proverb · Legacy record
Beauty is only skin deep, but ugliness is deep to the bone.
Beauty is only skin deep, but ugliness is deep to the bone.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Beauty superficial but ugliness reaching bone gives a harsh asymmetry to judgments of appearance. The saying intensifies a negative label rather than fairly assessing conduct.
What the words are saying
A critical interpretation rejects physical looks as a measure of dignity or a sign of deeply bad character. A possible distinction between appearance and conduct cannot justify the source’s body-based insult or establish its precise original meaning. A useful application assesses actual treatment of others without ranking bodies.
Everyday example
Someone challenges an appearance-based insult and discusses relevant conduct separately.
When to use it
Use it critically to examine stigma, not judge a person’s body.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
No character, permanence of defect or human worth determined by looks is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
United Kingdom
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 964; PDF page 83; collection label: United Kingdom
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- United Kingdom