The universe (he said) offers a paradox too great for the finite mind to grasp. As the living brain cannot conceive of a nonliving brain — although it may think it can — the finite mind cannot grasp the infinite.
Stephen KingRead
You say I have the most wicked face of any woman. You say my hair is like the serpent locks of Medusa, that my eyes have the cruel cunning of Borgia, that my mouth is the mouth of the sinister scheming Delilah, that my hands are like the talons of a Circe or the blood-bathing Elizabeth Bathory. And then you ask me of my soul—you wish to know if it is reflected in my face.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the relationship between outward appearances and inner character.
Theda Bara uses vivid imagery to describe how society perceives her based on external traits, associating them with notorious historical female figures known for their beauty and cunning. The underlying question challenges the audience to reconsider whether a person's soul and true nature can be discerned from their appearance, inviting a deeper exploration of identity beyond the surface.
Themes
AppearanceIdentitySoulPerceptionFeminineDarkness
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on beauty standards, one might quote this to emphasize that true character goes beyond physical looks.
Similar quotes
The most difficult idea to reconcile in war is the notion that anything is going to be solved by killing a stranger, or in risking your life for a cause anchored in some distant political arena.
Walter Dean MyersRead
The streets were full of insane & dull people. Most of them lived in nice houses and didn't seem to work, and you wondered how they did it.
Charles BukowskiRead
The One remains, the many change and pass;_x000D_ _x000D_ Heaven's light forever shines, Earth's shadows fly;_x000D_ _x000D_ Life, like a dome of many-coloured glass,_x000D_ _x000D_ Stains the white radiance of Eternity,_x000D_ _x000D_ Until Death tramples it to fragments.
Percy Bysshe ShelleyRead
Vanity is so frequently the apparent motive of advice that we, for the most part, summon our powers to oppose it without very accurate inquiry whether it is right. It is sufficient that another is growing great in his own eyes at our expense, and assumes authority over us without our permission; for many would contentedly suffer the consequences of their own mistakes, rather than the insolence of him who triumphs as their deliverer.
Samuel JohnsonRead
Opinion is like a pendulum and obeys the same law.
Arthur SchopenhauerRead