I freely chose the kind of life I led because I was convinced that a woman has as much right as a man to live the way she does if she does no actual harm to society.
Too many girls follow the line of least resistance, but a good line is hard to resist.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that many women choose the easy path in life, but true value lies in pursuing good and challenging choices.
Mae West's quote emphasizes the tendency for individuals, particularly women, to opt for easier, less challenging choices in their lives. It suggests that while taking the path of least resistance may seem appealing, embracing challenges or 'good lines' is ultimately more rewarding, even if difficult to pursue. This reflects a broader commentary on decision-making in the face of societal expectations and the importance of aligning one's choices with personal values and aspirations.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech encouraging women to strive for their dreams despite obstacles.
More from Mae West
All quotes βKiss and make up-but too much makeup has ruined many a kiss.
I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure.
A girl in the convertible is worth five in the phone book.
Don't keep a man guessing too long - he's sure to find the answer somewhere else.
I only have 'yes' men around me. Who needs 'no' men?
Similar quotes
My motto is, 'What's the hurry?' I'm trying to get it across to the modern world that we need to sit around and think a little bit more.
I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step. To have seen my position so clearly, and yet to have acted so like a child!
If you're willing to fail interestingly, you tend to succeed interestingly.
I just try to make sure, in everything I do, I do what I'm supposed to be doing in a confident and a humble way at the same time. It's been working for me.
Knowledge is like a knife. In the hands of a well-balanced adult it is an instrument for good of inestimable value; but in the hands of a child, an idiot, a criminal, a drunkard or an insane man, it may cause havoc, misery, suffering and crime. Science and religion have this in common, that their noble aims, their power for good, have often, with wrong men, deteriorated into a boomerang to the human race.
Knowledge and human power are synonymous.