--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course, these women ought to have…" description: "\"“Of course, these women ought to have listened when he told them he wasn't looking for anything serious. But on a certain level, it didn't really matte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adelle-waldman-26847_quote_of-course-these-women-ought-to-have-list_605691.jpg" --- # Of course, these women ought to have listened when he told… ![“Of course, these women ought to have listened when he told them he wasn't looking for anything serious. But on a certain level, it didn't really matter if it was stupid of them. Ethical people don't take advantage of other people's weakness; that's like being a slumlord or a price gouger. And…” quote by Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adelle-waldman-26847_quote_of-course-these-women-ought-to-have-list_605691.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adelle-waldman-26847_quote_of-course-these-women-ought-to-have-list_605691.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/792/adelle-waldman-26847_quote_of-course-these-women-ought-to-have-list_605691.jpg) > ““Of course, these women ought to have listened when he told them he wasn't looking for anything serious. But on a certain level, it didn't really matter if it was stupid of them. Ethical people don't take advantage of other people's weakness; that's like being a slumlord or a price gouger. And treading on weakness is exactly what dating felt like, with so many of these women--with their wide-open hopefulness, their hunger for connection and blithe assumption that men wanted it just as badly.”” [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People exploit vulnerability in dating, treating emotional need as a commodity, which is unethical. **In simple terms:** Exploiting weak hearts is morally wrong. Key Takeaway Respect others' emotional boundaries. Themes ethics relationships power dynamics vulnerability Mood critical empathetic Type analytical reflective When to use this quote - online dating - friendship building - relationship counseling - social media interactions Key Concepts exploitation emotional labor consent Questions to Reflect On - How can we recognize exploitation in romance? - What safeguards protect emotional well‑being? A Different Perspective Power imbalances can be subtle and hard to detect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dating/) [Ethical People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethical-people-273573/) [Like Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-women/) [Stupid Ethical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-ethical-4928983/) [Women Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-ought-899553/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think ethical people deal with intimidation as a method to achieve success. 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Ethical people make good choices regardless of circumstances. If they make enough good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/people-of-poor-character-tend-to-blame-their-choices-on-circumstances/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Even if the most ethical people were elected to high position and we ran out of resources, there would still be lying, cheating, stealing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/even-if-the-most-ethical-people-were-elected-to-high-position-and-we/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [If you think about the kind of people you want to have in this country, you want people who are hardworking, people who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/if-you-think-about-the-kind-of-people-you-want-to-have-in-this/) [Lisa Kennedy Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kennedy-montgomery/) > [Rule 1: All rules can be broken. 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It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/don-t-think-that-women-ought-to-sit-down-at-table-with-men-it-ruins/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sojourner-truth/if-the-first-woman-god-ever-made-was-strong-enough-to-turn-the-world/) [Sojourner Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sojourner-truth/) > [What man could afford to pay for all the things a wife does, when she's a cook, a mistress, a chauffeur, a nurse, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-ford/what-man-could-afford-to-pay-for-all-the-things-a-wife-does-when-she/) [Betty Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-ford/) > [All women together ought to let flowers fall upon the tomb of Aphra Behn, for it was she who earned them the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/all-women-together-ought-to-let-flowers-fall-upon-the-tomb-of-aphra/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [Let not men then in the pride of power, use the same arguments that tyrannic kings and venal ministers have used, and fallaciously assert…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-not-men-then-in-the-pride-of-power-use-the-same-arguments-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We shouldn’t be talking of politics. Women ought to leave such matters to their husbands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/we-shouldn-t-be-talking-of-politics-women-ought-to-leave-such-matters/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) ## More by Adelle Waldman > [“...in a certain sense, it's harder for men to say no to sex than it is for women. When a woman says no, nobody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/in-a-certain-sense-it-s-harder-for-men-to-say-no-to-sex-than-it-is/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“If his relative success hadn't made him happy, it had, on average, made him less unhappy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/if-his-relative-success-hadn-t-made-him-happy-it-had-on-average-made/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“It was not always unpleasant to deal with a hysterical woman. One feels so thoroughly righteous in comparison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/it-was-not-always-unpleasant-to-deal-with-a-hysterical-woman-one/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“Dating is probably the most fraught human interaction there is. 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It gusted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/as-he-tore-his-eyes-from-the-books-to-meet-hers-he-was-as-a-matter-of/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“Many of those late nights, when he'd paced his apartment, his mind roaming the world he'd painstakingly created and could finally inhabit - moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/many-of-those-late-nights-when-he-d-paced-his-apartment-his-mind/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“He had a bad habit of initially zeroing in on one or two things he liked about every new girl he found himself interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/he-had-a-bad-habit-of-initially-zeroing-in-on-one-or-two-things-he/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“I’m sure a lot of it is my fault,” he said. He smiled ruefully. “And by a lot, I mean all.” “Ah, the self-deprecating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/i-m-sure-a-lot-of-it-is-my-fault-he-said-he-smiled-ruefully-and-by-a/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“...good drivers are people who can put their brains on cruise control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/good-drivers-are-people-who-can-put-their-brains-on-cruise-control/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“What began, after a few more minutes, to irritate him was that she didn’t even attempt to be engaging—made no effort toward wit or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/what-began-after-a-few-more-minutes-to-irritate-him-was-that-she-didn/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“Aurit argued that for the person with more power in a relationship to refuse to take seriously the unhappiness of the other, simply because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/aurit-argued-that-for-the-person-with-more-power-in-a-relationship-to/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) [Explore all 21 Adelle Waldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) ## More Dating quotes > [When it comes to dating, Im straightforward and traditional with a twist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-pasqualino/when-it-comes-to-dating-im-straightforward-and-traditional-with-a/) [Luke Pasqualino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-pasqualino/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [An ex is an ex for a reason, they are an EXample of what you don't want in your future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexia/an-ex-is-an-ex-for-a-reason-they-are-an-example-of-what-you-don-t/) [Alexia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexia/) > [“To lovers out there… Pregnancy is the main reason why most couples are married today. Yet every day they ask themselves why they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/to-lovers-out-there-pregnancy-is-the-main-reason-why-most-couples-are/) [De philosopher DJ Kyos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/) > [Someone needs to make an app that alerts you every time your wife/girlfriend gets a haircut, so we don't forget to notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/someone-needs-to-make-an-app-that-alerts-you-every-time-your-wife/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My brother trolled recovery and support groups, searching for women with dependency issues, the way I frequented bookstores with the hope of finding a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-o-brien/my-brother-trolled-recovery-and-support-groups-searching-for-women/) [Richard J. O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-o-brien/) > [“Are Seth and I seeing each other? Is that even possible? I mean, inter-realmal dating?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-klein/are-seth-and-i-seeing-each-other-is-that-even-possible-i-mean-inter/) [Katie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-klein/) > [“There are exes with whom it is too dangerous to allow even a moment’s eye contact. These are not exes at all, and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-wagner/there-are-exes-with-whom-it-is-too-dangerous-to-allow-even-a-moment-s/) [Josh Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-wagner/) > [I don't really comment on my personal life because I feel like any comment at all is opening up a whole can of worms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-hartnett/i-don-t-really-comment-on-my-personal-life-because-i-feel-like-any/) [Josh Hartnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-hartnett/) > [I started online dating in my 50s after two divorces. 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