Quotes About Subtlety

But she had the awful gift of omnipresence, of exercising her influence from a distance; so that while the old family friends and visitors at Longlands said, It's wonderful, now tactful Blanche is - how she keeps out of the young people's way, every member of the household, from its master to the last boots and scullion and gardener's boy, knew that Her Grace's eyes was on them all.

The persons of their world lived in an atmosphere of faint implications and pale delicacies, and the fact that he and she understood each other without a word seemed to the young man to bring them nearer than any explanation would have done.

the civilized instinct finds a subtler pleasure in making use of its antagonist than in confounding him.

Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question.

You know what charm is a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question.

One seldom recognizes the devil when he is putting his hand on your shoulder.

The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subtly and feel nobly.

The finest works of art are precious, among other reasons, because they make it possible for us to know, if only imperfectly and for a little while, what it actually feels like to think subltly and feel nobly.

Veramente, la distruzion de' frulloni, la devastazion de' forni, e lo scompiglio de' fornai, non sono i mezzi più spicci per far vivere il pane; ma questa è una di quelle sottigliezze metafisiche, che una moltitudine non ci arriva.

The spider's touch, how exquisitely fine! Feels at each thread, and lives along the line.

control is an unavoidable feature of human relationships; all that actually varies is the subtlety of the system of reinforcement.

I've learned by watching films that inspired me and people who inspired me like Robert Redford and Paul Newman. I love old school acting. I love subtlety, and I also love being spontaneous, and that's really what works for me.

The king is so subtle with his words that he would confound the apostolic religion itself. He will find the weak points of the pope's character and will trip him up to his destruction.

When you're performing, you're playing to the back row. With acting, you have to be more nuanced.

David Letterman used to say, 'I wasn't the class clown, but I wrote for him,' and that's exactly it. You want to be known to be funny without having it pointed out.

It's really easy with makeup to look like you're trying too hard, like a clown. That's not what you want!

It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one's being clever.

As far as accessories are concerned, I think it is always best to be as minimalist as possible.

I often begin movies with music in my head; it's a very important dimension to me. Not just the music itself, but how to use music in film: when and how and subtlety. I don't like to be too sweet in my stories, and I like the abrasive clang, the contrasting of sounds and cultures.

As a culture I see us as presently deprived of subtleties. The music is loud, the anger is elevated, sex seems lacking in sweetness and privacy.

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.

She raised her eyes to meet Bailey's across the table. If he didn't stop grinning at her, her parents would suspect something. Molly stretched her foot out until she found his, and then gave him a good kick in the shin. The boyish glee didn't leave his face. He merely winked and tucked his napkin into his collar.

A poet should leave traces of his passage, not proof.

Describing your action too precisely can be as condescending as describing your characters' emotions. Far better to give your readers some hints and then allow them to fill in the blanks for themselves. This