A smile is the chosen vehicle of all ambiguities.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A smile can hide true intentions or meanings, making it hard to know what someone really feels.
- In plain terms
- Smiles often mask what people truly mean.
- What can you take from it?
- Do not assume a smile always means happiness.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When did a smile mislead you?
- How can you tell if a smile is real?
Another view
Sometimes a smile is genuine and not ambiguous at all.
More from Herman Melville
One trembles to think of that mysterious thing in the soul, which seems to acknowledge no human jurisdiction, but in spite of the individual's own innocent sel…
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Permalink to quote #32 What we take to be our strongest tower of delight, only stands at the caprice of the minutest event-the falling of a leaf, the hearing of a voice, or the recei…
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