--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always espoused chastity except…" description: "\"I have always espoused chastity except when one can no longer resist the temptation.\" — Edna O'Brien" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png" --- # I have always espoused chastity except when one can no… ![“I have always espoused chastity except when one can no longer resist the temptation.” quote by Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png) > “I have always espoused chastity except when one can no longer resist the temptation.” [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chastity is upheld until temptation overwhelms self‑control. **In simple terms:** Purity yields to desire. Key Takeaway Balance desire with values. Themes morality temptation self‑control Mood confessional introspective Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - relationships - spiritual practice - personal ethics Key Concepts ethical dilemmas human nature Questions to Reflect On - When is compromise acceptable? - How to reconcile desire and principle? A Different Perspective Strict abstinence may be unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chastity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chastity/) [Temptation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/temptation/) ## Related quotes > [Wish there was something that I could say or do, I can resist anything but the temptation from you. But I'd rather walk alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-harper/wish-there-was-something-that-i-could-say-or-do-i-can-resist-anything/) [Ben Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-harper/) > [Those who operate through the Holy Spirit are more equipped to resist temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-operate-through-the-holy-spirit-are-more-equipped-to-resist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gently resist the temptation to chase your dreams into the world; pursue them in your heart until they disappear into the Self, and leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/gently-resist-the-temptation-to-chase-your-dreams-into-the-world/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [I have found that people who can successfully resist temptation invariably lead depressingly stunted lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/i-have-found-that-people-who-can-successfully-resist-temptation/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [The experiments show quite clearly that, as you resist more and more temptation, you're actually more and more likely to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/the-experiments-show-quite-clearly-that-as-you-resist-more-and-more/) [Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/) > [By and large the United States has been able to resist the temptation to close its doors to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-mahony/by-and-large-the-united-states-has-been-able-to-resist-the-temptation/) [Roger Mahony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-mahony/) > [“I can resist anything except temptation." Ren, main character in Sherrilyn Kenyon's novel Time Untime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-can-resist-anything-except-temptation-ren-main-character-in/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [But often, it's easier to resist temptation with distraction, or to be so inculcated in doing the right thing that it's automatic, outside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-often-it-s-easier-to-resist-temptation-with-distraction-or-to-be/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [I never resist temptation, because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-never-resist-temptation-because-i-have-found-that-things-that-are/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Don't tempt me, I can resist anything but temptation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/don-t-tempt-me-i-can-resist-anything-but-temptation/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [Resist the temptation to think what afflicts you is peculiar to you. Have faith that what is in your consciousness can be communicated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/resist-the-temptation-to-think-what-afflicts-you-is-peculiar-to-you/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [We should resist the temptation to identify our religious convictions with the platform of a party or the platitudes of favored politicians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-e-reed-jr/we-should-resist-the-temptation-to-identify-our-religious-convictions/) [Ralph E. Reed, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-e-reed-jr/) > [Resist the temptation to ascribe motive, because you really don't know - and it gets in the way of being able to reach a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/resist-the-temptation-to-ascribe-motive-because-you-really-don-t-know/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [Don’t sign on for more problems than you must. Resist the temptation to involve yourself in other people’s zones of expertise and responsibility. Monitor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twyla-tharp/don-t-sign-on-for-more-problems-than-you-must-resist-the-temptation/) [Twyla Tharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twyla-tharp/) ## More by Edna O'Brien > [... a country encapsulates our childhood and those lanes, byres, fields, flowers, insects, suns, moons and stars are forever reoccurring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/a-country-encapsulates-our-childhood-and-those-lanes-byres-fields/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [You have to be lonely to be a writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/you-have-to-be-lonely-to-be-a-writer/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [I crossed the room, and what you did was to feel my hair over and over again and in different ways, touch it, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/i-crossed-the-room-and-what-you-did-was-to-feel-my-hair-over-and-over/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [In our deepest moments we say the most inadequate things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/in-our-deepest-moments-we-say-the-most-inadequate-things/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [We hide the truer part of ourselves when we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/we-hide-the-truer-part-of-ourselves-when-we-love/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [The vote means nothing to women. We should be armed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/the-vote-means-nothing-to-women-we-should-be-armed/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [Movie people are possessed by demons, but a very low form of demons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/movie-people-are-possessed-by-demons-but-a-very-low-form-of-demons/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [Ordinary life bypassed me, but I also bypassed it. It couldn't have been any other way.Conventional life and conventional people are not for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/ordinary-life-bypassed-me-but-i-also-bypassed-it-it-couldn-t-have/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [History is said to be written by the victors. Fiction, by contrast, is largely the work of injured bystanders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/history-is-said-to-be-written-by-the-victors-fiction-by-contrast-is/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“A healer! The beauty of the word a balm. In a mounting astonishment she hears how this man heals with his own blood, pricks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/a-healer-the-beauty-of-the-word-a-balm-in-a-mounting-astonishment-she/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“If I could feel like myself I’d thank God but I don’t feel and never will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/if-i-could-feel-like-myself-i-d-thank-god-but-i-don-t-feel-and-never/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [...people liking you or not liking you is an accident and is to do with them and not you. That goes for love too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/people-liking-you-or-not-liking-you-is-an-accident-and-is-to-do-with/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“tears running down her cheeks and her nose, tears from the cold and the prospect of being absent for weeks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/tears-running-down-her-cheeks-and-her-nose-tears-from-the-cold-and/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“laughter filling that end of the ward, overflowing, one bringing a chair for Eleanora, another a cup of coffee, marveling that at long last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/laughter-filling-that-end-of-the-ward-overflowing-one-bringing-a/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [“Dilly reckons it would be difficult to thread those needles, the eyes so small, especially with her cataracts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/dilly-reckons-it-would-be-difficult-to-thread-those-needles-the-eyes/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) [Explore all 182 Edna O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) ## More Chastity quotes > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [But there is a beauty every girl has—a gift from God, as pure as the sunlight, and as sacred as life. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/but-there-is-a-beauty-every-girl-has-a-gift-from-god-as-pure-as-the/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [The soul whose bosom lust did never touch Is God's fair bride; and maiden's souls are such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/the-soul-whose-bosom-lust-did-never-touch-is-god-s-fair-bride-and/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Chastity is oftener owing to diffidence and shame, than to fortitude of reason or virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/chastity-is-oftener-owing-to-diffidence-and-shame-than-to-fortitude/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/give-me-chastity-and-continence-but-not-yet/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [It is not always from valor or from chastity that men are brave, and women chaste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-not-always-from-valor-or-from-chastity-that-men-are-brave-and/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Love clamors far more incessantly and passionately at a closed gate than an open one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/love-clamors-far-more-incessantly-and-passionately-at-a-closed-gate/) [Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/) > [Reason and justice tell me there's more love for humanity in electricity and steam than in chastity and vegetarianism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/reason-and-justice-tell-me-there-s-more-love-for-humanity-in/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I get a little angry about this highhanded scrapping of the look of things. What else have we to go by? How else can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-culkin-banning/i-get-a-little-angry-about-this-highhanded-scrapping-of-the-look-of/) [Margaret Culkin Banning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-culkin-banning/) > [Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague...Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-reuben-clark/let-us-avoid-debt-as-we-would-avoid-a-plague-let-every-head-of-every/) [J. Reuben Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-reuben-clark/) > [There is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or a daughter than to have him or her lose his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-j-grant/there-is-no-true-latter-day-saint-who-would-not-rather-bury-a-son-or/) [Heber J. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-j-grant/) > [The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code of heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-church-has-no-double-standard-of-morality-the-moral-code-of/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme cold: extreme love breeds satiety, and so extreme hatred; and too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-chapman/extremes-though-contrary-have-the-like-effects-extreme-heat-kills-and/) [George Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-chapman/) > [There is but one love of Jesus, as there is but one person in the poor - Jesus. We take vows of chastity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/there-is-but-one-love-of-jesus-as-there-is-but-one-person-in-the-poor/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) [Browse all 295 Chastity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chastity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always espoused chastity except when one can no longer resist the temptation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edna O'Brien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-when-one-can-no-longer-resist/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chastity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-when-one-can-no-longer-resist/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b3c/edna-o-brien-2155_chastity_i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-w_1183689.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always espoused chastity except when one can no longer resist the temptation.” — Edna O'Brien", "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": "Edna O'Brien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always espoused chastity except...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-when-one-can-no-longer-resist/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/i-have-always-espoused-chastity-except-when-one-can-no-longer-resist/#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 } } ] } ```