The beggar is the only person in the universe not obliged to study appearance.
—Charles Lamb (1775–1834) British Essayist, Poet
Beware, so long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance.
—Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95) French Poet, Short Story Writer
Against the beautiful and the clever and the successful, one can wage a pitiless war, but not against the unattractive: then the millstone weighs on the breast.
—Graham Greene (1904–91) British Novelist, Playwright, Short Story Writer
Do not judge from mere appearances; for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy.—The bosom can ache beneath diamond brooches; and many a blithe heart dances under coarse wool.
—Edwin Hubbell Chapin (1814–80) American Preacher, Poet
Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness.
—John Wesley (1703–91) British Methodist Religious Leader, Preacher, Theologian
More often than not, things and people are as they appear.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
If one wishes to become rich they must appear rich.
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730–74) Irish Novelist, Playwright, Poet
A narcissist is someone better looking than you are.
—Gore Vidal (1925–48) American Novelist, Essayist, Journalist, Playwright
Every person is responsible for his own looks after 40.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
There’s one thing about baldness, it’s neat.
—Don Herold (1889–1966) American Humorist, Writer, Illustrator, Cartoonist
I have yet to meet a man as fond of high moral conduct as he is of outward appearances.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
—Christopher Lasch (1932–94) American Historian, Moralist, Social Critic
Be not deceived with the first appearance of things, for show is not substance.
—English Proverb
A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
—Thomas Paine (1737–1809) American Nationalist, Author, Pamphleteer, Radical, Inventor
The most winning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money, and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor.
—Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930) Scottish Writer
One man is more concerned with the impression he makes on the rest of mankind, another with the impression the rest of mankind makes on him.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
The cat is the mirror of his human’s mind…the dog mirrors his human’s physical appearance.
—Winifred Carriere
Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.
—Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) Florentine Political Philosopher
I have been very happy, very rich, very beautiful, much adulated, very famous, and very unhappy.
—Brigitte Bardot (b.1934) French Film Star
The secret of ugliness consists not in irregularity, but in being uninteresting.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Everybody has that thing where they need to look one way but they come out looking another way and that’s what people observe. You see someone on the street and essentially what you notice about them is the flaw. It’s just extraordinary that we should have been given these peculiarities. Something is ironic in the world and it has to do with the fact that what you intend never comes out like you intend it.
—Diane Arbus (1923–71) American Photographer
God loveth the clean.
—The Holy Quran Sacred Scripture of Islam
Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so just because you might not like what you find.
—Colin Powell (1937–2021) American Military Leader
People do not wish to appear foolish; to avoid the appearance of foolishness, they are willing to remain actually fools.
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
What a poor appearance the tales of poets make when stripped of the colors which music puts upon them, and recited in simple prose
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
Never judge from appearances.
—Common Proverb
It’s nothing to be born ugly. Sensibly, the ugly woman comes to terms with her ugliness and exploits it as a grace of nature. To become ugly means the beginning of a calamity, self-willed most of the time.
—Colette (1873–1954) French Novelist, Performer
What had seemed easy in imagination was rather hard in reality.
—Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) Canadian Novelist
How little do they see what really is, who frame their hasty judgment upon that which seems.
—Robert South (1634–1716) English Theologian, Preacher
The world is governed more by appearances than by realities, so that it is fully as necessary to seem to know something as to know it.
—Daniel Webster (1782–1852) American Statesman, Lawyer
With nice appearance people want to be deceived.
—German Proverb
Things are seldom what they seem.
—W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) English Dramatist, Librettist, Poet, Illustrator
Trust not to much to appearances.
—Virgil (70–19 BCE) Roman Poet
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.
—Kurt Vonnegut (1922–2007) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
To establish yourself in the world a person must do all they can to appear already established.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer
When disposition wins us, the features please.
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso) (c.43 BCE–c.18 CE) Roman Poet
A golden cage is still a cage.
—Mexican Proverb
Chins without beards deserve no honor.
—Spanish Proverb
There are no greater wretches in the world than many of those whom people in general take to be happy.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Let us be grateful to the mirror for revealing to us our appearance only.
—Samuel Butler
Never frown because you never know who might be falling in love with your smile.
—Unknown
He that has a great nose, thinks everybody is speaking of it.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
We do not see things as they are. We see things as we are.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Outside show is a poor substitute for inner worth.
—Aesop (620–564 BCE) Greek Fabulist
It is not once nor twice but times without number that the same ideas make their appearance in the world.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
A little man often casts a long shadow.
—Italian Proverb
Nothing so much prevents our being natural as the desire of appearing so.
—Francois de La Rochefoucauld (1613–80) French Writer