Smiling
Can express any psychic state
September 19th 2013
Any feeling can find expression in a smile. Discouragement, resignation or, on the other hand, hope and the decision to get back to work, self-abnegation or a wish to take revenge – any of these can be accompanied by a smile. But see how different each one is! There is something caustic about a mocking smile. A wise smile is very subtle, hardly perceptible, but full of meaning, and I won’t say anything about a stupid smile.
Perverse people can also be recognized by their smile. Even if they cut a fine figure and have a beautiful forehead and fine, regular features, their smile – a kind of twist at the corner of their lips – betrays their degeneracy. I have met such people, and their smile revealed their true nature to me. And so I know I can only get an accurate idea of someone if I have seen their smile.