Truth & Beauty

by | Apr 28, 2024 | beauty, truth | 16 comments

“Beauty is truth, truth is beauty,” –that is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.

John Keets
Allerton Gardens, Kauai

For as long as I can remember, I loved and appreciated beauty. Maybe that came from my mom and grandma who were both beauty-lovers and amateur artists. On the other hand, doesn’t everyone love beauty?

China painting by my Grandma Rose

What about truth, though? For most of my life, I didn’t think much about loving truth. I just accepted it as the ordinary state of affairs. Lies were the exception.

Three things can’t be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.

Buddha
roses, Olympic Mts., and Salish Sea from Edmonds

In the past eight or nine years, though, I’ve begun to realize that I should never have taken truth for granted. It’s truly precious, every bit as good and precious as beauty. That’s why I’ve gathered together a few of my favorite quotes about truth and a few photos of beautiful things.

Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me the truth.

Henry David Thoreau

What could be more beautiful than the five perfect petals of a hibiscus flower. Or, of course, the five perfect petals of the very fragrant plumeria.

Mark Twain gives us a practical reason for loving truth:

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.

Mark Twain

Cherry blossoms are fleeting. Truth lasts. Or as Shakespeare says:

No legacy is so rich as honesty.

Shakespeare

Elvis puts it plainly.

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.

Elvis Presley

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.

Thomas Jefferson

I’ll end with this little creek near my house and Shel Silverstein, a famous author of children’s books.

Tell me I’m clever, Tell me I’m kind, Tell me I’m talented, Tell me I’m cute, Tell me I’m sensitive, graceful and wise. Tell me I’m perfect–But tell me the truth.

Shel Silverstein

16 Comments

  1. Debs Carey

    What a lovely post Nicki 🙂 Filled with beautiful images and thoughtful & thought-provoking quotations. Love it!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Thank you, Debs. This is a time when truth needs extra love, and it’s always nice to look at beautiful pictures.

      Reply
  2. Ally Bean

    I’ve been to Kauai and *sighed* when I saw your photo. Oh the beauty! I like Jefferson’s quote: “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” Sadly some people haven’t even figured out how to read and comprehend that first chapter.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Isn’t Kauai beautiful! I also like Jefferson’s quote. Truth is the prerequisite for everything. Anything built on unreality is not only lacking in wisdom, it doesn’t actually exist.

      Reply
  3. Autumn

    Sometimes you have to dig through a lot of lies to get to the truth. Just ask Special Prosecutor Jack Smith. And sometimes the truth is nothing but ugly.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      In this age of lies and propaganda, the truth has never been more precious. When I was younger, I may have been naive to think that basic truth was the normal state of affairs. But since 2015, truth is being buried more and more under lies. The truth may be ugly, but it’s real, which makes it more lovable than the lies.

      Reply
  4. Kate Crimmins

    Truth is getting scarce these days. Interesting quotes.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      It does seem like a bad time for truth. Here’s another quote, this time from Confucius. “Those who know the truth are not equal to those who love it.”

      Reply
  5. Sophia

    Gorgeous photography. Still beauty!

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      There’s beauty all around us, but we do live in a particularly beautiful place.

      Reply
  6. L. Marie

    Beautiful thoughts and writing, Nicki! I’m glad as usual that you take us along on your walks.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      Thank you, L.Marie. Looking back, I see that some of these photos are from my walks and some are from trips to Hawaii and the Skagit Valley tulip and daffodil fields.

      Reply
  7. Jeri

    Your photos are as beautiful as your writing.

    Reply
    • Nicki Chen

      I guess you recognize our little creek and bench and also the waterfront.

      Reply
  8. Barbara Sofferman

    Wonderful Blog this week, Nickie.

    Reply

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