---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was male, of course; menace is always…"
description: "\"“It was male, of course; menace is always male. (\"Nightmare\")”\" — Cornell Woolrich"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png"
---

#  It was male, of course; menace is always male. ("Nightmare")

![“It was male, of course; menace is always male. (&quot;Nightmare&quot;)” quote by Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png)

> ““It was male, of course; menace is always male. ("Nightmare")””

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator associates danger with maleness, revealing gendered stereotypes about menace.

**In simple terms:** Menace linked to men.

Key Takeaway

Question gender stereotypes.

Themes

gender stereotype danger perception

Mood

analytical critical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- media representation
- law enforcement bias
- personal safety
- storytelling

Key Concepts

social psychology gender studies crime fiction

Questions to Reflect On

- How do gender stereotypes shape fear?
- What are non‑gendered sources of menace?

A Different Perspective

Stereotypes can obscure individual behavior.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fears/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightmare/)

## Related quotes

> [I think of fear as a survival function, and in the stories that I write, the only thing that I've tried to do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-think-of-fear-as-a-survival-function-and-in-the-stories-that-i/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In the grip of the nightmare, all fears will be remembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-the-grip-of-the-nightmare-all-fears-will-be-remembered/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Violent means will give violent swaraj. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/violent-means-will-give-violent-swaraj-that-would-be-a-menace-to-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [The great defense against the air menace is to attack the enemy's aircraft as near as possible to their point of departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-great-defense-against-the-air-menace-is-to-attack-the-enemy-s/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [The greatest man is he who chooses right with the most invincible resolution; who resists to sorest temptation from within and without; who bears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-greatest-man-is-he-who-chooses-right-with-the-most-invincible/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/violent-means-will-give-violent-freedom-that-would-be-a-menace-to-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [I know that atmosphere of the Parisian apartment building, with the twin menaces of the concierge on the ground floor and the landlord upstairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-polanski/i-know-that-atmosphere-of-the-parisian-apartment-building-with-the/)

[Roman Polanski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-polanski/)

> [A people living under the perpetual menace of war and invasion is very easy to govern. It demands no social reform. It does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/a-people-living-under-the-perpetual-menace-of-war-and-invasion-is/)

[Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/)

> [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/)

[Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/)

> [If we do not like our work, and do not try to get happiness out of it, we are a menace to our profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/if-we-do-not-like-our-work-and-do-not-try-to-get-happiness-out-of-it/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [All religious vows, codes, and commitments are null &amp; void herein. Please refrain from contaminating the ideosphere with harmful memes through prayer, reverence, holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-erwin/all-religious-vows-codes-and-commitments-are-null-void-herein-please/)

Greg Erwin

> [My thinking was that today's spectator is so well-versed in film language that all theories about suspense, as argued by Dreyer and Hitchcock, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/my-thinking-was-that-today-s-spectator-is-so-well-versed-in-film/)

[Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/)

> [We condemn all shades and hues of terrorism and militancy and want to cooperate with India to fight this menace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehbaz-sharif/we-condemn-all-shades-and-hues-of-terrorism-and-militancy-and-want-to/)

[Shehbaz Sharif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehbaz-sharif/)

> [The military mind is indeed a menace. Old-fashioned futurity that sees only men fighting and dying in smoke and fire; hears nothing more civilized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-casey/the-military-mind-is-indeed-a-menace-old-fashioned-futurity-that-sees/)

[Sean O'Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-casey/)

> [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/)

[Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/)

## More by Cornell Woolrich

> [“He should have caught up with me inside of fifteen minutes at the outside, if he'd been able to get on the next train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/he-should-have-caught-up-with-me-inside-of-fifteen-minutes-at-the/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“Home? What is home? Home is where a house is that you come back to when the rainy season is about to begin, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/home-what-is-home-home-is-where-a-house-is-that-you-come-back-to-when/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“Gates got up, but not fast or jerkily, with the same slowness that had always characterized him. He wiped the sweat off his palms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/gates-got-up-but-not-fast-or-jerkily-with-the-same-slowness-that-had/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“As the bartender struck a match to light her cigarette, she put her hand on his wrist to steady it. Travis saw him jump,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/as-the-bartender-struck-a-match-to-light-her-cigarette-she-put-her/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“That was enough dialogue for a few pages - he had to get into some fast, red-hot action. There weren't any more hitches now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/that-was-enough-dialogue-for-a-few-pages-he-had-to-get-into-some-fast/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“Murder is such an elastic term, isn't it? ("Mind Over Murder")”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/murder-is-such-an-elastic-term-isn-t-it-mind-over-murder/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“She was beautiful, only hers was the dark beauty of night, just as Sherry's was the bright beauty of daytime. Her hair was raven-black,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/she-was-beautiful-only-hers-was-the-dark-beauty-of-night-just-as/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“And I still say it was just a coincidence;' he muttered pugnaciously. 'You say it too! Look at me and say it! It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/and-i-still-say-it-was-just-a-coincidence-he-muttered-pugnaciously/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“And then finally she came - and the whole world faded out around us and we were just alone on the crowded sidewalk. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/and-then-finally-she-came-and-the-whole-world-faded-out-around-us-and/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“One of the two owners, the man who had been sitting in the front room, was stretched out in there asleep, stockinged-toes pointed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/one-of-the-two-owners-the-man-who-had-been-sitting-in-the-front-room/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“But that's the Way, and there is no other. And once his mind's made up, the trembling and aimless walking stops, and he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/but-that-s-the-way-and-there-is-no-other-and-once-his-mind-s-made-up/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“He just lingers long enough to see his plane put to bed properly, then grabs a cab at the airport-gate. "The Settlement" and forgetting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/he-just-lingers-long-enough-to-see-his-plane-put-to-bed-properly-then/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“There was a pause, while I fought against this other, lesser kind of death that was creeping over me - this death called strangeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/there-was-a-pause-while-i-fought-against-this-other-lesser-kind-of/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“Every life is a mystery. And every story of every life is a mystery. But it is not what happens that is the mystery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/every-life-is-a-mystery-and-every-story-of-every-life-is-a-mystery/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

> [“Evans made himself their spokesman. "Charlie and Joe," he offered. "Remember us? We brought a friend back with us this time." Girls evidently didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/evans-made-himself-their-spokesman-charlie-and-joe-he-offered/)

[Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

[Explore all 152 Cornell Woolrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/)

## More Fears quotes

> [“Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts— so what? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/two-powerful-little-words-i-ve-learned-to-use-when-facing-challenges/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [Live with your lips pressed against your fears, kissing your fears, neither pulling back nor aggressively violating them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-deida/live-with-your-lips-pressed-against-your-fears-kissing-your-fears/)

[David Deida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-deida/)

> [“face your fears and live well”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane/face-your-fears-and-live-well/)

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

> [“I cite too the ordinary fears of mortality the inspection of a fast-growing mole on the side of the nose blood in the stool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow-2/i-cite-too-the-ordinary-fears-of-mortality-the-inspection-of-a-fast/)

[E.L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow-2/)

> [The moment you conquer one fear is the minute you conquer many fears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/the-moment-you-conquer-one-fear-is-the-minute-you-conquer-many-fears/)

[Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/)

> [The fear of not being good enough, the fear of disappointing other people and the fear of failure can really hurt one's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/the-fear-of-not-being-good-enough-the-fear-of-disappointing-other/)

[Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/)

> [For me, it's very easy to write a horror movie that's just a succession of scary sequences, but it's hard to find horror movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehren-kruger/for-me-it-s-very-easy-to-write-a-horror-movie-that-s-just-a/)

[Ehren Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehren-kruger/)

> [Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/fearlessness-is-like-a-muscle-i-know-from-my-own-life-that-the-more-i/)

[Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/)

> [I had to battle the doubts and fears for a while, but I committed to making sure that my strongest emotion was self-belief. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-azarenka/i-had-to-battle-the-doubts-and-fears-for-a-while-but-i-committed-to/)

[Victoria Azarenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-azarenka/)

> [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/)

[Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/)

> [Whoever knows and fears God has conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/whoever-knows-and-fears-god-has-conscience/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [Happy Monday! Live without fear! Face your fears and see them as an OPPORTUNITY for strength and growth. You'll see, once you face them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-edmonds/happy-monday-live-without-fear-face-your-fears-and-see-them-as-an/)

[Tracey Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-edmonds/)

> [“The soul attracts that which it secretly harbours; that which it loves, and also that which it fears;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/the-soul-attracts-that-which-it-secretly-harbours-that-which-it-loves/)

[James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/)

> [I cant do this anymore. Pretend that everythings great. Act like theres nothing to hate. Wipe away every tear. Run away from my fears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cant-do-this-anymore-pretend-that-everythings-great-act-like-theres/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Paranoia is just another mask for ignorance. The truth, when you finally chase it down is almost always far worse than your darkest visions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/paranoia-is-just-another-mask-for-ignorance-the-truth-when-you/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

[Browse all 1,666 Fears quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fears/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was male, of course; menace is always male. (\"Nightmare\")”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cornell Woolrich"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-male-nightmare/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fears"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-male-nightmare/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/155/cornell-woolrich-2734_fears_it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-m_1042538.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was male, of course; menace is always male. (\"Nightmare\")” — Cornell Woolrich",
                "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": "Cornell Woolrich",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was male, of course; menace...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-male-nightmare/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/it-was-male-of-course-menace-is-always-male-nightmare/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
