There's life for you. Spend the best years of your life studying penmanship and rhetoric and syntax and Beowulf and George Eliot, and then somebody steals your pencil.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I'm of the glamorous ladies At whose beckoning history shook. But you are a man, and see only my pan, So I stay at home with a book.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the disparity between societal expectations and personal aspirations.
In this quote, Dorothy Parker uses a witty contrast to highlight the tension between the allure of glamour and the more mundane pursuits of life. The speaker acknowledges being among celebrated women in history yet feels overlooked by a man's superficial interest, ultimately choosing the comfort and solitude of reading over societal expectations. This illustrates the theme of individual choice versus societal pressure.
Themes
GlamourHistoryBooksPersonal ChoiceSociety
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote during a discussion on the role of women in history and literature.
More from Dorothy Parker
All quotes →My land is bare of chattering folk; / the clouds are low along the ridges, / and sweet's the air with curly smoke / from all my burning bridges.
Dorothy ParkerRead
Prince or commoner, tenor or bass, Painter or plumber or never-do-well, Do me a favor and shut your face - Poets alone should kiss and tell.
Dorothy ParkerRead
They say of me, and so they should, It's doubtful if I come to good. I see acquaintances and friends Accumulating dividends And making enviable names In science, art and parlor games. But I, despite expert advice, Keep doing things I think are nice, And though to good I never come Inseparable my nose and thumb.
Dorothy ParkerRead
It is that word 'hunny,' my darlings, that marks the first place in The House at Pooh Corner at which Tonstant Weader fwowed up.
Dorothy ParkerRead
I can’t write five words but that I change seven.
Dorothy ParkerRead
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