--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The men could be easily distinguished as…" description: "\"“The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans by the quality of their mustaches and the innocent and amicable expressions on their faces; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg" --- # The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans… ![“The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans by the quality of their mustaches and the innocent and amicable expressions on their faces; the several women could only have come from New England, making this clear, he felt, by their willingness to allow their menfolk the right to speak…” quote by Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg) > ““The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans by the quality of their mustaches and the innocent and amicable expressions on their faces; the several women could only have come from New England, making this clear, he felt, by their willingness to allow their menfolk the right to speak at length while confining their own talk to short and brisk, intelligent interruptions or slightly disagreeable remarks once the men had finished.”” [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage highlights cultural differences in gender communication styles, using facial features and speech patterns as markers of identity. **In simple terms:** Men and women show distinct ways of speaking and being perceived. Key Takeaway Observe how communication styles reveal deeper social norms. Themes gender culture communication identity social norms Mood analytical observational Type descriptive observational When to use this quote - team meetings - cross‑cultural negotiations - media analysis - social research Key Concepts sociolinguistics gender studies cultural identity Questions to Reflect On - How do these observed traits affect interpersonal dynamics? - What assumptions arise from linking appearance to identity? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex individual variations within groups. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mustaches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mustaches/) ## Related quotes > [Why are people surprised that 49er Chris Culliver made anti-gay remarks. Men say much worse things in male-dominated arenas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-espinoza/why-are-people-surprised-that-49er-chris-culliver-made-anti-gay/) [Rudy Espinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-espinoza/) > [Men more easily renounce their interests than their tastes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/men-more-easily-renounce-their-interests-than-their-tastes/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Men are easily dealt with--but when you get the women started, you are in for it, you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/men-are-easily-dealt-with-but-when-you-get-the-women-started-you-are/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A nation recruits men more easily than it can retrieve its honour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-nation-recruits-men-more-easily-than-it-can-retrieve-its-honour/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [Cruel men cry easily at the cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/cruel-men-cry-easily-at-the-cinema/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [Like all harsh, cold men, he was easily tipped over into sentiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/like-all-harsh-cold-men-he-was-easily-tipped-over-into-sentiment/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [It may be a man's world, but men are easily controlled by women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashly-lorenzana/it-may-be-a-man-s-world-but-men-are-easily-controlled-by-women/) [Ashly Lorenzana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashly-lorenzana/) > [Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/men-are-more-easily-governed-through-their-vices-than-through-their/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [I have never given up on men easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-bisset/i-have-never-given-up-on-men-easily/) [Jacqueline Bisset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-bisset/) > [No doubt men may easily think too little of God the Father, and God the Spirit, but no man ever thought too much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/no-doubt-men-may-easily-think-too-little-of-god-the-father-and-god/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Weak men are easily put out of humor. Oil freezes quicker than water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berthold-auerbach/weak-men-are-easily-put-out-of-humor-oil-freezes-quicker-than-water/) [Berthold Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berthold-auerbach/) > [The mass of men are very easily imposed on. They have their runways in which they always travel, and are sure to fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-are-very-easily-imposed-on-they-have-their-runways-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I make passes at men with mustaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/risa-schizophrenia/i-make-passes-at-men-with-mustaches/) [Risa Schizophrenia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/risa-schizophrenia/) > [Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/since-i-don-t-smoke-i-decided-to-grow-a-mustache-it-is-better-for-the/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [I've always grown different types of facial hair like goofy type deals, but you know it really took off at Washington State when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gardner-minshew/i-ve-always-grown-different-types-of-facial-hair-like-goofy-type/) [Gardner Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gardner-minshew/) ## More by Colm Tóibín > [I first went to Barcelona in 1975 after university, and I stayed for three years. I learnt Catalan because that's what everyone speaks in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-first-went-to-barcelona-in-1975-after-university-and-i-stayed-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“What is hard to understand is that our dreams matter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/what-is-hard-to-understand-is-that-our-dreams-matter/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Suffering is too strong a word, but writing is serious work. I pull the stuff up from me - it's not as if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/suffering-is-too-strong-a-word-but-writing-is-serious-work-i-pull-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Three of my novels and a good number of my short stories are told from the point of view of men. I was brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/three-of-my-novels-and-a-good-number-of-my-short-stories-are-told/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [It may be enough to study history in all its nuance and ambiguity for its own sake. But there is no country free of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/it-may-be-enough-to-study-history-in-all-its-nuance-and-ambiguity-for/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [The only routine I have is that I finish everything I start. I wake up early every day - about 6.30 A.M. - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-only-routine-i-have-is-that-i-finish-everything-i-start-i-wake-up/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [While historians may go on attempting grand, sweeping and defining narratives, they work in a time when readers know that another narrative always lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/while-historians-may-go-on-attempting-grand-sweeping-and-defining/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [John McGovern taught me that it's OK to write repeatedly about the same things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/john-mcgovern-taught-me-that-it-s-ok-to-write-repeatedly-about-the/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Some of our loves and attachments are elemental and beyond our choosing, and for that very reason they come spiced with pain and regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/some-of-our-loves-and-attachments-are-elemental-and-beyond-our/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Solitude is good in the evening. Dublin is a quiet city when you get to a certain age, when your friends settle down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/solitude-is-good-in-the-evening-dublin-is-a-quiet-city-when-you-get/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“The details of what I told him were with me all the years in the same way as my hands or my arms were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-details-of-what-i-told-him-were-with-me-all-the-years-in-the-same/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“Here in this cemetery, which they began to stroll around once more, the state of not-knowing and not-feeling which belonged to the dead seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/here-in-this-cemetery-which-they-began-to-stroll-around-once-more-the/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“I don’t go in for change. It is not one of my subjects. I have always taken the view that noticing change is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-don-t-go-in-for-change-it-is-not-one-of-my-subjects-i-have-always/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“There will always be reservations, things one must leave out, events one can’t explain without handing over a full map of one’s life, unfolding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/there-will-always-be-reservations-things-one-must-leave-out-events/) [Colm Tóibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) [Explore all 132 Colm Tóibín quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## More Mustaches quotes > [I've always grown different types of facial hair like goofy type deals, but you know it really took off at Washington State when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gardner-minshew/i-ve-always-grown-different-types-of-facial-hair-like-goofy-type/) [Gardner Minshew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gardner-minshew/) > [Since I don't smoke, I decided to grow a mustache - it is better for the health. However, I always carried a jewel-studded cigarette…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/since-i-don-t-smoke-i-decided-to-grow-a-mustache-it-is-better-for-the/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [I make passes at men with mustaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/risa-schizophrenia/i-make-passes-at-men-with-mustaches/) [Risa Schizophrenia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/risa-schizophrenia/) > [Some men look great unshaven; others just look like they forgot to shave. Beards and mustaches can be really distinctive if you go for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donatella-versace/some-men-look-great-unshaven-others-just-look-like-they-forgot-to/) [Donatella Versace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donatella-versace/) > [I love mustaches with all my heart. There's just something about sketch comedy and mustaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-forte/i-love-mustaches-with-all-my-heart-there-s-just-something-about/) [Will Forte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-forte/) > [The delirium and horror of the East. The dusty catastrophe of Asia. Green only on the banner of the Prophet. Nothing grows here except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/the-delirium-and-horror-of-the-east-the-dusty-catastrophe-of-asia/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [“Mustaches are not only fashion statements, but they’re useful for tickling vaginas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/mustaches-are-not-only-fashion-statements-but-they-re-useful-for/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The provincial dandy wore the longest of spurs and the fiercest of mustaches.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/the-provincial-dandy-wore-the-longest-of-spurs-and-the-fiercest-of/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [Me and mustaches have been together for 2 years lol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-and-mustaches-have-been-together-for-2-years-lol/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even babys can grow mustaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha/even-babys-can-grow-mustaches/) Tabitha > [Indeed, there's little question that mustaches are the ultimate facial accessory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-dinwiddie/indeed-there-s-little-question-that-mustaches-are-the-ultimate-facial/) [Spencer Dinwiddie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-dinwiddie/) > [I had to be clean-shaven all the time to play a Mormon missionary, so after I was done, I grew a mustache out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/i-had-to-be-clean-shaven-all-the-time-to-play-a-mormon-missionary-so/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [“We can’t be lovers because we both have mustaches. But since you’re a lady, and I’m a gentleman, I’ll shave mine off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/we-can-t-be-lovers-because-we-both-have-mustaches-but-since-you-re-a/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The professor at the boxing gymnasium wore mustaches and was very precise and jerky and went all to pieces if you started after him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-professor-at-the-boxing-gymnasium-wore-mustaches-and-was-very/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Alas," murmured Poirot to his mustaches, "that one can only eat three times a day ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/alas-murmured-poirot-to-his-mustaches-that-one-can-only-eat-three/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) [Browse all 36 Mustaches quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mustaches/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans by the quality of their mustaches and the innocent and amicable expressions on their faces; the several women could only have come from New England, making this clear, he felt, by their willingness to allow their menfolk the right to speak at length while confining their own talk to short and brisk, intelligent interruptions or slightly disagreeable remarks once the men had finished.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Colm Tóibín" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as-fellow-americans-by-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mustaches" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as-fellow-americans-by-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f9d/colm-toibin-3377_mustaches_the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as_751342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The men could be easily distinguished as fellow Americans by the quality of their mustaches and the innocent…” — Colm Tóibín", "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": "Colm Tóibín", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The men could be easily distinguished...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as-fellow-americans-by-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/the-men-could-be-easily-distinguished-as-fellow-americans-by-the/#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 } } ] } ```