--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never posed as a saint. I would have…" description: "\"I never posed as a saint. I would have slept with a man for nothing if I liked him well enough.\" — Ethel Waters" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/ethel-waters-9047_enough_i-never-posed-as-a-saint-i-would-have-sl_3181328.jpg" --- # I never posed as a saint. I would have slept with a man… ![“I never posed as a saint. I would have slept with a man for nothing if I liked him well enough.” quote by Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/ethel-waters-9047_enough_i-never-posed-as-a-saint-i-would-have-sl_3181328.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/ethel-waters-9047_enough_i-never-posed-as-a-saint-i-would-have-sl_3181328.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/ethel-waters-9047_enough_i-never-posed-as-a-saint-i-would-have-sl_3181328.jpg) > “I never posed as a saint. I would have slept with a man for nothing if I liked him well enough.” [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging human desire and honesty over moral pretense. **In simple terms:** Honesty about desire. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic feelings. Themes desire honesty morality Mood reflective confessional Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - personal relationships - social expectations - self‑acceptance - sexual freedom Key Concepts human nature sexuality ethical complexity Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile desire with societal expectations? - When is honesty more valuable than reputation? A Different Perspective Societal norms may conflict with personal truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Posed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posed-907540/) [Posed Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posed-saint-5830467/) [Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint/) [Saint Slept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saint-slept-5830468/) [Slept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slept/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Because when you're posed, you know someone's watching. You put on your very best smile. You let your sweetest personality shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/because-when-you-re-posed-you-know-someone-s-watching-you-put-on-your/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [I posed with a Camaro. It was a special edition, and there were only four made when I did it. They were like, 'Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-kelly/i-posed-with-a-camaro-it-was-a-special-edition-and-there-were-only/) [Kelly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-kelly/) > [I've never even posed for FHM, so that tells you how bad it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryse-mizanin/i-ve-never-even-posed-for-fhm-so-that-tells-you-how-bad-it-is/) [Maryse Mizanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryse-mizanin/) > [Lol that special person posed in your head when you read it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lol-that-special-person-posed-in-your-head-when-you-read-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I just might throw a big amount, don't know if I'm sposed to take you out, I just know that I'm posed to praise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/i-just-might-throw-a-big-amount-don-t-know-if-i-m-sposed-to-take-you/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [My first job was for a blue jean company as a sitting model. I posed for 15 minutes and made $50. It was 1976.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-dickinson/my-first-job-was-for-a-blue-jean-company-as-a-sitting-model-i-posed/) [Janice Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-dickinson/) > [“Each was radiant, gorgeous. How they posed for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-torres/each-was-radiant-gorgeous-how-they-posed-for-me/) [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) > [You're bound to be recognized if you do well. Although I guess in India that's taken to another level. I can't remember how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/you-re-bound-to-be-recognized-if-you-do-well-although-i-guess-in/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [Pictures should never be posed. They are 'revealed' so must be accepted as they are. Left alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/pictures-should-never-be-posed-they-are-revealed-so-must-be-accepted/) [Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/) > [“She posed as being more indolent than she felt, for fear of finding herself less able than she could wish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/she-posed-as-being-more-indolent-than-she-felt-for-fear-of-finding/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [I heard it's nothin new except for someone new but how you s'posed to find the one when anyone'll come with you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-heard-it-s-nothin-new-except-for-someone-new-but-how-you-s-posed-to/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [You are a question that has never been posed before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaius/you-are-a-question-that-has-never-been-posed-before/) [Gaius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaius/) > [“Sides, i don't like the posed pics.They're not the real person.They're a reflection of what the person wants the world to think of her-not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/sides-i-don-t-like-the-posed-pics-they-re-not-the-real-person-they-re/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [Of the nude pictures: Sure I posed. I needed the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/of-the-nude-pictures-sure-i-posed-i-needed-the-money/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [I almost never slept deeply anymore--as soon as she said my name, I always sat up immediately, no matter how tired I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-kadohata/i-almost-never-slept-deeply-anymore-as-soon-as-she-said-my-name-i/) [Cynthia Kadohata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-kadohata/) ## More by Ethel Waters > [Whenever I write for hotel reservations, I always enclose a set of rules I have made for the hotels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/whenever-i-write-for-hotel-reservations-i-always-enclose-a-set-of/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Today I blame only certain agents for my long eclipse as a public entertainer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/today-i-blame-only-certain-agents-for-my-long-eclipse-as-a-public/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I had always loved John Ford's pictures. And I came to love him, too, but I was frightened to death working for him. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-had-always-loved-john-ford-s-pictures-and-i-came-to-love-him-too/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [All my life I've been prejudiced against wealthy people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/all-my-life-i-ve-been-prejudiced-against-wealthy-people/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The big compliment came from the beer drinkers who didn't know me. They wouldn't drink or move when I sang. If they had their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-big-compliment-came-from-the-beer-drinkers-who-didn-t-know-me/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I was born out of wedlock. Nobody brought me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-was-born-out-of-wedlock-nobody-brought-me-up/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I dressed plain, but my partners were always spending more money on clothes than I could afford.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-dressed-plain-but-my-partners-were-always-spending-more-money-on/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [After years in white theaters I dreaded working in colored houses. The noise, the stomping, whistling, and cheering that hadn't annoyed me when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/after-years-in-white-theaters-i-dreaded-working-in-colored-houses-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Many people know how to criticize, but few know how to praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/many-people-know-how-to-criticize-but-few-know-how-to-praise/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Negroes are human beings with exactly the same faults and virtues as members of the other races.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/negroes-are-human-beings-with-exactly-the-same-faults-and-virtues-as/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [There is a great supply of amateur undertakers in show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/there-is-a-great-supply-of-amateur-undertakers-in-show-business/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [My father came back one day and forced my mother to submit to him. He raped her, holding a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/my-father-came-back-one-day-and-forced-my-mother-to-submit-to-him-he/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [Though I was excited about the Sojourner Truth play, it was not reassuring to think that my entire future might depend on the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/though-i-was-excited-about-the-sojourner-truth-play-it-was-not/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [I found that a couple of bottles of beer would give me a lift, but the third bottle would sober me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/i-found-that-a-couple-of-bottles-of-beer-would-give-me-a-lift-but-the/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) > [The white audiences thought I was white, my features being what they are, and at every performance I'd have to take off my gloves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-waters/the-white-audiences-thought-i-was-white-my-features-being-what-they/) [Ethel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) [Explore all 75 Ethel Waters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-waters/) ## More Enough quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) [Adam Ant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ant/) > [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/) [Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/) [James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) [Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I never posed as a saint. 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