Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Posted by William Karl Thomas on September 03, 2001

You attribute the sentiment expressed in a different manner to Shakespear,
but Margaret Wolfe Hungerford penned the line "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"
in her 1878 novel titled Molly Bawn. My research for an article with that title found
this to be the earliest source of that exact phrase in the form in which it is used in
contemporary language. Without questioning the wealth of expression Shakespear
has provided for all English speaking people worldwide, as an international resrouce
you cannot afford to be "Anglo-centric." Please regard my comments as a constructive
effort and accept my sincere thanks for providing an invaluable service.