---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One eminently orthodox Catholic divine…"
description: "\"One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent.\" — Bertrand R..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg"
---

#  One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a…

![“One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg)

> “One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent.”

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## About This Quote

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

Even within strict doctrine, moral behavior can be compromised by personal desire, highlighting hypocrisy.

**In simple terms:** Doctrine can be misused for personal gain.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and motives.

Themes

hypocrisy religion ethics power sexual misconduct

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- clergy training
- policy making
- personal relationships
- legal frameworks

Key Concepts

moral relativism institutional abuse psychology of desire

Questions to Reflect On

- How do power dynamics affect moral standards?
- What safeguards prevent abuse in institutions?

A Different Perspective

The quote reflects outdated attitudes and may not represent Russell's broader views.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Catholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catholic/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Nun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nun/) [Orthodox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox/)

## Related quotes

> [It is odd that neither the Church nor modern public opinion condemns petting, provided it stops short at a certain point. At what point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/it-is-odd-that-neither-the-church-nor-modern-public-opinion-condemns/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Beer must be made by food companies. It makes you wander the streets at 3 am looking for things to eat. "What's that, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-moran/beer-must-be-made-by-food-companies-it-makes-you-wander-the-streets/)

[Dylan Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-moran/)

> [I'd have made a terrible nun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-graham/i-d-have-made-a-terrible-nun/)

[Heather Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-graham/)

> [It’s funny to hear priests and nuns argue with each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/it-s-funny-to-hear-priests-and-nuns-argue-with-each-other/)

[Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/)

> [Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/be-the-living-expression-of-god-s-kindness-kindness-in-your-face/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [People are confusing me with a good actor when I'm just a good mimic. When someone asks me to play a nun from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemima-kirke/people-are-confusing-me-with-a-good-actor-when-i-m-just-a-good-mimic/)

[Jemima Kirke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemima-kirke/)

> [The Buddha also counseled the monks and nuns to avoid wasting any precious time by engaging in idle conversation, oversleeping, pursuing fame and recognition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-buddha-also-counseled-the-monks-and-nuns-to-avoid-wasting-any/)

[Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/)

> [No matter how good you are, you still need grace to get out of the material world. You can be a yogi or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/no-matter-how-good-you-are-you-still-need-grace-to-get-out-of-the/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [People wanted me to be like the Madonna, the white nun, you know, and that's not me. But I'm no villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beth-whitehead/people-wanted-me-to-be-like-the-madonna-the-white-nun-you-know-and/)

[Mary Beth Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beth-whitehead/)

> [If it were true that children mimicked their teachers, you'd sure have a helluva lot more nuns running around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-milk/if-it-were-true-that-children-mimicked-their-teachers-you-d-sure-have/)

[Harvey Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-milk/)

> [My first three-sisters novel in a while, 'Sandcastles' tells the story of the Sullivan family - two passionate artists and their three wildly different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luanne-rice/my-first-three-sisters-novel-in-a-while-sandcastles-tells-the-story/)

[Luanne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luanne-rice/)

> [Ha! Easy for nuns to talk about giving up things. That's what they do for a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/ha-easy-for-nuns-to-talk-about-giving-up-things-that-s-what-they-do/)

[Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/)

> [I was a lousy nun. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find God. It wasn't suitable for me. It is suitable for very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-was-a-lousy-nun-i-couldn-t-do-it-i-couldn-t-find-god-it-wasn-t/)

[Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/)

> [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

## More by Bertrand Russell

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [All movements go too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/all-movements-go-too-far/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Those who advocate common usage in philosophy sometimes speak in a manner that suggests the mystique of the 'common man.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/those-who-advocate-common-usage-in-philosophy-sometimes-speak-in-a/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Such, in outline, but even more purposeless, more void of meaning, is the world which Science presents for our belief. Amid such a world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/such-in-outline-but-even-more-purposeless-more-void-of-meaning-is-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Of all evils of war the greatest is the purely spiritual evil: the hatred, the injustice, the repudiation of truth, the artificial conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/of-all-evils-of-war-the-greatest-is-the-purely-spiritual-evil-the/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/aristotle-maintained-that-women-have-fewer-teeth-than-men-although-he/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If an opinion contrary to your own makes you angry, that is a sign that you are subconsciously aware of having no good reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-an-opinion-contrary-to-your-own-makes-you-angry-that-is-a-sign/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I cannot escape from the conclusion that the great ages of progress have depended upon a small number of individuals of transcendent ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-cannot-escape-from-the-conclusion-that-the-great-ages-of-progress/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I think it would be just to say the most essential characteristic of mind is memory, using this word in its broadest sense to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-think-it-would-be-just-to-say-the-most-essential-characteristic-of/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [The newspapers at one time said that I was dead but after carefully examining the evidence I came to the conclusion that this statement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/the-newspapers-at-one-time-said-that-i-was-dead-but-after-carefully/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Persecution is used in theology, not in arithmetic, because in arithmetic there is knowledge, but in theology there is only opinion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/persecution-is-used-in-theology-not-in-arithmetic-because-in/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [“Many orthodox people speak as though it were the business of sceptics to disprove received dogmas rather than of dogmatists to prove them. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/many-orthodox-people-speak-as-though-it-were-the-business-of-sceptics/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [There is no greater reason for children to honour parents than for parents to honour children except, that while the children are young, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-is-no-greater-reason-for-children-to-honour-parents-than-for/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

[Explore all 1,620 Bertrand Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

## More Breasts quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/)

[Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/)

> [Where shall the lover rest, Whom the fates sever From his true maiden's breast, Parted for ever? Where, through groves deep and high, Sounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/where-shall-the-lover-rest-whom-the-fates-sever-from-his-true-maiden/)

[Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I feel that between my experience and my mother's, breast cancer is a little bit like someone who lives next door. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-nixon/i-feel-that-between-my-experience-and-my-mother-s-breast-cancer-is-a/)

[Cynthia Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-nixon/)

> [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [Boasting and bravado may exist in the breast even of the coward, if he is successful through a mere lucky hit; but a just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thucydides/boasting-and-bravado-may-exist-in-the-breast-even-of-the-coward-if-he/)

[Thucydides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thucydides/)

> [The headline here is not that a woman exposed a breast. It is, rather, that a breast exposed a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-pitts/the-headline-here-is-not-that-a-woman-exposed-a-breast-it-is-rather/)

[Leonard Pitts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-pitts/)

> [With breast cancer, it's all about detection. You have to educate young women and encourage them to do everything they have to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/with-breast-cancer-it-s-all-about-detection-you-have-to-educate-young/)

[Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/)

> [We must not forget that what I mean by the conquest of the world by spiritual thought is the sending out of the life-giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-not-forget-that-what-i-mean-by-the-conquest-of-the-world-by/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [The women I know who have gone through breast cancer still laugh a lot. They're not crying all day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/the-women-i-know-who-have-gone-through-breast-cancer-still-laugh-a/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/having-breast-cancer-is-massive-amounts-of-no-fun/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [If a man is pictured chopping off a woman's breast, it only gets an R rating; but if, God forbid, a man is pictured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-struthers/if-a-man-is-pictured-chopping-off-a-woman-s-breast-it-only-gets-an-r/)

Sally Struthers

Browse all 1,224 Breasts quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he does it without evil intent.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bertrand Russell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-laid-it-down-that-a-confessor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breasts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-laid-it-down-that-a-confessor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/bertrand-russell-69_breasts_one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-l_2061642.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid it down that a confessor may fondle a nun's breasts, provided he…” — Bertrand Russell",
                "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": "Bertrand Russell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One eminently orthodox Catholic divine laid...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-laid-it-down-that-a-confessor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-eminently-orthodox-catholic-divine-laid-it-down-that-a-confessor/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
