Cleanliness Quote by Alice Munro
“But I never cleaned thoroughly enough, my reorganization proved to be haphazard, the disgraces came unfailingly to light, and it was clear how we failed, how disastrously we fell short of that ideal of order and cleanliness, household decency which I as much as anybody else believed in.”
About This Quote
Source Short story: "The Moons of Jupiter", 1978
The narrator admits that despite attempts at order, hidden flaws surface, revealing personal and moral failure.
In simple terms: Attempts at order expose hidden flaws.
Key Takeaway
Accept imperfection and learn from failure.
Themes
order
failure
self‑reflection
morality
household
perfectionism
Mood
reflective
somber
introspective
Type
advice
literary
When to use this quote
- personal journaling
- family conflict
- home organization
- ethical decision‑making
Key Concepts
existentialism
self‑awareness
ethical standards
Questions to Reflect On
- What does “order” truly mean to you?
- How can you balance cleanliness with compassion?
A Different Perspective
Perfectionism can blind us to deeper issues.
![“Disgraces are like cherries, one drawes another. [Disgraces are like cherries, one draws another.]” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f69/george-herbert-107_cherries_disgraces-are-like-cherries-one-drawes-a_1572795.jpg)
![“Peoples lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, unfathomable-deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum. . . . What I wanted [to write down] was every last thing, every layer of speech and thought, stroke of light on bark or walls, every smell, pothole, pain, crack, delusion, held…” quote by Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cae/alice-munro-1231_bark_peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-we_206044.jpg)
