proverb · Words worth keeping
Fair faces need no paint.
Fair faces need no paint.
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
Something already pleasing need not be improved by decoration. The face and paint picture an existing quality that extra embellishment may not help.
Example
A designer removes distracting flourishes from a page whose clear lettering already works well.
Deeper explanation and when to use it
The saying contrasts a face considered fair with paint added to it. Its broader point is that an attractive or effective thing may already have what it needs, so further decoration can be unnecessary. It can prompt restraint when revising a design or presenting an idea. Applied to actual people, however, appearance is a matter of preference and painting a face can be an enjoyable choice. The expression does not give anyone authority to decide how another person should look.
When to use it
Use it to consider whether embellishment adds anything to an already effective result.
Keep in mind
Do not use it to police cosmetics or impose a standard of beauty.
An interpretation of the words, not a claim about their earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Date unknown
- Culture
- English