--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, but it was splendid the things women…" description: "\"Oh, but it was splendid the things women were doing for men all the time, thought Jane. Making them feel, perhaps sometimes by no more than a casual gl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/barbara-pym-7049_admired_oh-but-it-was-splendid-the-things-women_2655500.jpg" --- # Oh, but it was splendid the things women were doing for… ![“Oh, but it was splendid the things women were doing for men all the time, thought Jane. Making them feel, perhaps sometimes by no more than a casual glance, that they were loved and admired and desired when they were worthy of none of these things - enabling them to preen themselves and puff out…” quote by Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/barbara-pym-7049_admired_oh-but-it-was-splendid-the-things-women_2655500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/barbara-pym-7049_admired_oh-but-it-was-splendid-the-things-women_2655500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/barbara-pym-7049_admired_oh-but-it-was-splendid-the-things-women_2655500.jpg) > “Oh, but it was splendid the things women were doing for men all the time, thought Jane. Making them feel, perhaps sometimes by no more than a casual glance, that they were loved and admired and desired when they were worthy of none of these things - enabling them to preen themselves and puff out their plumage like birds and bask in the sunshine of love, real or imagined, it didn't matter which.” [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women perform acts of affection for men, often superficial, allowing men to feel admired and loved, which sustains their self‑image regardless of authenticity. **In simple terms:** Women’s gestures make men feel loved, even if undeserved. Key Takeaway Cultivate genuine affection over superficial praise. Themes gender affection social performance self‑esteem Mood observational empathetic thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - relationships - psychology - social etiquette - personal development Key Concepts performative love social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Why do people value appearances over genuine connection? - How can authentic affection be expressed? A Different Perspective Superficial admiration may reinforce unhealthy dependencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Splendid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/splendid/) [Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunshine/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [And the talk slid north, and the talk slid south With the sliding puffs from the hookah-mouth; Four things greater than all things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/and-the-talk-slid-north-and-the-talk-slid-south-with-the-sliding/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [ \[On her father's death:\] Gone was the person who had known me better than anyone else on earth and who had loved and admired… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-brody/on-her-father-s-death-gone-was-the-person-who-had-known-me-better/) [Jane Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-brody/) > [I hope I am more loved than I am admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themonsterace/i-hope-i-am-more-loved-than-i-am-admired/) TheMonsterAce > [Aim at being loved without being admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/aim-at-being-loved-without-being-admired/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [“So whatever you think of me, don't pity me. I had a beautiful life. I was loved, admired, feted, copied, mocked, treasured, and feared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-sharp/so-whatever-you-think-of-me-don-t-pity-me-i-had-a-beautiful-life-i/) Adrienne Sharp > [I suppose when I started out I would have liked to have been the darling of critics or something, but everybody wants to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milius/i-suppose-when-i-started-out-i-would-have-liked-to-have-been-the/) [John Milius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milius/) > [It is human nature to like it when you are loved and admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/it-is-human-nature-to-like-it-when-you-are-loved-and-admired/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [Be loved, be admired, be necessary; be somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/be-loved-be-admired-be-necessary-be-somebody/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be truly known and seen and taken care of by a small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-admired-it-is-better-to-be-truly-known/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [I exist not to be loved and admired, but to love and act. It is not the duty of those around me to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/i-exist-not-to-be-loved-and-admired-but-to-love-and-act-it-is-not-the/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. 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We've always had to do that because men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-konnikova/one-of-the-things-that-women-really-excel-at-is-reading-and-reacting/) [Maria Konnikova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-konnikova/) > [You're allowed to make things for women on television, and there's not like... you don't have to go through the humiliation of having made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callie-khouri/you-re-allowed-to-make-things-for-women-on-television-and-there-s-not/) [Callie Khouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callie-khouri/) ## More by Barbara Pym > [“She had been feeling that things were pretty desperate if one found oneself talking about and almost quoting Matthew Arnold to comparative strangers, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/she-had-been-feeling-that-things-were-pretty-desperate-if-one-found/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“He is a brilliant man, said Miss Doggett. She helped him a good deal in his work, I think. Mrs. Bonner says that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/he-is-a-brilliant-man-said-miss-doggett-she-helped-him-a-good-deal-in/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“One wouldn't believe there could be so many people, and one must love them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/one-wouldn-t-believe-there-could-be-so-many-people-and-one-must-love/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“-Hoy no pareces tú misma- dijo él en tono censurador-. 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That although it was a love stronger than death, it wasn’t the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/how-could-she-explain-to-him-what-her-love-was-like-that-although-it/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“I have often wondered whether it is really a good thing to be honest by nature and upbringing; certainly it is not a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/i-have-often-wondered-whether-it-is-really-a-good-thing-to-be-honest/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“Oh, yes, men are very simple and obvious in some ways, you know. 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Combined with my strength, my time and my length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/admired-as-a-saint-defined-by-my-rank-combined-with-my-strength-my/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [ \[On her father's death:\] Gone was the person who had known me better than anyone else on earth and who had loved and admired… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-brody/on-her-father-s-death-gone-was-the-person-who-had-known-me-better/) [Jane Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-brody/) > [I've always admired actors such as Tabu, Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi and I'd like to do the kind of roles that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanam-saeed/i-ve-always-admired-actors-such-as-tabu-nandita-das-and-shabana-azmi/) [Sanam Saeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanam-saeed/) > [In life, if you are intelligent then you will be admired but if you are prominent then you are envied meanwhile if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeka/in-life-if-you-are-intelligent-then-you-will-be-admired-but-if-you/) [Jeka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeka/) > [ He \[A. 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