--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once in pre-war days, when…" description: "\"Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women drivers were familiar sights at the taxi-wheels, I cried out to one in my dismay: \"Is there no spee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png" --- # Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women… ![“Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women drivers were familiar sights at the taxi-wheels, I cried out to one in my dismay: "Is there no speed limit in this mad city?""Oh, yes, monsieur," she answered sweetly over her shoulder, "but no one has ever succeeded in reaching it.” quote by Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png) > “Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women drivers were familiar sights at the taxi-wheels, I cried out to one in my dismay: "Is there no speed limit in this mad city?""Oh, yes, monsieur," she answered sweetly over her shoulder, "but no one has ever succeeded in reaching it.” [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women drivers in chaotic cities defy speed limits, highlighting human ambition versus reality. **In simple terms:** Speed limits are often unattainable. Key Takeaway Accept limits, pursue realistic goals. Themes urban life gender ambition Mood ironic observational Type literary historical When to use this quote - traffic safety - gender studies - historical analysis Key Concepts speed city chaos human desire Questions to Reflect On - What limits do we chase? - How does gender shape urban narratives? A Different Perspective Idealism can ignore practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cried/) [Dismay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dismay/) [Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/driver/) [Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drivers/) [Familiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/familiar/) [Limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limits/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Reaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaching/) [Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoulders/) [Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Speed Limit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed-limit/) [Speed limits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed-limits/) [Taxi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxi/) [Taxi Wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxi-wheels-3783915/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheels/) [Wheels Cried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheels-cried-3783914/) [Women Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-drivers-1963763/) ## Related quotes > [I got pulled over by a cop, and he said, 'do you know the speed limit here is 55 miles per hour?'. 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Some”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/women-without-their-own-drivers-could-get-around-only-at-the-whim-of/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) ## More by Alexander Woollcott > [The scenery in the play was beautiful, but the actors got in front of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/the-scenery-in-the-play-was-beautiful-but-the-actors-got-in-front-of/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [All the things I really like to do are either illegal, immoral, or fattening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/all-the-things-i-really-like-to-do-are-either-illegal-immoral-or/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [Babies in silk hats playing with dynamite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/babies-in-silk-hats-playing-with-dynamite/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [The two oldest professions in the world — ruined by amateurs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/the-two-oldest-professions-in-the-world-ruined-by-amateurs/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [A broker is a man who runs your fortune into a shoestring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/a-broker-is-a-man-who-runs-your-fortune-into-a-shoestring/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [You haven't lived until you died in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/you-haven-t-lived-until-you-died-in-new-york/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [Mrs. Patrick Cambell is an aged British battleship sinking rapidly and firing every available gun on her rescuers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/mrs-patrick-cambell-is-an-aged-british-battleship-sinking-rapidly-and/) [Alexander Woollcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/) > [“Number 7 opened last night. 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I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women drivers were familiar sights at the taxi-wheels, I cried out to one in my dismay: \"Is there no speed limit in this mad city?\"\"Oh, yes, monsieur,\" she answered sweetly over her shoulder, \"but no one has ever succeeded in reaching it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexander Woollcott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonneted-women-drivers-were/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonneted-women-drivers-were/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/895/alexander-woollcott-19145_cities_once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonn_2849631.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted women drivers were familiar sights at the taxi-wheels, I cried…” — Alexander Woollcott", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexander Woollcott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-woollcott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once in pre-war days, when curiously-bonneted...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonneted-women-drivers-were/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-woollcott/once-in-pre-war-days-when-curiously-bonneted-women-drivers-were/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```