Tell troth and shame the devil.
Ben JonsonRead
Give me a look, give me a face, That makes simplicity a grace Robes loosely flowing, hair as free Such sweet neglect more taketh me Than all the adulteries of art: They strike mine eyes, but not my heart.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote praises natural beauty and simplicity over artificial or elaborate appearances.
In this excerpt from Ben Jonson, the speaker expresses a deep appreciation for the beauty found in simplicity and naturalness. The imagery of loose robes and free-flowing hair symbolizes a carefree and genuine spirit, which is far more appealing than the superficial allure of artifice and complexity. The speaker values the emotional connection and honest charm that comes from simplicity, contrasting it with the deceitful and hollow nature of ostentatious beauty created by art.
Themes
BeautySimplicityNaturalArtEmotion
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on the importance of natural beauty in art.
More from Ben Jonson
All quotes →We are persons of quality, I assure you, and women of fashion, and come to see and to be seen.
Ben JonsonRead
All concord's born of contraries.
Ben JonsonRead
Queen and huntress, chaste and fair Now the sun is laid to sleep, Seated in thy silver chair, State in wonted manner keep: Hesperus entreats thy light Goddess, excellently bright.
Ben JonsonRead
I know no disease of the soul but ignorance, a pernicious evil, the darkener of man's life, the disturber of his reason, and common confounder of truth.
Ben JonsonRead
You are not now to think what's best to do, _x000D_ As in beginnings, but what must be done, _x000D_ Being thus enter'd; and slip no advantage _x000D_ That may secure you. Let them call it mischief; _x000D_ When it is past, and prosper'd , 'twill be virtue.
Ben JonsonRead
Similar quotes
What I'm working on now - I'm back to fantasy, although considering that it's me, I'm turning it into a kind of science fantasy. It's a vampire story - but my vampires are biological vampires. They didn't become vampires because someone bit them; they were born that way.
Octavia ButlerRead
Architecture begins to matter when it brings delight and sadness and perplexity and awe along with a roof over our heads.
Paul GoldbergerRead
Some people think literature is high culture and that it should only have a small readership. I don't think so... I have to compete with popular culture, including TV, magazines, movies and video games.
Haruki MurakamiRead
I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush – that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it.
BanksyRead
It needs great art, learning to play with one's own life, to play on one's own life. Meditation is the art to create music from your heart. Meditation is simply the method to transform noise into harmony, the method to shift your consciousness from the head to the heart. The head is noisy, it is all noise - a tale told by an idiot, full of fury and noise, signifying nothing.
RajneeshRead
I photographed the entire thing in color because to photograph it in black and white would be to keep it as a tragedy. Because there is a tragic element to photographing, in this case not war, but the collapse. It was just destruction.
Joel MeyerowitzRead