--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...when \"such things happened\" it was…" description: "\"“...when \"such things happened\" it was undoubtedly foolish of the man, but somehow always criminal of the woman. All the elderly ladies whom Archer kne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/edith-wharton-512_criminal_when-such-things-happened-it-was-undoubt_568300.jpg" --- # ...when "such things happened" it was undoubtedly foolish… ![“...when "such things happened" it was undoubtedly foolish of the man, but somehow always criminal of the woman. All the elderly ladies whom Archer knew regarded any woman who loved imprudently as necessarily unscrupulous and designing, and mere simple-minded man as powerless in her clutches. The…” quote by Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/edith-wharton-512_criminal_when-such-things-happened-it-was-undoubt_568300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/edith-wharton-512_criminal_when-such-things-happened-it-was-undoubt_568300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/edith-wharton-512_criminal_when-such-things-happened-it-was-undoubt_568300.jpg) > ““...when "such things happened" it was undoubtedly foolish of the man, but somehow always criminal of the woman. All the elderly ladies whom Archer knew regarded any woman who loved imprudently as necessarily unscrupulous and designing, and mere simple-minded man as powerless in her clutches. The only thing to do was to persuade him, as early as possible, to marry a nice girl, and then trust her to look after him.”” [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society judges women harshly for romantic choices, while men are seen as powerless, leading to pressure to marry conventionally. **In simple terms:** Women are blamed for love, men seen as weak, pushing marriage as a fix. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge gender double standards. Themes gender roles societal pressure marriage double standards Mood critical reflective Type social commentary literary When to use this quote - family expectations - courtship - social reputation - personal autonomy Key Concepts patriarchy social control gender bias Questions to Reflect On - How do cultural norms shape judgments of love? - What alternatives exist to forced marriage? A Different Perspective Women are not inherently criminal; blame is often misplaced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Criminal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal/) [Foolish man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foolish-man/) [Nice girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-girl/) [Unscrupulous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unscrupulous/) ## Related quotes > [“He hadn't actually lied to her about anything; she had erred in her assumptions about his life. What Archer knew about Josie was what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/he-hadn-t-actually-lied-to-her-about-anything-she-had-erred-in-her/) [Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/) > [“Archer was wild. “Will she be all right?” “Most certainly,” the healer said curtly, “if you will get out of my way and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/archer-was-wild-will-she-be-all-right-most-certainly-the-healer-said/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Unscrupulous writers often count on the fact that most people don't bother reading footnotes or tracking down citations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-levitin/unscrupulous-writers-often-count-on-the-fact-that-most-people-don-t/) [Daniel Levitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-levitin/) > [You are both daring and unscrupulous, and you think fast. I have been looking for a person with those particular characteristics. Also I noticed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloise-jarvis-mcgraw/you-are-both-daring-and-unscrupulous-and-you-think-fast-i-have-been/) Eloise Jarvis McGraw > [It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay to antiquity its due reverence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desiderius-erasmus/it-is-an-unscrupulous-intellect-that-does-not-pay-to-antiquity-its/) [Desiderius Erasmus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desiderius-erasmus/) > [The reality is I believe there has never been in the history of our White House such an unscrupulous pair as what I witnessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-tripp/the-reality-is-i-believe-there-has-never-been-in-the-history-of-our/) [Linda Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-tripp/) > [“I marvel at the placidity of the Utopian who imagines that man is perfectible. 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It is, perversely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/the-most-reliable-sign-the-most-universal-behavior-of-unscrupulous/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) ## More by Edith Wharton > [“Suddenly the air was full of that deep clangor of bells which periodically covers Rome with a roof of silver.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/suddenly-the-air-was-full-of-that-deep-clangor-of-bells-which/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Untrained human nature was not frank and innocent; it was full of the twists and defences of an instinctive guile. And he felt himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/untrained-human-nature-was-not-frank-and-innocent-it-was-full-of-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“High Pasture Come up--come up: in the dim vale below The autumn mist muffles the fading trees, But on this keen hill-pasture, though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/high-pasture-come-up-come-up-in-the-dim-vale-below-the-autumn-mist/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Two ways to be a light for all, is to be a flaming candle or the mirror that reflects it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/two-ways-to-be-a-light-for-all-is-to-be-a-flaming-candle-or-the/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“... no treasure-house of Atreus was ever as rich as a well-stored memory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/no-treasure-house-of-atreus-was-ever-as-rich-as-a-well-stored-memory/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“...the endless labour of rolling human stupidity up the steep hill of understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-endless-labour-of-rolling-human-stupidity-up-the-steep-hill-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“he saw his marriage becoming what most of the other marriages about him were: a dull association of material and social interests held together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/he-saw-his-marriage-becoming-what-most-of-the-other-marriages-about/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [The real loneliness is living among all these kind people who only ask one to pretend!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/the-real-loneliness-is-living-among-all-these-kind-people-who-only/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [With a shiver of foreboding he saw his marriage becoming what most of the other marriages about him were: a dull association of material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/with-a-shiver-of-foreboding-he-saw-his-marriage-becoming-what-most-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Life is the saddest thing there is, next to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/life-is-the-saddest-thing-there-is-next-to-death/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [A classic is classic not because it conforms to certain structural rules, or fits certain definitions (of which its author had quite probably never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/a-classic-is-classic-not-because-it-conforms-to-certain-structural/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [There is too much sour grapes for my taste in the present American attitude. 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