“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”
Rumi (1207–1273) Iranian poet
As quoted in Path for Greatness : Spiritualty at Work (2000) by Linda J. Ferguson, p. 51
Beauty quotes
A collection of quotes on the topic of wise, beauty, beauty, peaceful.
Best beauty quotes
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.”
Vincent Van Gogh (1853–1890) Dutch post-Impressionist painter (1853-1890)
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.”
Khalil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese artist, poet, and writer
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.”
Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher
“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) American mythologist, writer and lecturer
Source: A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living
“Beauty is the illumination of your soul.”
John O'Donohue (1956–2008) Irish writer, priest and philosopher
Source: Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Beauty quotes
“It’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
Variant: Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) 16th President of the United States
“No spring, nor summer beauty hath such grace,
As I have seen in one autumnal face.”
John Donne (1572–1631) English poet
No. 9, The Autumnal, line 1
Elegies
Source: The Complete Poetry and Selected Prose
“Follow your inner moonlight, don’t hide the madness.”
Allen Ginsberg book Howl and Other Poems
Variant: Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness.
Source: Howl and Other Poems
Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910–1997) French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and …
“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.”
Claude Monet (1840–1926) French impressionist painter
“Love is not what you do. Love is what you are.”
Sadhguru (1957) Yogi, mystic, visionary and humanitarian
Jawaharlal Nehru (1889–1964) Indian lawyer, statesman, and writer, first Prime Minister of India
As quoted in Building A Life Of Value : Timeless Wisdom to Inspire and Empower Us (2005) by Jason A. Merchey, p. 74
“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
Coco Chanel (1883–1971) French fashion designer
As quoted in The Gospel According to Coco Chanel : Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman (2009) by Karen Karbo
Helen Keller (1880–1968) American author and political activist
Variant: The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
Variant: The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched... but are felt in the heart.
“Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief that she is beautiful.”
Sophia Loren (1934) Italian actress
As quoted in The Subtlety of Emotions (2001) by Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, p. 204.
“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
Anne Frank (1929–1945) victim of the Holocaust and author of a diary
“The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.”
Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) American novelist
Variant: The power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely.
“To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”
Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books
“Elegance is the only beauty that never fades”
Source: https://totalgirlboss.com/cassea-swim/
“All my life through, the new sights of Nature made me rejoice like a child.”
Marie Curie (1867–1934) French-Polish physicist and chemist
Pierre Curie (1923), as translated by Charlotte Kellogg and Vernon Lyman Kellogg, p. 162
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) American architect (1867-1959)
As quoted in The Wright Style (1992) by Carla Lind, p. 3
“All little girls should be told they are pretty, even if they aren't.”
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American writer
Dream Work (1986)
Source: "Wild Geese"
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
Aristotle book Parts of Animals
Book I, 645a.16
Parts of Animals
“It's the imperfections that make things beautiful”
Jenny Han (1980) American writer
Source: The Summer I Turned Pretty
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Anne Frank (1929–1945) victim of the Holocaust and author of a diary
Source: Anne Frank's Tales from the Secret Annex
“There is nothing more beautiful than a beautiful woman.”
Gianni Agnelli (1921–2003) Italian businessman
Agnelli: The Rules of the Game, Vanity Fair (1991)
“The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than jewels.”
Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882–1927) Indian Sufi
“Be in love with your life. Every minute of it.”
Jack Kerouac (1922–1969) American writer
"Belief & Technique For Modern Prose: List of Essentials" in a letter to Arabelle Porter (28 May 1955); published in Jack Kerouac: Selected Letters 1940-1956 (1995). Sometimes misquoted as "Be in love with your life every minute of it."
Variant: Be in love with your life every detail of it
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
William Morris (1834–1896) author, designer, and craftsman
“Beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin. It's about knowing and accepting who you are.”
Ellen DeGeneres (1958) American stand-up comedian, television host, and actress
Source: Seriously... I'm Kidding
“As long as there's life, there's hope.”
Tamora Pierce (1954) American writer of fantasy novels for children
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926–2004) American psychiatrist
“I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it.”
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English playwright and poet
Rachel Carson (1907–1964) American marine biologist and conservationist
Source: The Sense of Wonder (1965)
Context: Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.
Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (1926–2004) American psychiatrist
As quoted in The Leader's Digest : Timeless Principles for Team and Organization (2003) by Jim Clemmer, p. 84
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
Often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt without an original source in her writings, for example in the introduction to It Seems to Me : Selected Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt (2001) by Leonard C. Schlup and Donald W. Whisenhunt, p. 2 http://books.google.com/books?id=UeFWjTMcLZYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false. But archivists have not been able to find the quote in any of her writings, see the comment from Ralph Keyes in The Quote Verifier above. <br class="br">Disputed
“I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.”
Aldo Leopold (1887–1948) American writer and scientist
“For me the greatest beauty always lies in the greatest clarity.”
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729–1781) writer, philosopher, publicist, and art critic
“I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.”
Anne Frank (1929–1945) victim of the Holocaust and author of a diary
Source: The Diary of a Young Girl
Galileo Galilei book Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
Loose paraphrase of Salviati on Day 3 http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/galileo/dialogue3.html: "For when the sun draws up some vapors here, or warms a plant there, it draws these and warms this as if it had nothing else to do. Even in ripening a bunch of grapes, or perhaps just a single grape, it applies itself so effectively that it could not do more even if the goal of all its affairs were just the ripening of this one grape." <br class="br">Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632)
“I gave my beauty and my youth to men. I am going to give my wisdom and experience to animals.”
Brigitte Bardot (1934) French model, actor, singer and animal rights activist
“Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.”
Markus Zusak (1975) Australian author
Variant: Sometimes people are beautiful.
Not in looks.
Not in what they say.
Just in what they are.
Source: I Am the Messenger
“The moon lives in the lining of your skin.”
Pablo Neruda (1904–1973) Chilean poet
Debajo de tu piel vive la luna.
Oda a la Bella Desnuda (Ode to a Beautiful Nude), from Nuevas Odas Elementales (1956), trans. Nathaniel Tarn in Selected Poems by Pablo Neruda [Houghton Mifflin, 1990, ISBN 0-395-54418-1] (p. 349).
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
“Give every day the chance to become the most beautiful day of your life.”
Mark Twain (1835–1910) American author and humorist
“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German philosopher, poet, composer, cultural critic, and classical philologist
Jimmy Carter (1924) American politician, 39th president of the United States (in office from 1977 to 1981)
“If we surrendered
to earth's intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees.”
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) Austrian poet and writer
Source: Rilke's Book of Hours: Love Poems to God
“The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express.”
P. C. Cast book Betrayed
Source: Betrayed
“Going to the mountains is going home.”
John Muir (1838–1914) Scottish-born American naturalist and author
"In the Sierra Forests", San Francisco Daily Evening Bulletin (part 3 of the 11 part series "Summering in the Sierra") dated July 1875, published 3 August 1875; reprinted in John Muir: Summering in the Sierra, edited by Robert Engberg (University of Wisconsin Press, 1984) page 79
1870s
Variant: Going to the woods is going home.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately…”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) 1817-1862 American poet, essayist, naturalist, and abolitionist
“What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.”
Scott Westerfeld book Uglies
Variant: Yes. What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.
Source: Uglies
“Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.”
John Maeda (1966) American artist and computer scientist
Source: The Laws of Simplicity: Design, Technology, Business, Life
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.”
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) Austrian neurologist known as the founding father of psychoanalysis
“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy”
Isaac Newton (1643–1727) British physicist and mathematician and founder of modern classical physics
“I believe in God, only I spell it "Nature."”
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) American architect (1867-1959)
As quoted in Quote magazine (14 August 1966)
Source: Truth Against the World: Frank Lloyd Wright Speaks for an Organic Architecture
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
“There are no problems, only solutions.”
John Lennon (1940–1980) English singer and songwriter
"Watching the Wheels"
Lyrics, Double Fantasy (1980)
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) 1817-1862 American poet, essayist, naturalist, and abolitionist
“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius”
Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) American actress, model, and singer
“Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful.”
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926) Religious leader and peace activist
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.”
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English playwright and poet
Joseph Campbell (1904–1987) American mythologist, writer and lecturer
Variant: The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.
Source: A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living
“…if it is art, it is not for all, and if it is for all, it is not art.”
Arnold Schoenberg book Style and Idea
from New Music, Outmoded Music, Style and Idea (1946); as quoted in Style and Idea (1985), p. 124
1940s
“Looking at beauty in the world, is the first step of purifying the mind.”
Amit Ray (1960) Indian author
Meditation:Insights and Inspirations (2010) https://books.google.com/books?id=s2ctBgAAQBAJ,
“We see the world not as it is, but as we are.”
Lois McMaster Bujold The Sharing Knife
Dag Redwing hickory Bluefield
Passage (Vol. III in Tetralogy) (2008), p. 163
The Sharing Knife, Passage (Vol. III in Tetralogy) (2008)
“You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”
Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American writer
"Wild Geese"
Dream Work (1986)
Context: You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
“There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.”
G. K. Chesterton book The Defendant
"A Defence of Heraldry"
The Defendant (1901)
Context: There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect. Men do not quarrel about the meaning of sunsets; they never dispute that the hawthorn says the best and wittiest thing about the spring.
“To live is to not know that one is living”
Florbela Espanca (1894–1930) Portuguese poet
Diary (20 April, 1930), quoted in Afinado desconcerto (2002), p. 262
Context: Sometimes I start looking at the mirror and examining myself, feature by feature: eyes, mouth, shape of the forehead, eyelids curve, the face line... And this vulgar and hideous-looking, grotesque and miserable amalgam, would it know how to do verses? Oh, no! There is something else … but what? After all, why think? To live is to not know that one is living... Why don't I forget that I am living... to live?
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. ”
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, and activist, and First Lady of the United States
“Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.”
Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American motivational speaker
“Nature does not hurry yet it accomplishes everything.”
Laozi (-604) semi-legendary Chinese figure, attributed to the 6th century, regarded as the author of the Tao Te Ching and fou…
“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.”
Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and Christian philosopher
Alireza Kohany (1993) Musician, Actor, Entrepreneur
Source: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Business_In_Simple_Language/aiXfDwAAQBAJ
Anne Morrow Lindbergh book Gift from the Sea
Variant: One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few. One moon shell is more impressive than three. There is only one moon in the sky.
Source: Gift from the Sea (1955), p. 114