108 Subtlety Quotes

Following is our list of subtlety quotations and slogans full of insightful wisdom and perspective about subtlety of nature.

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Famous Subtlety Quotes

Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will. - Oliver Cromwell

Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will. — Oliver Cromwell

The subtlest of subtleties, this is the gateway to all mysteries. — Lao Tzu

The subtlety of nature is greater many times over than the subtlety of the senses and understanding. — Francis Bacon

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! — Sun Tzu

A discerning eye needs only a hint, and understatement leaves the imagination free to build its own elaborations. — Russell Page

I think that sexiness should be in the subtleties. — Rachel Zoe

Modesty; the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it. — Oliver Herford

O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands. — Sun Tzu

Subtle and insubstantial, the expert leaves no trace; divinely mysterious, he is inaudible. Thus he is master of his enemy's fate. — Sun Tzu

Elegance does not catch the eye. It stays in memory. — Giorgio Armani

Be subtle! be subtle! and use your spies for every kind of business. — Sun Tzu

The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer. — Billy Wilder

True refinement seeks simplicity. - Bruce Lee

True refinement seeks simplicity. — Bruce Lee

God is subtle but he is not malicious. — Albert Einstein

The true gentleman is subtly poised between an inner tact and an outer defense. — Puzant Kevork Thomajan

Short Subtlety Quotes

  • It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety. — Isaac Asimov
  • He who can be killed by sugar should not be killed by poison. — Afghan Proverbs
  • Make subtlety obvious. — Billy Wilder
  • Simplicity is the outcome of technical subtlety; it is the goal, not the starting point. — Maurice Saatchi
  • Questions show the mind's range, and answers its subtlety. — Joseph Joubert
  • Have you ever heard the earth breath? — Kate Chopin
  • Don't be too clever for an audience. Make it obvious. Make the subtleties obvious also. — Billy Wilder
  • One of the biggest problems in literature is the lack of subtlety. — Mo Yan
  • Poetry is a lyrical insinuation. Often, its melodic subtlety kisses the subconscious mind. — Masiela Lusha
  • I love the subtlety and tonal range of the acoustic guitar. — Dan Fogelberg

Subtlety Image Quotes

Movie Quotes

If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew. — Pocahontas

As they say in Corsica... Goodbye! — Gene Wilder

Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple — Gene Wilder

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. — J. K. Rowling

I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you. — Pocahontas

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. — John Hughes

You gonna do somethin'? or are you just gonna stand there and bleed? - Wyatt Earp

You gonna do somethin'? or are you just gonna stand there and bleed? — Wyatt Earp

See, ya are what ya are in this world. That's either one of two things: Either you're somebody, or you ain't nobody. — Frank Lucas

The loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room. — Frank Lucas

We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are. — J. K. Rowling

Subtlety Of Nature Quotes

If we do not appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the human heart, how can we appreciate the sensitivity and subtlety of the natural world? — Sakyong Mipham

If it were customary to send daughters to school like sons, and if they were then taught the natural sciences, they would learn as thoroughly and understand the subtleties of all the arts and sciences as well as sons. — Christine de Pizan

He took pains to avoid self-depreciation, self-mockery, ambiguity, irony, subtlety, vulnerability, a civilized world-weariness and a tragic sense of history--the very things, he says, that are most natural to him. — Don Delillo

To become aware of the subtlety of nature you need to be alert. The moment you become alert you become still... thinking subsides. That is actually a higher state of consciousness than thinking. — Eckhart Tolle

Although human subtlety makes a variety of inventions by different means to the same end, it will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple, or more direct than does nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous. — Leonardo da Vinci

Naturally, women are drawn to a man who understands the subtlety of emotions, and they know I'm a passionate man. But the reason I try to keep myself in shape is so I can sing better, not to look good. — Andrea Bocelli

For each successive class of phenomena, a new calculus or a new geometry, as the case might be, which might prove not wholly inadequate to the subtlety of nature. — Henry John Stephen Smith

I had reached the conclusion myself that sex was not a division but a continuum, that almost nobody was altogether of one sex or another, and that the infinite subtlety of the shading from one extreme to the other was one of the most beautiful of nature's phenomena. — Jan Morris

Subtle Quotes

O YOU whom I often and silently come where you are, that I may be with you; As I walk by your side, or sit near, or remain in the same room with you, Little you know the subtle electric fire that for your sake is playing within me. — Walt Whitman

Imperialism is a system of exploitation that occurs not only in the brutal form of those who come with guns to conquer territory. Imperialism often occurs in more subtle forms, a loan, food aid, blackmail . We are fighting this system that allows a handful of men on earth to rule all of humanity. — Thomas Sankara

Fear is the destructive energy in man. It withers the mind, it distorts thought, it leads to all kinds of extraordinarily clever and subtle theories, absurd superstitions, dogmas, and beliefs. — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings. - Agnes Martin

Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings. — Agnes Martin

Healing does not come through intense affirmation of divinity, or by simply pouring out love and the expression of a vague mysticism.It comes through mastering an exact science of contact, impression, of invocation plus an understanding of the subtle apparatus of the etheric vehicle. — Alice Bailey

Sin does not leap upon us fully armed. It steals in through a look, a swift, silent suggestion or imagination, but love and loyalty to Jesus will make you watchful and swift to rise up and cast out the subtle enemy. Do this and you shall live, and live victoriously. — Samuel Logan Brengle

Religions are like pills, which must be swallowed whole without chewing. - Thomas Hobbes

Religions are like pills, which must be swallowed whole without chewing. — Thomas Hobbes

Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence. — Patrick Lencioni

Strive each day to make your life purer, richer, and more luminous. You will subtly and imperceptibly lead all of creation heavenward. — Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov

I think that for a lot of women there's a subtle but unfortunately effective discouragement of women pursuing the STEM fields. — Jennifer Doudna

Being Subtle Quotes

Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate. — Sun Tzu

One’s visual language is not something that manifests overnight. It develops organically over a life-time. The shifts can be so subtle as to be virtually imperceptible and, at times, will come to fruition so rapidly, and with such force, that the profundity is all-consuming. That is life’s work. — Dan Winters

It's a really subtle kind of thing. It makes me feel like Randy Harrison is not a human being to them. — Randy Harrison

Make the subtle shift from pushing ourselves to be the best in the world, to allowing ourselves to be the best for the world. — Dewitt Jones

To be a genuine individualist requires a great deal of strength and courage. It is never easy to chart new territory, to cross new frontiers, or to introduce subtle shadings to an established color. — Toller Cranston

I want an intelligent girl whom I can talk about everything. I want her to be my friend, to be partners. I don't like when a girl is rough, but delicate and subtle. I like good manners and not rudeness nor arrogance. — Bill Kaulitz

Autumn truly is what summer pretends to be: the best of all seasons. It is as glorious as summer is tedious; as subtle as summer is obvious; as refreshing as summer is wearying. Autumn seems like paradise. — Gregg Easterbrook

She was a genius of sadness, immersing herself in it, separating its numerous strands, appreciating its subtle nuances. She was a prism through which sadness could be divided into its infinite spectrum. — Jonathan Safran Foer

Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It's imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways - ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective. — Phylicia Rashad

They can romanticize us so, mirrors, and that is their secret: what a subtle torture it would be to destroy all the mirrors in the world: where then could we look for reassurance of our identities? — Truman Capote

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Read quotes by Russell Page

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More Subtlety Quotes

Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous. — Leonardo da Vinci

In a way, you are poetry material; You are full of cloudy subtleties I am willing to spend a lifetime figuring out. Words burst in your essence and you carry their dust in the pores of your ethereal individuality. — Franz Kafka

When thoughts are reduced, power of the mind and its subtlety increases, tunes with the Universe. Then you can see the realms beyond the common understanding. When the mind is pure and quiet it becomes one with the universal mind. That mind is like a mirror. The secrets of the Universe will be revealed there. — Mata Amritanandamayi

A commodity appears at first sight an extremely obvious, trivial thing. But its analysis brings out that it is a very strange thing, abounding in metaphysical subtleties and theological niceties. — Karl Marx

Prime ministers require the hide of a rhinoceros, the morals of St. Francis, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the leadership of Napoleon, the magnetism of a Beatle and the subtlety of Machiavelli. — Lester B. Pearson

The interior landscape responds to the character and subtlety of the exterior landscape; the shape of the individual mind is affected by the land as it is by genes. — Barry Lopez

For me, the subtlety of black and white inspires the imagination of the individual viewer to complete the picture in the mind's eye. It doesn't attempt to compete with the outside world. I believe it is calmer and gentler than colour, and persists longer in our visual memory. — Michael Kenna

The difference between stupid and intelligent people - and this is true whether or not they are well-educated - is that intelligent people can handle subtlety. — Neal Stephenson

An action movie should, like any other, follow the narrative traditions of literature. That means there should be subtlety, a slow build and a gradual bringing together of all the separate threads of the plot. To see all of it coming together slowly is very rewarding for the audience. — Shane Black

There's a depth of meaning all on its own in awareness being gentled. From within the subtlety of being gentled, the level of perception changes. Instead of perceiving the obviousness of experience, you're able as awareness to perceive most subtle meaning. — John de Ruiter

Subtlety will sometimes give safety, no less than strength; and minuteness has sometimes escaped, where magnitude would have been crushed. The little animal that kills the boa is formidable chiefly from its insignificance, which is incompressible by the folds of its antagonist. — Charles Caleb Colton

Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms. — Kahlil Gibran

With today's fast films, you can light the way your eye sees the scene. You can abuse the film and create subtleties in contrast with light and exposure, diffusion and filters. That's what makes it an art. — Conrad Hall

The dogmatism of science has become a new orthodoxy, disseminated by the Media and a State educational system with a thoroughness and subtlety far exceeding anything of the kind achieved by the Inquisition; to the point that to believe today in a miraculous happening like the Virgin Birth is to appear a kind of imbecile. — Malcolm Muggeridge

It is said that Windham, when he came to the end of a speech, often found himself so perplexed by his own subtlety that he hardly knew which way he was going to give his vote. This is a good illustration of the fallaciousness of reasoning, and of the uncertainties which attend its practical application. — Augustus William Hare

To pull off successful attacks in debates, you have to execute with nuance and subtlety. It has to be artful. — Mark McKinnon

The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties. — Elliot W. Eisner

Spirit of place! It is for this we travel, to surprise its subtlety; and where it is a strong and dominant angel, that place, seen once, abides entire in the memory with all its own accidents, its habits, its breath, its name. — Alice Meynell

Diversity on the bench is critical. As practitioners, you need judges who 'get it!' We need judges who understand what discrimination feels like. We need judges who understand what inequality feels like. We need judges who understand the subtleties of unfair treatment and who are willing to call it out when they see it! — Debbie Wasserman Schultz

Forced to choose, the poor, like the rich, love money more than political liberty; and the only political freedom capable of enduring is one that is so pruned as to keep the rich from denuding the poor by ability or subtlety and the poor from robbing the rich by violence or votes. — Will Durant

It is not only important how long your breath is. What is more important is how smooth and subtle it is. For length of breath without the accompanying subtlety is fruitless. — T. K. V. Desikachar

Symbolism perhaps is a bit in your face, and I've tried my best to control that as best I can as I've grown older and thought that one could approach something with a little more subtlety. — John Schlesinger

In the early days, computers inspired widespread awe and the popular press dubbed them giant brains. In fact, the computer's power resembled that of a bulldozer; it did not harness subtlety, though subtlety went into its design. — Tracy Kidder

In the crowd, herd, or gang, it is a mass-mind that operates-which is to say, a mind without subtlety, a mind without compassion, a mind, finally, uncivilized. — Robert M. Lindner

Success is transient, evanescent. The real passion lies in the poignant acquisition of knowledge about all the shading and subtleties of the creative secrets. — Konstantin Stanislavisky

Sexiness, particularly in movies, is the chess game in the 'Thomas Crown Affair'. It's, it's, I don't know, but Faye Dunaway comes up a lot in that thinking. It's the subtlety of sexiness. The moment you try to be sexy, then it's not. — Daniel Craig

Aristotle can be regarded as the father of logic. But his logic is too scholastic, full of subtleties, and fundamentally has not been of much value to the human understanding. It is a dialectic and an organon for the art of disputation. — Immanuel Kant

Pantomime is a big thing in the cultural calendar of my country, you know. So subtlety's not my forte. — Alan Cumming

Poetry can communicate the actual quality of experience with a subtlety and precision unapproachable by any other means. — F. R. Leavis

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