It enclosed us in its laceries as we watched the moon spill across the Atlantic like wine from an overturned glass. With the light all around us, we felt secret in that moon-infused water like pearls forming in the soft tissues of oysters.
There is such a thing as too much beauty in a woman and it is often a burden as crippling as homeliness and far more dangerous. It takes much luck and integrity to survive the gift of perfect beauty, and its impermanence is its most cunning betrayal.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Excessive beauty in a woman can be burdensome and difficult to navigate, often leading to challenges despite societal admiration.
This quote by Pat Conroy suggests that while beauty can be seen as a gift, it can also carry a heavy burden for women. The pressures and expectations associated with physical appearance can be as crippling as the stigma of being unattractive. Conroy highlights the transient nature of beauty, indicating that its impermanence is a betrayal that can lead to significant emotional challenges, underscoring the complex relationship society has with beauty.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about societal standards, you might say, 'As Pat Conroy pointed out, there is such a thing as too much beauty.'
More from Pat Conroy
All quotes →A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.
Every woman I had ever met who walked through the world appraised and classified by an extraordinary physicality had also received the keys to an unbearable solitude. It was the coefficient of their beauty, the price they had to pay.
Teach them the quiet words of kindness, to live beyond themselves. Urge them toward excellence, drive them toward gentleness, pull them deep into yourself, pull them upward toward manhood, but softly like an angel arranging clouds. Let your spirit move through them softly.
I loved my parents... but that can never change the fact that my father's violence ruined my childhood.
The most powerful words in English are 'Tell me a story,' words that are intimately related to the complexity of history, the origins of language, the continuity of the species, the taproot of our humanity, our singularity, and art itself.
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I truly, truly believe that beauty is something that comes from within.
Beauty comes from within, not from what you wear.
God forbid you be an ugly girl, 'course too pretty is also your doom, 'cause everyone harbors a secret hatred for the prettiest girl in the room.