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Beauty

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“After all, vegetarianism is, more than anything else, the very essence and the very expression of altruistic sharing… the sharing of the One Life… the sharing of the natural resources of the Earth… the sharing of love, kindness, compassion, and beauty in this life.”
H. Jay Dinshah (1933–2000) first seen 1977 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Vegetarian Way, Proceedings of the 24th World Vegetarian Conference (Madras, India, 1977), p. 34; as quoted in Richard H. Schwartz, Judaism and Vegetarianism (New York: Lantern Books, 2001), p. 75.
“A sensitive personality is like a great organ. Press the keys of discord and harshness comes forth. Play the keys of beauty and melody delight are given.”
Natacha Rambova (1897–1966) said by 1966 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whatever the virtue may be, from whatever source it may come, it is worthy of esteem... Mind, beauty, wealth, nobility, although the children of chance, all have their own value, as skill, learning and virtue have theirs.”
Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709–1751) said by 1751 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(What moves you most in a work of literature?) To recognize a pattern and a meaning and an order in the world you didn't quite see before is exhilarating, and sometimes even exalting, and there is a moral beauty in the actions people perform out of generosity and courage that stirs and fortifies me—it's why I read and write about political activism and public life.”
Rebecca Solnit (born 1961) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rebecca Solnit: By the Book". The New York Times, 2018.
“I also read poetry—from Pablo Neruda to Warsan Shire—fairly regularly, and it keeps my sense of what words can do wide open and my sense of beauty awake.”
Rebecca Solnit (born 1961) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Rebecca Solnit: By the Book". The New York Times, 2018.
“I had always dreamt of participating in a beauty pageant and I got a chance to live my dream. It was a very good learning experience. However, due to my hectic schedule, I did not get enough time to prepare for the Talent round. But I am happy as I won the Miss Bollywood Diva.”
Sukirti Kandpal (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If I was in a 9-6 job, I would want to come home and see someone pleasant on television. I don't mean that someone has to be extremely gorgeous, but there has to be a pleasant personality. The moment you look at a flower you feel nice — that is exactly what beauty does to a person. With good looks, things surely become easier.”
Sukirti Kandpal (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The artist's mission is to give shape to what is eternal in nature, to reveal its inherent beauty; he sublimates the shapes of the human body. He shows an enlarged and simplified nature, liberated from all the details, which do not tell us anything. He shows us a work according to the size of his own experience, of his heart and his spirit.”
Ferdinand Hodler (1853–1918) first seen 1897 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote from a speech of Ferdinand Hodler: 'The artist's mission' (held in Freibourg in 1897), first published in 1923 in Zurich; as cited by Paul Westheim in Confessions of Artists - Letters, Memoirs and Observations of …
“It is only through contact and comparison that the relative value or worthlessness of the various cultural elements can be clearly and critically seen and understood. What is sacred among one people may be ridiculous in another; and what is despised or rejected by one cultural group, may in a different environment become the cornerstone for a great edifice of strange grandeur and beauty.”
Hu Shih (1891–1962) first seen 1934 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Chinese Renaissance (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1934), p. 46
“How foolish men are, to see nothing but beauty in what is clearly evil! [...] Heaven's Way has its inexorable justice, but some mortals remain foolish and never see the light!”
Pu Songling (1640–1715) said by 1715 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Painted Skin", trans. John Minford in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Penguin, 2006), p. 521
“Appreciation of Mother Earth, her creatures, and the glories of the universe is the job of every human being. We were created to live nonviolently in peace with one another on Mother Earth and celebrate the beauty of creation morning, noon, and night.”
John Dear (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Bide the storm ye canna hinder, Mindin’ through the strife, Hoo the luntin’ lowe o’ beauty Lichts the grey o’ life.”
Helen Cruickshank (1886–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Define God in a sufficiently nebulous way as beauty, love, mysterious complexity, or the ethereal taste of strawberry shortcake, and most atheists become theists. Still, although one can pose as Humpty Dumpty and aver, “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less,” others needn’t play along.”
John Allen Paulos (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What, after all, is a pretty woman? It's a mere subjective impression – what you yourself think of her. That's what I paint, another kind of beauty of my own.”
André Derain (1880–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is often more psychic appeal in a so-called ugly woman than there is in a pretty one; and, in my ideal, I reconstruct her to bring that beauty forth in terms of line or volume.”
André Derain (1880–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dalissem chuckled. It felt like being grinned at by a big mountain cat—delightful for the beauty of the animal, disturbing for the possible sequel.”
Michael Shea (1946–2014) said by 2014 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Dear L.N. as you know by now, I have taken the ‘short route’ home. Good Luck! We share one thing … our love & caring for young ladies at the hope they’d reach their full potential. Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by he loved to ‘grab snatch,’ whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system. Life is unfair. Yours, J. Epstein.”
Jeffrey Epstein (1953–2019) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter by Jeffrey Epstein to sex offender Larry Nassar dated August 13, 2019, 3 days after Epstein's death "Epstein Claimed Trump 'Shares Our Love' In Letter To Larry Nassar", WBZ NewsRadio (December 23, 2025)
“In all the rest of my life’s wanderings, I never met another person who spoke words to rival the beauty of mathematics.”
Lawrence M. Schoen (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“..And with dream awakened eyes she saw all the beauty around her, saw the sea, felt the sun, and knew she had to vanish for a while from the human surface and make every sacrifice in order to create her world anew out of the depths. And from that came Life or Theater???”
Charlotte Salomon (1917–1943) first seen 1943 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote, probably 1943, in Charlotte Salomon: Life? or Theatre?, (ed.) Judith C. E. Belinfante et al, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1998, ISBN 0-900946-66-0, p. 38; as cited om Wikipedia
“...his book, Orpheus, or the Way to a Death Mask, of which he had said that he regretted not having written it as a poem. And with dream-awakened eyes she saw all the beauty around her, saw the sea, felt the sun, and knew: she had to vanish for a while from the human plane and make every sacrifice in order to create her world anew out of the depths.”
Charlotte Salomon (1917–1943) said by 1943 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I'm not sure he's wrong about automobiles," he said. "With all their speed forward they may be a step backward in civilization — that is, in spiritual civilization. It may be that they will not add to the beauty of the world, nor to the life of men's souls. I am not sure. But automobiles have come, and they bring a greater change in our life than most of us suspect.”
Booth Tarkington (1869–1946) first seen 1918 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Magnificent Ambersons (1918), Ch. 19
“I believe Mull had much to do with my poetry: its physical beauty, so different from Skye’s, with the terrible imprint of the clearances on it, made it almost intolerable for a Gael.”
Sorley MacLean (1911–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In our search for new ideas, beauty plays many roles. It's a guide, a reward, a motivation. It's also a systematic bias.”
Sabine Hossenfelder (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“..Painting never means just never picturing the material things, but it is a psychological function, an expression of how his mind [of the artist] responds to things. So that is quite a difference with: painting is showing the beauty of things. (translation from original Dutch: Fons Heijnsbroek)”
Jan Mankes (1889–1920) said by 1920 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Out of the synthesis of opposites, a cancerous growth called Beauty came into being; obscene antisurvival concepts named Loyalty, Courage, Justice were born into the universe. Wherever the elemental Purities encountered this monstrous hybrid, a battle of extermination was joined. Good could compromise with Evil, but neither could meet with the half-breed, Art.”
Keith Laumer (1925–1993) said by 1993 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“From far-off India, the country of beauty, of achievements of the spirit, and of great thought, I send to you who are gathered in the name of the great labor and structure of the future—greetings of the heart! (1929)”
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My Friends! Happiness lies in serving the salvation of Humanity. Put aside all prejudices and, summoning your spiritual forces, aid mankind. Direct the unsightly towards the path of beauty. As the tree renews its leaves, so shall humanity flourish on the path of righteousness. (94)”
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I will gather the daughters. Let them help lay out the garden of beauty. Let them fill the garden to overflowing with new blossoms. I perceive that one can expect a rapid sprouting of life in the New World (449)”
Helena Roerich (1879–1955) said by 1955 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have a need to create works that are not just shocking, or say: striking, smashing – but also such works that can become companions of my various life events, and become companions of other people in their situations. These are the works that I create from the deep need to communicate with my sense and my ideal of beauty.”
Tomasz Vetulani (born 1965) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: There is no threat. Weapons and colour, video, Galeria Olympia, 23 November 2017 (in Polish)
“He deliberately rejects the classic beauty of the form for the sake of fragility, transience or simply greater sensitivity to what is present. His work has a mockery and ironic character. He looks critically and with great apprehension at Poland, he does it from the perspective of an emigrant, from culturally and socially different Netherlands, which became a new homeland for him.”
Tomasz Vetulani (born 1965) first seen 2018 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fred Gijbels, Curatorial text accompanying exhibition Multi-Kulti, 2018
“Happy first night of #Hanukkah my peeps. As I recite my blessings I'm thankful for all of the beauty in the world. I pray that we all come together as a human race and fight for the peace that this world so deserves. The very foundation of peace is respect and I respect & love you all deeply. (Except bigots... Yall can kiss my ass.) 🙌 #HappyHanukkah2014 #Blewish”
Jussie Smollett (born 1982) first seen 2014 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 17 December 2014
“True beauty lies in embracing our flaws and imperfections.”
Nnedi Okorafor (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I also am intrinsically motivated to document my loved ones, especially my close friends and family. I also have tried to cultivate a sense of appreciation for the beauty of the moment, and then I think to myself; “This is a wonderful moment. I might want to reflect on and appreciate this moment in the future”. Then I take a photograph.”
Viktor Đerek (born 2000) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She is one from the mountains She is one from the plains She is one with the woodlands And she's at home on the range And all these things of beauty They left a kiss on her I'll tell you, sirI say Lord she's as sweet as one of her pecan pies Listenin' to her laughter I get hypnotized Goodness knows I love my Angel Eyes I love my Angel Eyes oh, yes I do”
Willis Allan Ramsey (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This coast is not just for us local people, it is for everyone. People from all over Taiwan come her to vacation and enjoy the beauty of nature ... the mountains, the forests, the beaches. If the (Taitung Miramar Resort) developers' plans come to fruition, all of this will be lost.”
Lin Shu-ling (born 1976) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lin Shu-ling (2015) cited in "Indigenous Activists Win Legal Battle against Luxury Resort Developer in Taiwan" on Cultural Survival, 2 February 2015.
“The one thing I feel is lacking in Hollywood today is an understanding of the beauty, the power, the sexuality, the uniqueness, the humor of being a regular Black woman.”
Viola Davis (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Art is not the plaything of the wealthy, but is the spirit of beauty which permeates the whole of Nature, and gives forth her message to all who can really appreciate it, make it their own, and attach their various artistic meanings to it.”
Andrew MacLaren (1883–1975) first seen 1913 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Scottish Co-operator, July 1913
“The greatness of an artist depends on selecting and interpreting whatever phase in Nature may appeal to his sense of beauty.”
Andrew MacLaren (1883–1975) first seen 1913 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Scottish Co-operator in July 1913
“To ward the kingdom, Fortune took thy sword, And beauty chose thy hand, herself to word. In Heaven for thy decree Fate listening stands, The dinar from its ore sets out to win thy hands.”
Daqiqi (1000–977) said by 977 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What he orders is faithfully executed. [...] Endowed with beauty in the E-kur, [...] among the great gods, the great and august lord.”
Ishme-Dagan (2001–1935 BC) said by 1935 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is easy to romanticise, say, tigers or lions and cats. We admire their magnificent beauty, strength and agility. But we would regard their notional human counterparts as wanton psychopaths of the worst kind.”
David Pearce (philosopher) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Prayer is also an art, an exercise of beauty, of song, of inner liberation. It is ascesis and ascent, it is a rigorous effort, but also a gentle and free flight of the soul toward God.”
Gianfranco Ravasi (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She went by the name of Belisa Crepusculario, not because she had been baptized with that name or given it by her mother, but because she herself had searched until she found the poetry of "beauty" and "twilight" and cloaked herself in it. She made her living selling words. (first lines of "Two Words")”
Isabel Allende (born 1942) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would first need to acknowledge that the mere act of creating something that questions the world and one’s life in it, that exercises one’s imagination, or that even pens something simply for the sake of beauty, is a kind of politics because it is determined to create awareness of some kind in some context…”
Richard Blanco (born 1968) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how writing can essentially be political in “Interrogating Injustice, Celebrating Ideals: An Interview With Richard Blanco” in Poets & Writers (2019 Apr 12)
“When you are a person who comes from a multicultural background it just means that you have more information coming in from the universe. And it's your task to figure out how it all integrates, figure out its order and its beauty. It's a harder, longer struggle. (1989)”
Maxine Hong Kingston (born 1940) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are effectively undoing the beauty and the variety and the richness of the world which has taken tens of millions of years to reach... We're sort of unraveling that. ... We're doing, it's often said, a massive experiment on the planet, and we really don't know what the end point is going to be.”
Elizabeth Kolbert (born 1961) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Luis Valdez said it long ago: The beauty and the frustration of theater is it is one permanent long shot…You never get up close in someone’s eyes. And that kind of blew me away (while shooting) a close-up. That was all new storytelling for me, and I had to figure it out on a very fast learning curve.”
Richard Montoya (born 1959) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how he transitioned into filmmaking in “Culture Clash’s Richard Montoya becomes a movie multitasker” in The Sacramento Bee (2015 Apr 13)
“We must take care to feed the minds, hearts, and spirits of those coming up behind us--to offer songs, poems, and stories that will break open that which is hardened, expose that which is evil-minded or would harm, and remind us how we are constructed to bring forth beauty of thought and beingness.”
Joy Harjo (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Memory is overrated. It is something that people think you can capture, but I think it is eternally elusive, subjective, and open to interpretation. That is part of its beauty, fascination, and frustration…”
Cristina García (journalist) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the unreliability of memory in “An interview with Cristina García” in Contemporary Literature (Summer 2007)
“It's because of the prevalence of whiteness, Eurocentric standards of beauty that we experience this. You know? And it is subconscious. Colorism is the daughter of racism. But sometimes it seems like racism has had amnesia (laughter). You know? And so that's why I wrote this - to hopefully bring it to the fore and people can address it.”
Lupita Nyong'o (born 1983) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On how warped standards of beauty encouraged her to write the children’s book Sulwe in “Lupita Nyong'o On 'Sulwe'” in NPR (October 17, 2019)