--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beauty is the promise of…" description: "\"“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal”\" — Ted Chiang" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg" --- # Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal ![“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal” quote by Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg) > ““Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal”” [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) ## 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 presented as a promise that leads to happiness, suggesting aesthetic appreciation foresees joy. **In simple terms:** Beauty hints at future happiness. Key Takeaway Seek beauty to anticipate joy. Themes aesthetics hope philosophy Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art appreciation - relationship building - personal growth Key Concepts beauty as promise subjective experience Questions to Reflect On - Can beauty exist without leading to happiness? - What defines beauty for you? A Different Perspective Beauty does not guarantee happiness for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [“What is beauty, she thought, but the promise of happiness, as Stendhal said it was?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/what-is-beauty-she-thought-but-the-promise-of-happiness-as-stendhal/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [Beauty was the promise of happiness, not happiness itself; and the anticipated world was often more rich than anything real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/beauty-was-the-promise-of-happiness-not-happiness-itself-and-the/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [It has been said that beauty is a promise of happiness. Conversely, the possibility of pleasure can be a beginning of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-has-been-said-that-beauty-is-a-promise-of-happiness-conversely-the/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Beauty is the promise of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Beauty is nothing other than the promise of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/beauty-is-nothing-other-than-the-promise-of-happiness/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Beauty is nothing but a promise of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/beauty-is-nothing-but-a-promise-of-happiness/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“Beauty, when it is not a promise of happiness, must be destroyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-knabb/beauty-when-it-is-not-a-promise-of-happiness-must-be-destroyed/) Ken Knabb > [“Beauty is a promise of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/beauty-is-a-promise-of-happiness/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Beauty is the promise of happiness. And the only happiness is action. ... Fate is the path of least action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-and-the-only-happiness-is-action/) [Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One of the odd things about Stendhal is that though he was always on the watch lest anyone made a fool of him, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/one-of-the-odd-things-about-stendhal-is-that-though-he-was-always-on/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [It is a great good fortune, as Stendhal said, for one "to have his passion as a profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-merleau-ponty/it-is-a-great-good-fortune-as-stendhal-said-for-one-to-have-his/) [Maurice Merleau-Ponty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-merleau-ponty/) > [“The difference between Marilyn’s and Jayne’s approach to intellectual pursuits is that Marilyn carried big heavy books around and hung out with brainy people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-szandor-lavey/the-difference-between-marilyn-s-and-jayne-s-approach-to-intellectual/) [Anton Szandor LaVey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-szandor-lavey/) > [“The great drawback of being witty is that you have to keep your eyes fixed on the semi-idiots around you, and absorb their worthless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-great-drawback-of-being-witty-is-that-you-have-to-keep-your-eyes/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [I have to keep reminding myself: If you give your life to God, he doesn't promise you happiness and that everything will go well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/i-have-to-keep-reminding-myself-if-you-give-your-life-to-god-he-doesn/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) ## More by Ted Chiang > [“The physical universe was a language with a perfectly ambiguous grammar. Every physical event was an utterance that could be parsed in two entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/the-physical-universe-was-a-language-with-a-perfectly-ambiguous/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [Women who work with animals hear this all the time: that their love for animals must arise out of a sublimated child-rearing urge. Ana's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/women-who-work-with-animals-hear-this-all-the-time-that-their-love/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [Contemplate the marvel that is existence, and rejoice that you are able to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/contemplate-the-marvel-that-is-existence-and-rejoice-that-you-are/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [“Perhaps men were not meant to live in such a place. If their own natures restrained them from approaching heaven too closely, then men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/perhaps-men-were-not-meant-to-live-in-such-a-place-if-their-own/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [It is a misconception to think that during evolution humans sacrificed physical skill in exchange for intelligence: wielding one's body is a mental activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/it-is-a-misconception-to-think-that-during-evolution-humans/) [Ted Chiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/) > [“And then there will be the times when I see you laughing. 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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": "“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ted Chiang" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stendhal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stendhal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/096/ted-chiang-11432_beauty_beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stend_1121117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal” — Ted Chiang", "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": "Ted Chiang", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-chiang/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Beauty is the promise of happiness.”—Stendhal”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stendhal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-chiang/beauty-is-the-promise-of-happiness-stendhal/#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 } } ] } ```