Beauty Quote by Thomas Hardy
““How very lovable her face was to him. Yet there was nothing ethereal about it; all was real vitality, real warmth, real incarnation. And it was in her mouth that this culminated. Eyes almost as deep and speaking he had seen before, and cheeks perhaps as fair; brows as arched, a chin and throat almost as shapely; her mouth he had seen nothing to equal on the face of the earth. To a young man with the least fire in him that little upward lift in the middle of her red top lip was distracting, infatuating, maddening. He had never before seen a woman’s lips and teeth which forced upon his mind with such persistent iteration the old Elizabethan simile of roses filled with snow. Perfect, he, as a lover, might have called them off-hand. But no — they were not perfect. And it was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, 1891
The passage celebrates the vivid, imperfect humanity of a woman's features, especially her lips, which captivate the narrator despite not being flawless.
In simple terms: Imperfect beauty can be more compelling than perfection.
Key Takeaway
Appreciate real, lived details over idealized images.
Themes
beauty
humanity
imperfection
desire
perception
Mood
introspective
romantic
thoughtful
Type
literary
descriptive
philosophical
When to use this quote
- romantic encounter
- first love
- artistic observation
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
Aesthetic philosophy
psychology of attraction
literary realism
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this tell us about the allure of imperfection?
- How do we balance ideal and reality in love?
A Different Perspective
Idealized standards can overlook the charm of real, flawed traits.
