---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always derived indescribable…"
description: "\"I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her there to live between the temptation and th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg"
---

#  I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading…

![“I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her there to live between the temptation and the fear of that sin.” quote by Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg)

> “I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her there to live between the temptation and the fear of that sin.”

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

## About This Quote

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

Deriving pleasure from leading a woman toward temptation, then leaving her in suspense between desire and fear.

**In simple terms:** Finding excitement in teasing moral boundaries.

Key Takeaway

Consider the impact of manipulation on others.

Themes

seduction power morality psychology

Mood

conflicted intrigued

Type

cautionary psychological

When to use this quote

- Romantic pursuit
- ethical dilemmas
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

Temptation guilt control

Questions to Reflect On

- Is it ethical to toy with someone's conscience?
- What are the long‑term effects of this dynamic?

A Different Perspective

Such games can cause lasting emotional harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Decent woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decent-woman/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/)

## Related quotes

> [“he derives the utmost pleasure from leading a player across “the bridge of finding out who he was and who he has to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-cohen/he-derives-the-utmost-pleasure-from-leading-a-player-across-the/)

[Ben Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-cohen/)

> [Are you decent?" a woman's voice called, pushing the door cautiously ajar. "Nay, but we're clothed," Cian purred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/are-you-decent-a-woman-s-voice-called-pushing-the-door-cautiously/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Every man has been brought up with the idea that decent women don't pop in and out of bed; he has always been told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-cartland/every-man-has-been-brought-up-with-the-idea-that-decent-women-don-t/)

[Barbara Cartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-cartland/)

> [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/)

[Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/)

> [“She marched to the door and said, "if I ever marry, Patrick O'Sullivan, I shall make sure that my mate for life is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-trollope/she-marched-to-the-door-and-said-if-i-ever-marry-patrick-o-sullivan-i/)

[Joanna Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-trollope/)

> [“A decent woman had been murdered because she could not bring herself to do the same, to kill in order to protect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-decent-woman-had-been-murdered-because-she-could-not-bring-herself/)

[Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/)

> [“Ain't no decent woman ever had that many husbands to die from natural causes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-martin-beckner/ain-t-no-decent-woman-ever-had-that-many-husbands-to-die-from-natural/)

[K. Martin Beckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-martin-beckner/)

> [She looks at herself in the mirror. The idea is to look sexy again. And for whom exactly? Yourself, of course. Yes, well, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-ferris/she-looks-at-herself-in-the-mirror-the-idea-is-to-look-sexy-again-and/)

[Joshua Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-ferris/)

> [“For a quick moment, I saw Grandma as she saw herself: a decent woman whom God, for unfathomable reasons, had chosen to punish. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/for-a-quick-moment-i-saw-grandma-as-she-saw-herself-a-decent-woman/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [“The men drink a third beer, then a fourth, in preparation for the cold trip crosstown. "I wish I could meet a decent woman."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-cady/the-men-drink-a-third-beer-then-a-fourth-in-preparation-for-the-cold/)

Jack Cady

> [“If a young woman from money marries an old man because of money and nothing else and makes love to him for hours and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irmgard-keun/if-a-young-woman-from-money-marries-an-old-man-because-of-money-and/)

[Irmgard Keun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irmgard-keun/)

> [“if I wasn't a decent woman I'd heist a leg and pee in your ear until it washed out that stinking pile of crap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/if-i-wasn-t-a-decent-woman-i-d-heist-a-leg-and-pee-in-your-ear-until/)

[Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/)

> [“You say it, and I will do it.” Confusion played upon her face. “What?” “You say to me how.” Scarlet dotted her cheeks. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/you-say-it-and-i-will-do-it-confusion-played-upon-her-face-what-you/)

[Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/)

> [“My mother wasn’t a psychotic criminal. (Kiara) No. I’m sure she was a wonderful lady who loved you dearly. That she held you when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/my-mother-wasn-t-a-psychotic-criminal-kiara-no-i-m-sure-she-was-a/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [People will say what they want to say, and it's okay. And my life will go on, and I need to focus on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/people-will-say-what-they-want-to-say-and-it-s-okay-and-my-life-will/)

[Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/)

## More by Edmond de Goncourt

> [There are only two great currents in the history of mankind: the baseness which makes conservatives and the envy which makes revolutionaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/there-are-only-two-great-currents-in-the-history-of-mankind-the/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Princes enjoy themselves like children in the company of ordinary human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/princes-enjoy-themselves-like-children-in-the-company-of-ordinary/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [ “\[He\] went on to say that during all those years he had done nothing at all, that all he had felt had been a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/he-went-on-to-say-that-during-all-those-years-he-had-done-nothing-at/)

[Edmond De Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [A painting in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/a-painting-in-a-museum-hears-more-ridiculous-opinions-than-anything/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [The past is of no importance. The present is of no importance. It is with the future that we have to deal. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/the-past-is-of-no-importance-the-present-is-of-no-importance-it-is-2/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [One of the proud joys of the man of letters --if that man of letters is an artist is to feel within himself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/one-of-the-proud-joys-of-the-man-of-letters-if-that-man-of-letters-is/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Man is a mind betrayed, not served, by his organs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/man-is-a-mind-betrayed-not-served-by-his-organs/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Genius is the talent of a person who is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/genius-is-the-talent-of-a-person-who-is-dead/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Historians tell the story of the past, novelists the story of the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/historians-tell-the-story-of-the-past-novelists-the-story-of-the/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [She is unable to dream, think or love. In a woman, poetry never comes naturally, but always as the result of education. Only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/she-is-unable-to-dream-think-or-love-in-a-woman-poetry-never-comes/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Any man who does not see everything in terms of self, that is to say who wants to be something in respect of other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/any-man-who-does-not-see-everything-in-terms-of-self-that-is-to-say/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Laughter is the mind's intonation. There are ways of laughing which have the sound of counterfeit coins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/laughter-is-the-mind-s-intonation-there-are-ways-of-laughing-which/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [There have been many definitions of beauty in art. What is it? Beauty is what the untrained eyes consider abominable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/there-have-been-many-definitions-of-beauty-in-art-what-is-it-beauty/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Sickness sensitizes man for observation, like a photographic plate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/sickness-sensitizes-man-for-observation-like-a-photographic-plate/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

> [Statistics is the first of the inexact sciences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/statistics-is-the-first-of-the-inexact-sciences/)

[Edmond de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

[Explore all 32 Edmond de Goncourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/)

## More Decent quotes

> [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/)

[Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/)

> [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/)

[David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/)

> [As long as I can sing halfway decent, I'd rather sing than act. There's nothing like being in good voice, feeling good, having good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-keel/as-long-as-i-can-sing-halfway-decent-i-d-rather-sing-than-act-there-s/)

[Howard Keel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-keel/)

> [You weren't a decent man and you didn't do your best. We none of us were and none of us did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-weren-t-a-decent-man-and-you-didn-t-do-your-best-we-none-of-us/)

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

> [Sometimes the challenge of beating the jet lag and getting a decent sleep can be as hard to solve as finding the right setup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romain-grosjean/sometimes-the-challenge-of-beating-the-jet-lag-and-getting-a-decent/)

[Romain Grosjean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romain-grosjean/)

> [For it is an absurdity to call a country civilized in which a decent and industrious man, laboriously mastering a trade which is valuble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/for-it-is-an-absurdity-to-call-a-country-civilized-in-which-a-decent/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Music and the arts feed our souls, but a decent wage puts food on the table. Musicians, fans of music, and grassroots political organizations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-morello/music-and-the-arts-feed-our-souls-but-a-decent-wage-puts-food-on-the/)

[Tom Morello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-morello/)

> [The 'key-log' which must be moved to release the evolutionary process for an ethic is simply this: quit thinking about decent land-use as solely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/land-ethic/the-key-log-which-must-be-moved-to-release-the-evolutionary-process/)

Land ethic

> [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/)

[Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/)

> [It is something that most parents hope for in life: That their children will be moderately successful, polite, decent human beings. Anything on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-kramer/it-is-something-that-most-parents-hope-for-in-life-that-their/)

[Jerry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-kramer/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [takes a devil to make a decent angel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-spanbauer/takes-a-devil-to-make-a-decent-angel/)

[Tom Spanbauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-spanbauer/)

> [I guess the only thing to do now is meet his parents. I'm sure they're decent people. I mean they gotta be if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-de-niro/i-guess-the-only-thing-to-do-now-is-meet-his-parents-i-m-sure-they-re/)

[Robert De Niro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-de-niro/)

Browse all 1,392 Decent quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her there to live between the temptation and the fear of that sin.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edmond de Goncourt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/i-have-always-derived-indescribable-pleasure-from-leading-a-decent/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Decent"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/i-have-always-derived-indescribable-pleasure-from-leading-a-decent/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ecc/edmond-de-goncourt-19675_decent_i-have-always-derived-indescribable-plea_1357729.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have always derived indescribable pleasure from leading a decent woman to the edge of sin and leaving her…” — Edmond de Goncourt",
                "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": "Edmond de Goncourt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmond-de-goncourt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have always derived indescribable pleasure...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/i-have-always-derived-indescribable-pleasure-from-leading-a-decent/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmond-de-goncourt/i-have-always-derived-indescribable-pleasure-from-leading-a-decent/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
