---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In my own life, I don't have intercourse…"
description: "\"In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.\" — Andrea Dworkin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png"
---

#  In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.

![“In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.” quote by Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png)

> “In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.”

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Choosing abstinence is a personal decision reflecting agency over one's body.

**In simple terms:** Personal choice about sexual activity.

Key Takeaway

Respect individual decisions.

Themes

autonomy sexuality choice rights

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- health counseling
- education
- policy debate

Key Concepts

personal agency consent social norms

Questions to Reflect On

- How does society view voluntary abstinence?
- What supports empower personal autonomy?

A Different Perspective

Societal pressure can stigmatize such choices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choices/) [Don Intercourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-intercourse-5059571/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Intercourse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intercourse/) [Intercourse Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intercourse-choice-5059570/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [My own life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own-life/) [Radical feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-feminist/)

## Related quotes

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti-grace-atkinson/the-institution-of-sexual-intercourse-is-anti-feminist/)

[Ti-Grace Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti-grace-atkinson/)

> [Any man will follow any feminine looking thing down any dark alley; I've always wanted to see a man beaten to a shit bloody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/any-man-will-follow-any-feminine-looking-thing-down-any-dark-alley-i/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [On the Left, on the Right, in the Middle; Authors, statesmen, thieves; so-called humanists and self-declared fascists; the adventurous and the contemplative, in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/on-the-left-on-the-right-in-the-middle-authors-statesmen-thieves-so/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men use the night to erase us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-use-the-night-to-erase-us/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men love death. In everything they make, they hollow out a central place for death, let its rancid smell contaminate every dimension of whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-love-death-in-everything-they-make-they-hollow-out-a-central/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [I'm a radical feminist, not the fun kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/i-m-a-radical-feminist-not-the-fun-kind/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Under patriarchy, every woman's son is her potential betrayer and also the inevitable rapist or exploiter of another woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/under-patriarchy-every-woman-s-son-is-her-potential-betrayer-and-also/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men are rapists, batterers, plunderers, killers; these same men are religious prophets, poets, heroes, figures of romance, adventure, accomplishment, figures ennobled by tragedy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rapists-batterers-plunderers-killers-these-same-men-are/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The annihilation of a woman's personality, individuality, will, character, is prerequisite to male sexuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-annihilation-of-a-woman-s-personality-individuality-will/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Let's forget about the mythical Jesus and look for encouragement, solace and inspiration from real women... Two thousand years of patriarchal rule under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-laurie-gaylor/let-s-forget-about-the-mythical-jesus-and-look-for-encouragement/)

[Annie Laurie Gaylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-laurie-gaylor/)

> [And if the professional rapist is to be separated from the average dominant heterosexual (male), it may be mainly a quantitative difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/and-if-the-professional-rapist-is-to-be-separated-from-the-average/)

[Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/)

> [“The common perception is that man hating is solely a radical feminist practice. In my essay, I maintain that is neither radical nor particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-kearon/the-common-perception-is-that-man-hating-is-solely-a-radical-feminist/)

[Coleen Kearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-kearon/)

> [ALL men keep ALL women in a state of fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-brownmiller/all-men-keep-all-women-in-a-state-of-fear/)

[Susan Brownmiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-brownmiller/)

> [Life in this society being, at best, an utter bore and no aspect of society being at all relevant to women, there remains to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/life-in-this-society-being-at-best-an-utter-bore-and-no-aspect-of/)

[Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/)

## More by Andrea Dworkin

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [There is no place on earth, no day or night, no hour or minute, when one is not a Jew or a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-is-no-place-on-earth-no-day-or-night-no-hour-or-minute-when-one/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rewarded-for-learning-the-practice-of-violence-in-virtually/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Inferiority is not banal or incidental even when it happens to women. It is not a petty affliction like bad skin or circles under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/inferiority-is-not-banal-or-incidental-even-when-it-happens-to-women/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Critiques of rape, pornography, and prostitution are “sex-negative” without qualification or examination, perhaps because so many men use these ignoble routes of access and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/critiques-of-rape-pornography-and-prostitution-are-sex-negative/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Surely the freedom of women must mean more to us than the freedom of pimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/surely-the-freedom-of-women-must-mean-more-to-us-than-the-freedom-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The will to domination is a ravenous beast. There are never enough warm bodies to satiate its monstrous hunger. Once alive, this beast grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-will-to-domination-is-a-ravenous-beast-there-are-never-enough/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism exists so that no woman ever has to face her abuser in isolation, alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-exists-so-that-no-woman-ever-has-to-face-her-abuser-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“people ask, well, dont sweet things happen? yes, indeed, many sweet things, but sweet doesnt keep you from dying, making love doesnt keep you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/people-ask-well-dont-sweet-things-happen-yes-indeed-many-sweet-things/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class, including all the women you don't like, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-is-a-political-practice-of-fighting-male-supremacy-on-behalf/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As long as there is rape... there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-long-as-there-is-rape-there-is-not-going-to-be-any-peace-or/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [We have a double standard, which is to say, a man can show how much he cares by being violent-see, he's jealous, he cares-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-have-a-double-standard-which-is-to-say-a-man-can-show-how-much-he/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

[Explore all 186 Andrea Dworkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## More Choice quotes

> [Making the right decision is hard,telling someone your decision is even harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/making-the-right-decision-is-hard-telling-someone-your-decision-is/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [“That’s all! Now either leave us alone or join us as a father rather than a receiver of sacrifices. You have the choice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/that-s-all-now-either-leave-us-alone-or-join-us-as-a-father-rather/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [“In a world of fixed future, there can be no right or wrong. Right and wrong demand freedom of choice, but if each action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/in-a-world-of-fixed-future-there-can-be-no-right-or-wrong-right-and/)

[Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/)

> [“Exactly. So, what can't you take? Decide which of the two options is harder, and do the other. That way, no matter how hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-angelini/exactly-so-what-can-t-you-take-decide-which-of-the-two-options-is/)

[Josephine Angelini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-angelini/)

> [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/)

[Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/)

> [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I have too many options when it comes to guitars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-nielsen/i-have-too-many-options-when-it-comes-to-guitars/)

[Rick Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-nielsen/)

> [“Amazing how a small choice can change your life forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-c-dockens/amazing-how-a-small-choice-can-change-your-life-forever/)

[Randy C. Dockens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-c-dockens/)

> [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Since I don't outline my books very much, I feel like sometimes I don't have a choice in what the characters do; they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-todd/since-i-don-t-outline-my-books-very-much-i-feel-like-sometimes-i-don/)

[Anna Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-todd/)

> [Act always so as to increase the number of choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-von-foerster/act-always-so-as-to-increase-the-number-of-choices/)

[Heinz von Foerster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-von-foerster/)

> [Words can only have an effect on you if you choose to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/words-can-only-have-an-effect-on-you-if-you-choose-to-listen-to-them/)

[Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/)

[Browse all 8,092 Choice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrea Dworkin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse-that-is-my-choice/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Choice"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse-that-is-my-choice/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/andrea-dworkin-1998_choice_in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse_2237561.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In my own life, I don't have intercourse. That is my choice.” — Andrea Dworkin",
                "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": "Andrea Dworkin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In my own life, I don't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse-that-is-my-choice/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/in-my-own-life-i-don-t-have-intercourse-that-is-my-choice/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
