Vanity Quotes Novels & Stories

I stepped toward her and set my hand on her waist before murmuring, “We make ourselves rich by making our wants few.” Her lips parted as if that was the most profound thing she’d ever heard. And it might’ve been, since it had originally come from the lips of Henry David Thoreau. Which was why I couldn’t continue to take credit for it. I pointed past her toward the wall with my free hand. “At least that’s what Thoreau says.” She glanced back to find the quote printed and framed above the desk. “Oh.” Scowling, she whirled back to poke me in the gut. “You cheated. That’s a cheater’s answer.”

“She thinks she has strings in her hands. But she forgets—I own you. And I don’t share my possessions.” Vanessa’s Reflection In her own room, Vanessa poured herself another glass of wine. She set the half empty bottle beside the photograph now returned to her vanity. She hummed softly, gazing at her reflection, at the perfect curve of her smile. “Oh, Damien,” she whispered, sipping slowly. “You’re not the only one who knows how to pull.” The photograph gleamed in the lamplight. The strings coiled tighter.

Will he really be out of the picture? I will always be your man. ~ Things without purpose are vanity. ~

I can go on to give a silly excuse for missing the appointments but I keep mute. Ava lets us sit in silence for a bit as if she’s giving me a chance to gather my thoughts. My eyes roam the place, taking in the details I missed the last time. The low centre table holds nothing except for a Rubik’s cube and a pencil. Since I’m not comfortable with her taking notes, she might use her recorder. My eyes flit to the walls. There are four framed pictures hanging from the wall, each poster displaying a quote that emphasizes kindness to oneself and the big importance of forgiveness—forgiving yourself and others. I snort, Ava levels me a cautious look and I shrug.

A little vanity never hurts anyone especially when you look good wearing it. “I chose not to work after school because I wanted to build an influence platform first,” I reminded him, chin lifted with ambition disguised as sweetness. “Otherwise, I could have been out there already charming the CEO and executives while you sit at home waiting for my results.” His throat bobbed. He hated when I talked like that but he also never walked away. That’s the thing about power, even when it frightens people, they cling harder. “So really,” I finished, voice honey-soft but diamond-sharp, “me attending the gala isn’t me following you.”

NTHMUMEYSACHR Violet smirked. She turned her head and looked around. Her gaze landed on the chrysanthemums that were lying on the feet of Jesus. She walked towards it and held the chrysanthemums in her hand. A white card was tied with a brown string on the flowers' stem. A quote was printed on the card. Where there is no belief, there is no blasphemy. -Salman Rushdie "Montenaro, do you remember Siobhan Clarke?" Violet asked Eric.

“From this conversation. Unless you’re interested in making yourself look even more desperate than you already do.” Vanessa’s eyes narrowed, her mouth tightening as she tried to recover her composure. “I’m just stating facts. If the truth hurts, maybe she should reevaluate her life choices.” Valen cocked his head slightly, like he was studying a particularly dull animal. “Facts?” he echoed, then chuckled softly. “The only thing factual about everything you’ve said is how transparent your insecurity is. You could write a whole thesis on envy and still not scratch the surface of whatever you’ve got festering inside.”

“As arrogant as that bastard. You know nothing about me, yet you’ve given yourself all the liberties to judge me.” She spoke in a tone that made no sense. Verity Caine was known widely as a vain woman. There were hushed up jokes that the V in her name stood for vanity. Hushed up because no one dared to outrightly speak badly of the beloved queen of the pack. Now, why did she sound like a misunderstood person? “I just –“ I had nothing to say.

Ava maintained her composure. Vivian’s smile widened slightly. “I heard the exhibition was successful.” The compliment sounded harmless. Almost genuine. Almost. Thank you. The response appeared on Ava’s phone screen. Vivian glanced at it briefly. Then nodded. “Everybody seems very impressed.” Something in the wording felt wrong. Ava noticed immediately. Vivian continued. “It must feel wonderful receiving so much attention.” There. The first strike. Subtle. Polished. Implying ambition. Vanity. Self-interest.

So, I leaned in slightly, just enough to make her a bit uncomfortable, and said, "I could swear we met at The Vanity." There it was. That barely-there twitch of her fingers tightening around the glass. She masked it fast, tossing out a laugh so brittle it might've shattered if I looked at it too hard. "Ha... that's absurd. Never been there. It's uhm..." She swallowed again and took a sip from her drink. "I don't go to such places." Liar. But before I could press again, Hazer chimed in. "The Vanity? Are you kidding?" she gasped like Eve had just confessed to being a virgin at an orgy. "It's literally the best place to indulge in sin! You can't tell me you're from Lanry Side and you've never b