--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be beautiful, handsome, means that you…" description: "\"“To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power which makes all smile upon and welcome you; that everybody is impressed in your favor and in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg" --- # To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power… ![“To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power which makes all smile upon and welcome you; that everybody is impressed in your favor and inclined to be of your opinion; that you have only to pass through a street or to show yourself at a balcony to make friends and to win mistresses…” quote by Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg) > ““To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power which makes all smile upon and welcome you; that everybody is impressed in your favor and inclined to be of your opinion; that you have only to pass through a street or to show yourself at a balcony to make friends and to win mistresses from among those who look upon you. What a splendid, what a magnificent gift is that which spares you the need to be amiable in order to be loved, which relieves you of the need of being clever and ready to serve, which you must be if ugly, and enables you to dispense with the innumerable moral qualities which you must possess in order to make up for the lack of personal beauty.”” [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical attractiveness is portrayed as a shortcut to social acceptance, bypassing the need for personal virtues. **In simple terms:** Beauty lets you be liked without effort. Key Takeaway Recognize that reliance on looks can mask deeper character needs. Themes beauty social status superficiality Mood reflective critical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - networking events - dating - public speaking - media appearances Key Concepts charisma social capital image management Questions to Reflect On - Do you value appearance over character? - How does society reward beauty over effort? A Different Perspective Relying solely on appearance may lead to shallow relationships and vulnerability when looks fade. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Personal beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-beauty/) [Ugliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugliness/) ## Related quotes > [“Rarely do very handsome men allow their faces to run around without a leash. I am not very handsome, but I am above-average handsome,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/rarely-do-very-handsome-men-allow-their-faces-to-run-around-without-a/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > ['Handsome' means many things to many people. If people consider me handsome, I feel flattered - and have my parents to thank for it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-chamberlain/handsome-means-many-things-to-many-people-if-people-consider-me/) [Richard Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-chamberlain/) > [“In person he was rather tall and his figure was considered good. Some people thought him handsome, but this was not by any means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/in-person-he-was-rather-tall-and-his-figure-was-considered-good-some/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [Youre so ugly, that when people see you, they know what the meaning of dark and handsome means. When its dark, your handsome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/youre-so-ugly-that-when-people-see-you-they-know-what-the-meaning-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We succeed in enterprises which demand the positive qualities we possess, but we excel in those which can also make use of our defects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/we-succeed-in-enterprises-which-demand-the-positive-qualities-we/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [“We attribute to ourselves qualities that we do not possess because if we possessed them, our lives would exactly mirror our image of ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-attribute-to-ourselves-qualities-that-we-do-not-possess-because-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We attract hearts by the qualities we display; we retain them by he qualities we possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-antoine-suard/we-attract-hearts-by-the-qualities-we-display-we-retain-them-by-he/) Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Suard > [We attract hearts by the qualities we display; we retain them by the qualities we possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/we-attract-hearts-by-the-qualities-we-display-we-retain-them-by-the/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“It is an infirmity of our nature to mingle our interests and prejudices with the operation of our reasoning powers, and attribute to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-jackson/it-is-an-infirmity-of-our-nature-to-mingle-our-interests-and/) [Andrew Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-jackson/) > [I believe that having an open mind is one of the most important qualities we can possess. Once our minds close, we stop evolving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/i-believe-that-having-an-open-mind-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) > [You attract people by the qualities you display. You keep them by the qualities you possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/you-attract-people-by-the-qualities-you-display-you-keep-them-by-the/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [You attract people by the qualities that you display and you keep people by the qualities that you possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/you-attract-people-by-the-qualities-that-you-display-and-you-keep/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [Persons are judged to be great because of the positive qualities they possess, not because of the absence of faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/persons-are-judged-to-be-great-because-of-the-positive-qualities-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It enriches us infinitely to recognize greater qualities than we possess in another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-enriches-us-infinitely-to-recognize-greater-qualities-than-we/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The qualities we possess should never be a matter for satisfaction, but the qualities we have discarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wei-wu-wei/the-qualities-we-possess-should-never-be-a-matter-for-satisfaction/) [Wei Wu Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wei-wu-wei/) ## More by Théophile Gautier > [“(Decadent style) is ingenious, complicated, learned, full of shades of meaning and research, always pushing further the limits of language... forcing itself to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/decadent-style-is-ingenious-complicated-learned-full-of-shades-of/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [Art is beauty, the perpetual invention of detail, the choice of words, the exquisite care of execution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/art-is-beauty-the-perpetual-invention-of-detail-the-choice-of-words/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat. It is a philosophical animal... one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/it-is-difficult-to-obtain-the-friendship-of-a-cat-it-is-a/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [ \[A cat\] will make itself the companion of your hours of work, of loneliness, or of sadness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/a-cat-will-make-itself-the-companion-of-your-hours-of-work-of/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“It is as absurd to say that a man is a drunkard because he describes an orgy or a debauchee because he recounts a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/it-is-as-absurd-to-say-that-a-man-is-a-drunkard-because-he-describes/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [It may well be that the pictures of Courbet, Manet, Monet and their like contain beauties which escape the notice of such old romantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/it-may-well-be-that-the-pictures-of-courbet-manet-monet-and-their/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“What is the use of beauty in woman? Provided a woman is physically well made and capable of bearing children, she will always be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/what-is-the-use-of-beauty-in-woman-provided-a-woman-is-physically/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“Smoke By Théophile Gautier Translated by Norman R. Shapiro Over there, trees are sheltering A hunchedback hut... A slum, no more... Roof askew, walls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/smoke-by-th-ophile-gautier-translated-by-norman-r-shapiro-over-there/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [It is gentle manners which prove so irresistible in women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/it-is-gentle-manners-which-prove-so-irresistible-in-women/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [There is nothing truly beautiful but that which can never be of any use whatsoever; everything useful is ugly, for it is the expression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/there-is-nothing-truly-beautiful-but-that-which-can-never-be-of-any/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [To love is to admire with the heart; to admire is to love with the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-love-is-to-admire-with-the-heart-to-admire-is-to-love-with-the-mind/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“This apparent hurly-burly and disorder turn out, after all, to reproduce real life with its fantastic ways more accurately than the most carefully studied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/this-apparent-hurly-burly-and-disorder-turn-out-after-all-to/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [The word poet literally means maker: anything which is not well made doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/the-word-poet-literally-means-maker-anything-which-is-not-well-made/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [I was born to travel and write verse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/i-was-born-to-travel-and-write-verse/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [“I have kept thee long in waiting, dear Romuald, and thou mayst well have thought that I had forgotten thee. But I have come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/i-have-kept-thee-long-in-waiting-dear-romuald-and-thou-mayst-well/) [Théophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) [Explore all 86 Théophile Gautier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) ## 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": "“To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power which makes all smile upon and welcome you; that everybody is impressed in your favor and inclined to be of your opinion; that you have only to pass through a street or to show yourself at a balcony to make friends and to win mistresses from among those who look upon you. What a splendid, what a magnificent gift is that which spares you the need to be amiable in order to be loved, which relieves you of the need of being clever and ready to serve, which you must be if ugly, and enables you to dispense with the innumerable moral qualities which you must possess in order to make up for the lack of personal beauty.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Théophile Gautier" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you-possess-a-power-which-makes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you-possess-a-power-which-makes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcb/theophile-gautier-7224_beauty_to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you_1888540.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be beautiful, handsome, means that you possess a power which makes all smile upon and welcome you; that…” — Théophile Gautier", "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": "Théophile Gautier", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“To be beautiful, handsome, means that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you-possess-a-power-which-makes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-be-beautiful-handsome-means-that-you-possess-a-power-which-makes/#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 } } ] } ```