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Poetry · Chapter
CXXI explained
The chapter contrasts the palmist's interpretation of hand wrinkles as indicators of character with the philosopher's view that character is revealed by what the hand most loves to grasp.
What happens
The chapter contrasts the palmist's interpretation of hand wrinkles as indicators of character with the philosopher's view that character is revealed by what the hand most loves to grasp.
Key passages
“The palmist looks at the wrinkles made by closing the hand and says they signify character. The philosopher reads character by what the hand most loves to close upon.”
A palmist reads character from the lines formed when the hand closes, while a philosopher reads character from what the hand most desires to hold.
This aphoristic contrast suggests that true character is revealed not by physical signs but by what one values and grasps.