--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I know how mirrors work. They're all in…" description: "\"I know how mirrors work. They're all in league with the cosmetics trade. They tell a woman lies. Drawing her gaze from one imagined flaw to another, un..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/tessa-dare-564_constellations_i-know-how-mirrors-work-they-re-all-in-l_3074031.png" --- # I know how mirrors work. They're all in league with the… ![“I know how mirrors work. They're all in league with the cosmetics trade. They tell a woman lies. Drawing her gaze from one imagined flaw to another, until all she sees is a constellation of imperfections. If you could get outside yourself, borrow my eyes for just an instant... There is only beauty.” quote by Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/tessa-dare-564_constellations_i-know-how-mirrors-work-they-re-all-in-l_3074031.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/tessa-dare-564_constellations_i-know-how-mirrors-work-they-re-all-in-l_3074031.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc6/tessa-dare-564_constellations_i-know-how-mirrors-work-they-re-all-in-l_3074031.png) > “I know how mirrors work. They're all in league with the cosmetics trade. They tell a woman lies. Drawing her gaze from one imagined flaw to another, until all she sees is a constellation of imperfections. If you could get outside yourself, borrow my eyes for just an instant... There is only beauty.” [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society’s beauty standards distort self‑image, making women focus on imagined flaws rather than inherent beauty. **In simple terms:** Beauty standards mislead women to see flaws. Key Takeaway Recognize inner beauty beyond external judgments. Themes self‑esteem beauty standards media influence Mood reflective critical empathetic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - dating - social media use - personal grooming - mental health counseling Key Concepts psychology social critique self‑perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you define beauty for yourself? - What steps can you take to shift focus from flaws to strengths? A Different Perspective External validation can reinforce insecurity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Constellations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constellations/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Woman Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-lies/) [Women lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-lie/) ## Related quotes > [“You're an intensely attractive woman. You do know that, don't you?" To her silence, he replied, "You'd believe me if you could see yourself."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/you-re-an-intensely-attractive-woman-you-do-know-that-don-t-you-to/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [You might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/you-might-as-well-say-that-the-woman-lies-on-top-of-the-man-when-they/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Behind every good woman lies a trail of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-bonham/behind-every-good-woman-lies-a-trail-of-men/) Tracy Bonham > [The world is large,” said Okonkwo. “I have even heard that in some tribes a man’s children belong to his wife and her family.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-large-said-okonkwo-i-have-even-heard-that-in-some-tribes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I know that mirrors give us a false sense of confidence.” I continued. “The reflection that we see everyday has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasmenia-massoud/i-know-that-mirrors-give-us-a-false-sense-of-confidence-i-continued/) [Rasmenia Massoud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasmenia-massoud/) > [“Now I know that without mirrors we are different, we're not really the same...Maybe they had noticed us looking worriedly at other people's faces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-clezio-j-m-g/now-i-know-that-without-mirrors-we-are-different-we-re-not-really-the/) Le Clezio J M G > [We all know mirrors don't lie...let's be thankful they also don't laugh!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/we-all-know-mirrors-don-t-lie-let-s-be-thankful-they-also-don-t-laugh/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I just recently figured out how mirrors work. Pretty cool. That guy always hungrily staring at my naked body was me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-just-recently-figured-out-how-mirrors-work-pretty-cool-that-guy/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“watch myself in the mirrors at work constantly. It makes it more interesting. I used to do this ages ago out of worry of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-kenney/watch-myself-in-the-mirrors-at-work-constantly-it-makes-it-more/) Kelley Kenney > [“Mirrors work magic. Repeat the last three words (or the critical one to three words) of what someone has just said. We fear what’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-voss/mirrors-work-magic-repeat-the-last-three-words-or-the-critical-one-to/) [Chris Voss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-voss/) > [Michaelangelo said the mirror is our greatest teacher. My use of mirrors in my work helps me uncover psychic layers. Often, the face is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-tenneson/michaelangelo-said-the-mirror-is-our-greatest-teacher-my-use-of/) [Joyce Tenneson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-tenneson/) > [A real man forgives a woman for her lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-man-forgives-a-woman-for-her-lies/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So many sit around, waiting for superman, when in fact, Wonder Woman lies within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristina-canady/so-many-sit-around-waiting-for-superman-when-in-fact-wonder-woman/) Kristina Canady > [“True beauty is not adorned, but simply embodied.In the quiet truth between a rose and a woman lies a refined reality: Elegance,with boundaries”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrietta-newton-martin-author-the-greatest-of-all-romance-your-potters-call/true-beauty-is-not-adorned-but-simply-embodied-in-the-quiet-truth/) Henrietta Newton Martin, Author- The Greatest of All Romance- Your Potters Call > [“As attentive readers may have noted, the standard narrative of heterosexual interaction boils down to prostitution: a woman exchanges her sexual services for access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/as-attentive-readers-may-have-noted-the-standard-narrative-of/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) ## More by Tessa Dare > [“This explains so much," she said, clucking her tongue in mother-hen fashion. "You're compensating for this withered appendage." Withered appendage? What the devil was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-explains-so-much-she-said-clucking-her-tongue-in-mother-hen/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“You think a few features scattered on your face make you plain? I am ugly to the core. All England knows it. And after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/you-think-a-few-features-scattered-on-your-face-make-you-plain-i-am/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“I’d be more than happy to let you survey my physical perfection in its entirety. But only if I get to see you, too.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/i-d-be-more-than-happy-to-let-you-survey-my-physical-perfection-in/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Words for everyday showers of prettiness, and the kind of misty loveliness that disappears whenever you try to grasp it. Beauty that’s heralded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/words-for-everyday-showers-of-prettiness-and-the-kind-of-misty/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“ The captain? Sophia stood staring numbly after him. Had he just said he’d introduce her to the captain? Of someone else was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-captain-sophia-stood-staring-numbly-after-him-had-he-just-said-he/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Madeline stood before him in a gown of rich, emerald-green silk. The low-cut bodice did miraculous things for her bosom, and the vibrant color…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/madeline-stood-before-him-in-a-gown-of-rich-emerald-green-silk-the/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And she was well-enough acquainted with loneliness to understand that the worst part wasn't having nobody caring for you - it was having nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-she-was-well-enough-acquainted-with-loneliness-to-understand-that/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“He stood in the doorway to a side chamber, bared to the waist and dripping. He propped one shoulder against the doorway and clutched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/he-stood-in-the-doorway-to-a-side-chamber-bared-to-the-waist-and/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And you claim to be feeling this way. Floatish. Singsong-ish. About me.” She sighed. “Yes.” “That’s absurd.” “I know, but I can’t seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-you-claim-to-be-feeling-this-way-floatish-singsong-ish-about-me/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“No, of course she didn't say it. But there is no other reason she should have called, except to pave the way for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/no-of-course-she-didn-t-say-it-but-there-is-no-other-reason-she/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“And there it was. The prim face of censure he’d been seeking. A strange sense of satisfaction descended on him. Divine justice, perhaps. Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/and-there-it-was-the-prim-face-of-censure-he-d-been-seeking-a-strange/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Another sketch-this one of Gabriel-hung on the all above the water cask. It swiveled gently on a single tack; or rather, the paper hung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/another-sketch-this-one-of-gabriel-hung-on-the-all-above-the-water/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“I know what you’re thinking, Gray,” O’Shea’s brogue lilted down through the skylight one warm morning, while Sophia was hard at work. Mr. Grayson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-gray-o-shea-s-brogue-lilted-down-through/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“The path was a familiar one. Over the years she’d resided in Spindle Cove, Susanna must have walked it thousands of times. She knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/the-path-was-a-familiar-one-over-the-years-she-d-resided-in-spindle/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“Miss Finch, it’s not wise for officers to quarter in the same house with an unmarried gentlewoman. Have a care for your reputation, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/miss-finch-it-s-not-wise-for-officers-to-quarter-in-the-same-house/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) [Explore all 472 Tessa Dare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) ## More Constellations quotes > [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) > [Identity is an assemblage of constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/identity-is-an-assemblage-of-constellations/) [Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/) > [Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa! Let us work towards the one glorious end of a free, redeemed and mighty nation. Let Africa be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/wake-up-ethiopia-wake-up-africa-let-us-work-towards-the-one-glorious/) [Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/) > [...Search for the cause may be a hopeless pursuit because most disease states are the indirect outcome of a constellation of circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/search-for-the-cause-may-be-a-hopeless-pursuit-because-most-disease/) [Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/) > [The casting of any film is around 60% of the film, but it's also about the right casting insight. It's a bit like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/the-casting-of-any-film-is-around-60-of-the-film-but-it-s-also-about/) [Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/) > [“Let this time in your life cut you open and drain all of the things that are holding you back. I’m going to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/let-this-time-in-your-life-cut-you-open-and-drain-all-of-the-things/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) > [The light was leaving in the west it was blue The children's laughter sang and skipping just like the stones they threw the voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-johnson/the-light-was-leaving-in-the-west-it-was-blue-the-children-s-laughter/) [Jack Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-johnson/) > [There's a universe inside your head, constellations of the things you left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-aquilina/there-s-a-universe-inside-your-head-constellations-of-the-things-you/) Lauren Aquilina > [“Standing naked on the beach with all of my secrets between my legs, I look out into the water and up deep into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/standing-naked-on-the-beach-with-all-of-my-secrets-between-my-legs-i/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) > [The constellations this year seem unfavourable to rebels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-borgia/the-constellations-this-year-seem-unfavourable-to-rebels/) [Cesare Borgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-borgia/) > [My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/my-thoughts-are-stars-i-cannot-fathom-into-constellations/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [How keen everyone is to make this world their home forgetting its impermanence It's like trying to see and name constellations in a fireworks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/how-keen-everyone-is-to-make-this-world-their-home-forgetting-its/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“Something, somewhere, knows what’s best for me and promises to keep sending me people and experiences to light my way as long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/something-somewhere-knows-what-s-best-for-me-and-promises-to-keep/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) > [For God's love, take things patiently, have sense, Think! We are prisoners and shall always be. Fortune has given us this adversity, Some wicked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/for-god-s-love-take-things-patiently-have-sense-think-we-are/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) [Browse all 218 Constellations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constellations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I know how mirrors work. They're all in league with the cosmetics trade. They tell a woman lies. Drawing her gaze from one imagined flaw to another, until all she sees is a constellation of imperfections. If you could get outside yourself, borrow my eyes for just an instant... 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