-know/) S.E. Lindberg > [“What is wrong with being a devout follower? Is it not acceptable to be sad and alone, if you remain loyal and obedient?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/what-is-wrong-with-being-a-devout-follower-is-it-not-acceptable-to-be/) S.E. Lindberg Explore all 3 S.E. Lindberg quotes ## 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": "“The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking. You must embrace the terror it breeds. Then you will be pleased.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "S.E. Lindberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attained-by-looking-you-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attained-by-looking-you-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da8/s-e-lindberg-74604_beauty_the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attai_1424112.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The beauty of melancholy cannot be attained by looking. You must embrace the terror it breeds. Then you will…” — S.E. Lindberg", "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": "S.E. Lindberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-lindberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The beauty of melancholy cannot be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attained-by-looking-you-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-lindberg/the-beauty-of-melancholy-cannot-be-attained-by-looking-you-must/#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 } } ] } ```