--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The impulse for personal adornment is…" description: "\"The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out.\" — Virginia Postrel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg" --- # The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out. ![“The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out.” quote by Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg) > “The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out.” [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are naturally drawn to fashion and decoration, making it hard to eliminate such impulses. **In simple terms:** Fashion is a strong human instinct. Key Takeaway Accept personal style, but be mindful. Themes culture fashion human nature Mood reflective analytical Type observational cultural When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - personal branding - social events - design trends - personal grooming Key Concepts consumerism identity social signaling Questions to Reflect On - How does adornment affect self‑esteem? - Can style be both expressive and sustainable? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on appearance can distract from deeper values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adornment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adornment/) [Personal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal/) [Stamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamp/) [Stamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamps/) ## Related quotes > [The costume of women should be suited to her wants and necessities. It should conduce at once to her health, comfort, and usefulness; and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-bloomer/the-costume-of-women-should-be-suited-to-her-wants-and-necessities-it/) [Amelia Bloomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-bloomer/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [“Conversations will lift-off when your impulse for personal expression becomes secondary to your interest in hearing from your significant other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-poland/conversations-will-lift-off-when-your-impulse-for-personal-expression/) Jeremy Poland > [ But the best argument of all \[for evangelism\] is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/but-the-best-argument-of-all-for-evangelism-is-to-be-found-in-the/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Beyond domestic animals and our response to their fealty and affection, we have a peculiar charge concerning the wild animals which supply our clothes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-parkes-cadman/beyond-domestic-animals-and-our-response-to-their-fealty-and/) [S. Parkes Cadman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-parkes-cadman/) > [Such is our impatience, such our hatred of procrastination, to everything but the amendment of our practices and the adornment of our nature, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/such-is-our-impatience-such-our-hatred-of-procrastination-to/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [By the care she lavishes on her toilet, by the concern she has for her beauty set off by her adornment, a woman regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/by-the-care-she-lavishes-on-her-toilet-by-the-concern-she-has-for-her/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [It's a toss-up whether the scenery or the adornment of Marilyn Monroe is the feature of greater attraction in River of No Return. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bosley-crowther/it-s-a-toss-up-whether-the-scenery-or-the-adornment-of-marilyn-monroe/) Bosley Crowther > [Valor is the soldier's adornment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/valor-is-the-soldier-s-adornment/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [Tis Lilith. Who? Adam's first wife is she. Beware the lure within her lovely tresses, The splendid sole adornment of her hair; When she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/tis-lilith-who-adam-s-first-wife-is-she-beware-the-lure-within-her/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/adornment-what-a-science-beauty-what-a-weapon-modesty-what-elegance/) [Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/) > [There's more to clothing than just adornment. It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/there-s-more-to-clothing-than-just-adornment-it-does-more-than-merely/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [A crown is more discomfort than adornment. If you have learned that, you have already learned much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/a-crown-is-more-discomfort-than-adornment-if-you-have-learned-that/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/) [George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/) ## More by Virginia Postrel > [The low point for neon came in 1982, when Holiday Inn did away with its signature 'Great Sign,' replacing the neon extravaganza with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-low-point-for-neon-came-in-1982-when-holiday-inn-did-away-with/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > ['The Matrix' is a movie that is all about glamour. I could do a whole talk on 'The Matrix' and glamour. It was criticized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-matrix-is-a-movie-that-is-all-about-glamour-i-could-do-a-whole/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Science is about exploring the unknown and cannot offer guarantees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/science-is-about-exploring-the-unknown-and-cannot-offer-guarantees/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Design is not style. It’s not about giving shape to the shell and not giving a damn about the guts. Good design is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/design-is-not-style-it-s-not-about-giving-shape-to-the-shell-and-not/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Persuasion has become a kind of force. The more the advertiser knows about what consumers want, and the more desires the product and packaging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/persuasion-has-become-a-kind-of-force-the-more-the-advertiser-knows/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When credit is cheaper to use and easier to arrange, people do use more of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-credit-is-cheaper-to-use-and-easier-to-arrange-people-do-use/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Glamour is a beautiful illusion - the word 'glamour' originally meant a literal magic spell - that promises to transcend ordinary life and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/glamour-is-a-beautiful-illusion-the-word-glamour-originally-meant-a/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A standard 'well woman' checkup can last as little as 10 minutes, hardly time for any in-depth discussions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-standard-well-woman-checkup-can-last-as-little-as-10-minutes-hardly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When I was in college, I wanted to be editor of 'Reason' when I grew up. It was an impractical ambition, especially since the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-i-was-in-college-i-wanted-to-be-editor-of-reason-when-i-grew-up/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [A lot of consumers actively enjoy advertising, especially fashion print ads and clever TV commercials. The nostalgic cable channel TVLand features not only vintage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/a-lot-of-consumers-actively-enjoy-advertising-especially-fashion/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Like the skyscraper, the automobile, and the motion-picture palace, neon signs once symbolized popular hopes for a new era of technological achievement and commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/like-the-skyscraper-the-automobile-and-the-motion-picture-palace-neon/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [When 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' premiered on the WB Network in 1996, American culture was in trouble. Americans were bowling alone, pursuing individual interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/when-buffy-the-vampire-slayer-premiered-on-the-wb-network-in-1996/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [The glamour of air travel - its aspirational meaning in the public imagination - disappeared before its luxury did, dissipating as flying gradually became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-glamour-of-air-travel-its-aspirational-meaning-in-the-public/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Behind the criticism of fashion as an artistic medium is a highly ideological prejudice: against markets, against consumers, against the dynamism of Western commercial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/behind-the-criticism-of-fashion-as-an-artistic-medium-is-a-highly/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) [Explore all 147 Virginia Postrel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) ## More Adornment quotes > [Love in modern times has been the tailor's best friend. Every suitor of the nineteenth century spends more than his spare cash on personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-augustus-henry-sala/love-in-modern-times-has-been-the-tailor-s-best-friend-every-suitor/) [George Augustus Henry Sala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-augustus-henry-sala/) > [The member of a culture ... purposely avoids the relationship of intimacy; he wants the object somehow depicted and fictionalized. ... He is embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-weaver/the-member-of-a-culture-purposely-avoids-the-relationship-of-intimacy/) [Richard M. Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-weaver/) > [A crown is more discomfort than adornment. If you have learned that, you have already learned much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-alexander/a-crown-is-more-discomfort-than-adornment-if-you-have-learned-that/) [Lloyd Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lloyd-alexander/) > [There's more to clothing than just adornment. It does more than merely change how the world perceives us. It changes how we perceive ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/there-s-more-to-clothing-than-just-adornment-it-does-more-than-merely/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Personal adornment is the only cultural form that everybody in the world takes part in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/personal-adornment-is-the-only-cultural-form-that-everybody-in-the/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [Adornment, what a science! Beauty, what a weapon! Modesty, what elegance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-chanel/adornment-what-a-science-beauty-what-a-weapon-modesty-what-elegance/) [Coco Chanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-chanel/) > [Tis Lilith. Who? Adam's first wife is she. Beware the lure within her lovely tresses, The splendid sole adornment of her hair; When she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/tis-lilith-who-adam-s-first-wife-is-she-beware-the-lure-within-her/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Valor is the soldier's adornment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/valor-is-the-soldier-s-adornment/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [It's a toss-up whether the scenery or the adornment of Marilyn Monroe is the feature of greater attraction in River of No Return. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bosley-crowther/it-s-a-toss-up-whether-the-scenery-or-the-adornment-of-marilyn-monroe/) Bosley Crowther > [By the care she lavishes on her toilet, by the concern she has for her beauty set off by her adornment, a woman regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/by-the-care-she-lavishes-on-her-toilet-by-the-concern-she-has-for-her/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) > [Such is our impatience, such our hatred of procrastination, to everything but the amendment of our practices and the adornment of our nature, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-savage-landor/such-is-our-impatience-such-our-hatred-of-procrastination-to/) [Walter Savage Landor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-savage-landor/) > [Beyond domestic animals and our response to their fealty and affection, we have a peculiar charge concerning the wild animals which supply our clothes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-parkes-cadman/beyond-domestic-animals-and-our-response-to-their-fealty-and/) [S. Parkes Cadman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-parkes-cadman/) > [ But the best argument of all \[for evangelism\] is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/but-the-best-argument-of-all-for-evangelism-is-to-be-found-in-the/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Where fashion in clothes, bodily adornment, and music are concerned, it is the underclass that increasingly sets the pace. Never before has there been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-daniels/where-fashion-in-clothes-bodily-adornment-and-music-are-concerned-it/) [Anthony Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-daniels/) > [Positions and titles mean absolutely nothing. They're just adornments; they don't represent the substance of anybody. Every person and every job is worth as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/positions-and-titles-mean-absolutely-nothing-they-re-just-adornments/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) [Browse all 57 Adornment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adornment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Virginia Postrel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-hard-to-stamp-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adornment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-hard-to-stamp-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/virginia-postrel-2867_adornment_the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-ha_1807337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The impulse for personal adornment is hard to stamp out.” — Virginia Postrel", "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": "Virginia Postrel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The impulse for personal adornment is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-hard-to-stamp-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/the-impulse-for-personal-adornment-is-hard-to-stamp-out/#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 } } ] } ```