--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I can't be is monogamous. That tends…" description: "\"What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.\" — Fran Lebowitz" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png" --- # What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people… ![“What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.” quote by Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png) > “What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.” [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She rejects monogamy and domestic life, acknowledging it up others. **In simple terms:** She prefers non‑monogamous, non‑domestic lifestyle. Key Takeaway Accept personal relationship preferences. Themes relationships individualism social norms Mood defiant reflective Type personal social When to use this quote - dating - friendship - social gatherings - family events Key Concepts non‑monogamy personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance personal freedom with societal expectations? - What alternatives to domestic life fulfill you? A Different Perspective May face social stigma or isolation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Domestic life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/domestic-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Monogamous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monogamous/) [Monogamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monogamy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I'm like a full domestic mom. I like cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/i-m-like-a-full-domestic-mom-i-like-cooking-and-cleaning-and-taking/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [Choosing to mother your kids full-time may seem to some the easy choice, eschewing as it does the stresses and strains of the workplace,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/choosing-to-mother-your-kids-full-time-may-seem-to-some-the-easy/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [In domestic life, the woman's value is inherent, unquantifiable; at home she exchanges proven values for mythological ones. She 'wants' to be at home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cusk/in-domestic-life-the-woman-s-value-is-inherent-unquantifiable-at-home/) [Rachel Cusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cusk/) > [The man Dickens, whom the world at large thought it knew, stood for all the Victorian virtues - probity, kindness, hard work, sympathy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/the-man-dickens-whom-the-world-at-large-thought-it-knew-stood-for-all/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [I love domestic life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-williams/i-love-domestic-life/) [Michelle Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-williams/) > [I have a fairly normal domestic life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/i-have-a-fairly-normal-domestic-life/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I enjoy domestic life. Cooking gives me great pleasure, especially if I can chop vegetables slowly and think about what I'm doing and dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-enjoy-domestic-life-cooking-gives-me-great-pleasure-especially-if-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The domestic matters. It is the base unit upon which all else is built. The history of the domestic is the history of everything:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-goodman/the-domestic-matters-it-is-the-base-unit-upon-which-all-else-is-built/) Ruth Goodman > [We're taught that domestic life is not a "serious" political topic, like war and peace, but the fact is that we spend most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annia-ciezadlo/we-re-taught-that-domestic-life-is-not-a-serious-political-topic-like/) [Annia Ciezadlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annia-ciezadlo/) > [I hate the domestic life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-day-lewis/i-hate-the-domestic-life/) [Daniel Day-Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-day-lewis/) > [Women should be all dressed in white like all the other domestic appliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-ecclestone/women-should-be-all-dressed-in-white-like-all-the-other-domestic/) [Bernie Ecclestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-ecclestone/) > [It makes me sound like a domestic freak, but I care very much about my kids' nutrition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/it-makes-me-sound-like-a-domestic-freak-but-i-care-very-much-about-my/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [I'm monogamous from time to time, but I prefer polygamy and polyandry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-bruni/i-m-monogamous-from-time-to-time-but-i-prefer-polygamy-and-polyandry/) [Carla Bruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-bruni/) > [Do I think human beings are meant to be in 40-year-long monogamous, faithful, relationships? No, No, No. Whoever said they were? Only the Bible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/do-i-think-human-beings-are-meant-to-be-in-40-year-long-monogamous/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [“Marriage," "mating," and "love" are socially constructed phenomena that have little or no transferable meaning outside any given culture. The examples we've noted of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-ryan/marriage-mating-and-love-are-socially-constructed-phenomena-that-have/) [Christopher Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-ryan/) ## More by Fran Lebowitz > [Why not have your first baby at sixty, when your husband is already dead and your career is over? Then you can really devote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/why-not-have-your-first-baby-at-sixty-when-your-husband-is-already/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I've never had the experience of being edited and never will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-ve-never-had-the-experience-of-being-edited-and-never-will/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I think humor is warmer, and wit is colder. Wit is judgment, whereas humor invites some sort of response.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-think-humor-is-warmer-and-wit-is-colder-wit-is-judgment-whereas/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [“lack, or loutish and crass kollective is a program dedicated to the proposition that vulgarity and bad taste are an inalienable right. the lackies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/lack-or-loutish-and-crass-kollective-is-a-program-dedicated-to-the/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-figure-you-have-the-same-chance-of-winning-the-lottery-whether-you/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [ \[Friendships\] are easy to get out of compared to love affairs, but they are not easy to get out of compared to, say, jail. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/friendships-are-easy-to-get-out-of-compared-to-love-affairs-but-they/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Smoking is, as far as I'm concerned, the entire point of being an adult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-the-entire-point-of-being-an-adult/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [If you want to get ahead in this world get a lawyer -- not a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/if-you-want-to-get-ahead-in-this-world-get-a-lawyer-not-a-book/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [When it comes to sports I am not particularly interested. Generally speaking, I look upon them as dangerous and tiring activities performed by people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-it-comes-to-sports-i-am-not-particularly-interested-generally/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [The first time I ever saw platform shoes in the '70s, I knew they'd been revived from the '40s, and I felt sickened. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/the-first-time-i-ever-saw-platform-shoes-in-the-70s-i-knew-they-d/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Children ask better questions than adults. "May I have a cookie?" "Why is the sky blue?" and "What does a cow say?" are far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/children-ask-better-questions-than-adults-may-i-have-a-cookie-why-is/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [ I do not think everyone is created equal. In fact, I know they're not. \[The Constitution\] means that everyone should have the same laws… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/i-do-not-think-everyone-is-created-equal-in-fact-i-know-they-re-not/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [When I fly, I'm never afraid the plane is going to crash. But there have often been times when I was afraid it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/when-i-fly-i-m-never-afraid-the-plane-is-going-to-crash-but-there/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [Smoking is, if not my life, then at least my hobby. I love to smoke. Smoking is fun. Smoking is cool. Smoking is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/smoking-is-if-not-my-life-then-at-least-my-hobby-i-love-to-smoke/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) [Explore all 408 Fran Lebowitz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) ## More Domestic quotes > [We must commit ourselves to an 'all of the above' energy approach, with a major focus on increasing domestic production and expanding alternatives fuels,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-roskam/we-must-commit-ourselves-to-an-all-of-the-above-energy-approach-with/) [Peter Roskam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-roskam/) > [This is not love. It is a crime... You can't look the other way just because you have not experienced domestic violence with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salma-hayek/this-is-not-love-it-is-a-crime-you-can-t-look-the-other-way-just/) [Salma Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salma-hayek/) > [I'm kind of domestic, untidily so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-paulin/i-m-kind-of-domestic-untidily-so/) [Tom Paulin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-paulin/) > [The most domestic cat, which has lain on a rug all her days, appears quite at home in the woods, and, by her sly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-most-domestic-cat-which-has-lain-on-a-rug-all-her-days-appears/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Domestic violence doesn't count when it's in a broken home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/domestic-violence-doesn-t-count-when-it-s-in-a-broken-home/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [During his presidency, Truman and the Republicans were locked in a series of furious assaults on each other that outraged him and made Truman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/during-his-presidency-truman-and-the-republicans-were-locked-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [Asked at the hearing why she hadn't pressed the FBI more closely about what it knew, or didn't know, about domestic terrorist threats, Rice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-fineman/asked-at-the-hearing-why-she-hadn-t-pressed-the-fbi-more-closely/) [Howard Fineman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-fineman/) > [A reality that is electronic... Once everybody's got a computer terminal in their home, to satisfy all their needs, all the domestic needs, there'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/a-reality-that-is-electronic-once-everybody-s-got-a-computer-terminal/) [J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/) > [We can't allow domestic violence to become a campaign issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandy-adams/we-can-t-allow-domestic-violence-to-become-a-campaign-issue/) [Sandy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandy-adams/) > [The cat is the only non-gregarious domestic animal. It is retained by its extra-ordinary adhesion to the comforts of the house in which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-galton/the-cat-is-the-only-non-gregarious-domestic-animal-it-is-retained-by/) [Francis Galton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-galton/) > [Germany is not like Ireland or Denmark. It is a country where the domestic market counts much more than the external market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bofinger/germany-is-not-like-ireland-or-denmark-it-is-a-country-where-the/) [Peter Bofinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bofinger/) > [That means following a very restrictive fiscal and monetary policy which will squeeze the monopolies and cut their subsidies. On the micro level we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-klaus/that-means-following-a-very-restrictive-fiscal-and-monetary-policy/) [Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-klaus/) > [Secondly, security. Both the challenges we face in the world and the responsibilities that our country has in protecting our people, are major issues.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/secondly-security-both-the-challenges-we-face-in-the-world-and-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Honour'-based violence is a form of domestic violence. Domestic violence is a broad category.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deeyah-khan/honour-based-violence-is-a-form-of-domestic-violence-domestic/) [Deeyah Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deeyah-khan/) > [Foreign policy is really domestic policy with its hat on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/foreign-policy-is-really-domestic-policy-with-its-hat-on/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) Browse all 242 Domestic quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fran Lebowitz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends-to-upset-people-i-just-don-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Domestic" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends-to-upset-people-i-just-don-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f84/fran-lebowitz-690_domestic_what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends_1808669.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What I can't be is monogamous. That tends to upset people. I just don't like domestic life.” — Fran Lebowitz", "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": "Fran Lebowitz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What I can't be is monogamous....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends-to-upset-people-i-just-don-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/what-i-can-t-be-is-monogamous-that-tends-to-upset-people-i-just-don-t/#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 } } ] } ```