---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, do as you think best. That's every…"
description: "\"“Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and duty. But for me, I pledge you now I will not surrender one grain of my rights. What I took, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg"
---

#  Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and…

![“Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and duty. But for me, I pledge you now I will not surrender one grain of my rights. What I took, I took and by God, I'll keep it, too. Take her home tomorrow, Archie, and never look back to watch what I do, for you know it before. I would not…” quote by Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg)

> ““Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and duty. But for me, I pledge you now I will not surrender one grain of my rights. What I took, I took and by God, I'll keep it, too. Take her home tomorrow, Archie, and never look back to watch what I do, for you know it before. I would not give him one knigh who had confided himself to me and none other, much less you. Only over my dead body," said Hotspur hardily, eye to eye with the friend he had made under Homildon Hill, "will King Henry ever claim you as his prisoner.””

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

## About This Quote

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

A character asserts personal agency, refusing to relinquish rights or be subjugated, even under pressure from authority.

**In simple terms:** Stand firm on your rights despite threats.

Key Takeaway

Defend your autonomy.

Themes

rights defiance authority loyalty

Mood

defiant determined serious

Type

dialogue dramatic historical

When to use this quote

- political negotiations
- family disputes
- legal battles
- personal boundaries

Key Concepts

personal agency political power moral integrity

Questions to Reflect On

- What rights are you unwilling to compromise?
- How do you balance loyalty with personal autonomy?

A Different Perspective

Resistance may provoke harsher retaliation or isolation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance/) [Eye to eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye-to-eye/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [King henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king-henry/)

## Related quotes

> [“Jonathon Matthew Pulmer you are not the boss of me. Now go prance your butt into your car and stop acting like King Henry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micalea-smeltzer/jonathon-matthew-pulmer-you-are-not-the-boss-of-me-now-go-prance-your/)

[Micalea Smeltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micalea-smeltzer/)

> [“I at this writing am an old man, only three years short of my three score and ten. And they tell me that Wycliffe’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-thomson/i-at-this-writing-am-an-old-man-only-three-years-short-of-my-three/)

Andy Thomson

> [I changed my major to English and I went off to Fort Collins. And within the first couple of weeks, I noticed that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carradine/i-changed-my-major-to-english-and-i-went-off-to-fort-collins-and/)

[Keith Carradine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carradine/)

> [“Jane would be the next queen and her children, when she had them, would be the next princes or princesses. Or she might wait,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/jane-would-be-the-next-queen-and-her-children-when-she-had-them-would/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [“Damson plums were a favorite Elizabethan fruit and “eaten before dyner, be good to provoke a mans appetyde.” They were also popular dried into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-segan/damson-plums-were-a-favorite-elizabethan-fruit-and-eaten-before-dyner/)

[Francine Segan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-segan/)

> [“When he was little, she'd stay late in his room, drawing pictures of him as he slept. She had fat pads filled with closeup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-adam-shapiro/when-he-was-little-she-d-stay-late-in-his-room-drawing-pictures-of/)

Dana Adam Shapiro

> [“King Henry—have exchanged her son’s inheritance for”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-castor/king-henry-have-exchanged-her-son-s-inheritance-for/)

Helen Castor

> [“Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), also known as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, author, and statesman. During…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-more/sir-thomas-more-7-february-1478-6-july-1535-also-known-as-saint/)

[Thomas More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-more/)

> [“I hope they will not come upon us now. King Henry: We are in God's hand, brother, not in theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-hope-they-will-not-come-upon-us-now-king-henry-we-are-in-god-s-hand/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [ “...The underlying motive for the French wars \[of 1562-1598\] was not religious, but dynastic. By the mid-16th century, the Valois family of kings, who… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-macdonald/the-underlying-motive-for-the-french-wars-of-1562-1598-was-not/)

Fiona MacDonald

> [“Or dive into the bottom of the deep, Where fathom-line could never touch the ground, And pluck up drowned honor by the locks. —William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-h-whittlesey/or-dive-into-the-bottom-of-the-deep-where-fathom-line-could-never/)

[Lee H. Whittlesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-h-whittlesey/)

> [“To gentle pressure, King Henry capitulated; the White Rose, aged twenty-four, was taken out into God’s light and air, in order to have his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/to-gentle-pressure-king-henry-capitulated-the-white-rose-aged-twenty/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“Keep being a good boy and divorce Katherine. We should be grateful to King Henry the Eighth for that privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-a-david/keep-being-a-good-boy-and-divorce-katherine-we-should-be-grateful-to/)

[S. A. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-a-david/)

> [“I prop my guitar up against the nightstand. Then I turn toward the bed and fall into it face first. The mattress is soft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/i-prop-my-guitar-up-against-the-nightstand-then-i-turn-toward-the-bed/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [King Henry: But what a point, my lord, your falcon made, And what a pitch she flew above the rest! To see how God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/king-henry-but-what-a-point-my-lord-your-falcon-made-and-what-a-pitch/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Edith Pargeter

> [“A dead eagle he might have buried, but he had chosen rather to light a fire for a phoenix.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/a-dead-eagle-he-might-have-buried-but-he-had-chosen-rather-to-light-a/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“He could not be a breaker, it was against his bent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/he-could-not-be-a-breaker-it-was-against-his-bent/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“Should I come to you, Father, with anything that made me ashamed? What do I matter? What's honour to me? My honour is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/should-i-come-to-you-father-with-anything-that-made-me-ashamed-what/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“Learn humility, while there's yet time--': those were the last of the abbot's words he had waited to hear. All very well, he thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/learn-humility-while-there-s-yet-time-those-were-the-last-of-the/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“Have you no errand I can do for you in hell?' he said. 'There's cleaner company there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/have-you-no-errand-i-can-do-for-you-in-hell-he-said-there-s-cleaner/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“Not his match! And have you not the heart in you to be anything but best? How many are his match? How many in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/not-his-match-and-have-you-not-the-heart-in-you-to-be-anything-but/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“The dispensations of God are always just,' he said. 'We get the sons we deserve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/the-dispensations-of-god-are-always-just-he-said-we-get-the-sons-we/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“What is there," Owain wondered aloud, to the sky above him and the soil below, "persuades this man still that my words do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/what-is-there-owain-wondered-aloud-to-the-sky-above-him-and-the-soil/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“He sat staring before him, seeing nothing but a long line of Mortimers, inexhaustable and prolific to the end of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/he-sat-staring-before-him-seeing-nothing-but-a-long-line-of-mortimers/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“This new approach, it seemed, was not to be made so publicly, not to be exposed to the expedient treason of little devious minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/this-new-approach-it-seemed-was-not-to-be-made-so-publicly-not-to-be/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

> [“Love with her would be a field of action, not a need. She was complete whether she won or lost the world. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/love-with-her-would-be-a-field-of-action-not-a-need-she-was-complete/)

[Edith Pargeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

[Explore all 12 Edith Pargeter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/)

## More Defiance quotes

> [“Defiance, Catherine, is a gift of God, who is superior to nature. When nature comes to get you, honor God by treating it, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-helprin/defiance-catherine-is-a-gift-of-god-who-is-superior-to-nature-when/)

[Mark Helprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-helprin/)

> [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [If you tell me, I will leave you alone," I said. "And if you don't tell me, I am going to grab the nearest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/if-you-tell-me-i-will-leave-you-alone-i-said-and-if-you-don-t-tell-me/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [There is all the difference in the world between the criminal's avoiding the public eye and the civil disobedience's taking the law into his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-the-criminal-s/)

[Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/)

> [As one, they leap, laughing, and that is where we leave them - mouths open, arms spread wide, fingers splayed to take in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/as-one-they-leap-laughing-and-that-is-where-we-leave-them-mouths-open/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [I want nevertheless to add that for me the world is a defiance of common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-magritte/i-want-nevertheless-to-add-that-for-me-the-world-is-a-defiance-of/)

[Rene Magritte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-magritte/)

> [“Dare to dream, for in the daring there is defiance to live beyond your circumstances”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dare-to-dream-for-in-the-daring-there-is-defiance-to-live-beyond-your/)

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

> [“It’s probably my job to tell you life isn’t fair, but I figure you already know that. So instead, I’ll tell you that hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-redwine/it-s-probably-my-job-to-tell-you-life-isn-t-fair-but-i-figure-you/)

[C.J. Redwine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-redwine/)

> [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [Mutual defiance made them alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-lee/mutual-defiance-made-them-alike/)

[Harper Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-lee/)

> [Defiance rose up like vomit. I swung back and yelled, "Don't ever do that again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/defiance-rose-up-like-vomit-i-swung-back-and-yelled-don-t-ever-do/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [There came to him an image of man’s whole life upon the earth. It seemed to him that all man’s life was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/there-came-to-him-an-image-of-man-s-whole-life-upon-the-earth-it/)

[Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/)

> [I suppose I'm saying that defiance is actually part of the lyric job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/i-suppose-i-m-saying-that-defiance-is-actually-part-of-the-lyric-job/)

[Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/)

> [ I loved working on that show \[Defiance\]. I mean, that show was brutal. We worked long, brutal hours in really brutal weather. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-benz/i-loved-working-on-that-show-defiance-i-mean-that-show-was-brutal-we/)

[Julie Benz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-benz/)

> [“You need not treat me like a child, sir. I am perfectly capable of navigating this staircase on my own." He snorted. Her nostrils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-witemeyer/you-need-not-treat-me-like-a-child-sir-i-am-perfectly-capable-of/)

[Karen Witemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-witemeyer/)

[Browse all 335 Defiance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defiance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and duty. But for me, I pledge you now I will not surrender one grain of my rights. What I took, I took and by God, I'll keep it, too. Take her home tomorrow, Archie, and never look back to watch what I do, for you know it before. I would not give him one knigh who had confided himself to me and none other, much less you. Only over my dead body,\" said Hotspur hardily, eye to eye with the friend he had made under Homildon Hill, \"will King Henry ever claim you as his prisoner.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edith Pargeter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-man-s-right-and-duty-but-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Defiance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-man-s-right-and-duty-but-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/edith-pargeter-37309_defiance_well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-m_738389.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Well, do as you think best. That's every man's right and duty. But for me, I pledge you now I will not…” — Edith Pargeter",
                "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": "Edith Pargeter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-pargeter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Well, do as you think best....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-man-s-right-and-duty-but-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-pargeter/well-do-as-you-think-best-that-s-every-man-s-right-and-duty-but-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
