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 require only three things of a man. He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote humorously suggests that ideal traits in a person can be ironically superficial.
Dorothy Parker's quote presents a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the expectations we sometimes hold for others, showcasing that the speaker values traditional notions of attractiveness and a bold, unapologetic demeanor, albeit accompanied by a lack of intelligence. This irony highlights the absurd nature of valuing such traits, inviting reflection on the deeper qualities that might truly matter in a person.
Themes
HandsomeRuthlessStupidHumorIrony
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a light-hearted speech about dating expectations.
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.
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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.
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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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