--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you…" description: "\"“HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you stop being a common idiot. If you're going to be a lady, you'll have to give up feeling neglected if the men yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/george-bernard-shaw-68_appreciate_higgins-it-s-all-you-ll-get-until-you-st_3130648.png" --- # HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you stop being a common… ![“HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you stop being a common idiot. If you're going to be a lady, you'll have to give up feeling neglected if the men you know don't spend half their time snivelling over you and the other half giving you black eyes. If you can't stand the coldness of my sort of life…” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/george-bernard-shaw-68_appreciate_higgins-it-s-all-you-ll-get-until-you-st_3130648.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/george-bernard-shaw-68_appreciate_higgins-it-s-all-you-ll-get-until-you-st_3130648.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/george-bernard-shaw-68_appreciate_higgins-it-s-all-you-ll-get-until-you-st_3130648.png) > ““HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you stop being a common idiot. If you're going to be a lady, you'll have to give up feeling neglected if the men you know don't spend half their time snivelling over you and the other half giving you black eyes. If you can't stand the coldness of my sort of life, and the strain of it, go back to the gutter. Work til you are more a brute than a human being; and then cuddle and squabble and drink til you fall asleep. Oh, it's a fine life, the life of the gutter. It's real: it's warm: it's violent: you can feel it through the thickest skin: you can taste it and smell it without any training or any work. Not like Science and Literature and Classical Music and Philosophy and Art. You find me cold, unfeeling, selfish, don't you? Very well: be off with you to the sort of people you like. Marry some sentimental hog or other with lots of money, and a thick pair of lips to kiss you with and a thick pair of boots to kick you with. If you can't appreciate what you've got, you'd better get what you can appreciate.”” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bitter critique of societal expectations, gender roles, and the harshness of a violent, materialistic life. **In simple terms:** Life is harsh, violent, and driven by materialism. Key Takeaway Question societal norms and seek authentic values. Themes society gender violence materialism existentialism Mood cynical harsh provocative Type philosophical inspirational motivational When to use this quote - relationships - career choices - social movements Key Concepts masculinity power dynamics human suffering Questions to Reflect On - What values can we uphold despite societal pressure? - How can empathy counteract violent norms? A Different Perspective The tone is overly cynical, ignoring possible positive aspects of humanity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) [Black eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-eyes/) [Classical music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classical-music/) [Coldness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coldness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Marry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-marry-491328/) [Marry Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marry-sentimental-5536039/) [Stand Coldness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-coldness-5536038/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m okay,” he reassured her before he could say something stupid. Like “marry me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-laurenston/i-m-okay-he-reassured-her-before-he-could-say-something-stupid-like/) [Shelly Laurenston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-laurenston/) > [I'd like to marry you, if you think that would be okay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/i-d-like-to-marry-you-if-you-think-that-would-be-okay/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“Why would a pretty thing like that marry a guard?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-mass/why-would-a-pretty-thing-like-that-marry-a-guard/) [Sarah J. Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-mass/) > [Every girl would like to marry a rich husband. I did twice. But what divides girls into two groups is this question - do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hedy-lamarr/every-girl-would-like-to-marry-a-rich-husband-i-did-twice-but-what/) [Hedy Lamarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hedy-lamarr/) > [“She loved him. He loved her. They both got married, not to each other. :) Down on one knee WILL U MARRY ME? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyro/she-loved-him-he-loved-her-they-both-got-married-not-to-each-other/) [Pyro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyro/) > [And I would like to marry and have more children. I would like to try and do it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/and-i-would-like-to-marry-and-have-more-children-i-would-like-to-try/) [Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/) > [Because I imagine there must be only a very, very few men in the world, that I should like to marry; and of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/because-i-imagine-there-must-be-only-a-very-very-few-men-in-the-world/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [You can like the life you're living, you can live the life you like. you can even marry harry, but mess around with ike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-fosse/you-can-like-the-life-you-re-living-you-can-live-the-life-you-like/) [Bob Fosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-fosse/) > [Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age - as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/whatever-you-may-look-like-marry-a-man-your-own-age-as-your-beauty/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [“That is just what I should like to marry. A thoroughly sensible wife would reduce me to a condition of absolute idiocy in less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/that-is-just-what-i-should-like-to-marry-a-thoroughly-sensible-wife/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I've said on one of my shows that I'd like to marry the character Amy Pond, not the actress who plays her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/i-ve-said-on-one-of-my-shows-that-i-d-like-to-marry-the-character-amy/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [Sire," Oliver said as he helped Petunia to her feet, "I'd like to marry Petunia. "Of course you would," retorted the King Gregor. "But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/sire-oliver-said-as-he-helped-petunia-to-her-feet-i-d-like-to-marry/) [Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/) > [“Helen,' said she, after a thoughtful silence, 'do you ever think about marriage?' 'Yes, aunt, often.' 'And do you ever contemplate the possibility of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/helen-said-she-after-a-thoughtful-silence-do-you-ever-think-about/) [Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [“It’s like when you marry a woman, you marry her family. When you date a woman who texts compulsively, you’re taking two hundred of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-like-when-you-marry-a-woman-you-marry-her-family-when-you-date-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Become the kind of person the kind of person you would like to marry would like to marry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/become-the-kind-of-person-the-kind-of-person-you-would-like-to-marry/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Appreciate quotes > [All I hear is the people that appreciate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-hardy/all-i-hear-is-the-people-that-appreciate-me/) [Greg Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-hardy/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Time is really gold,spent it wisely with the people around you.Spread love,appreciate the beauty around you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jglargosta/time-is-really-gold-spent-it-wisely-with-the-people-around-you-spread/) [Jglargosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jglargosta/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [The connoisseur of art must be able to appreciate what is simply beautiful, but the common run of people is satisfied with ornament](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-connoisseur-of-art-must-be-able-to-appreciate-what-is-simply/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [The laws of thermodynamics, as empirically determined, express the approximate and probable behavior of systems of a great number of particles, or, more precisely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-willard-gibbs/the-laws-of-thermodynamics-as-empirically-determined-express-the/) [J. Willard Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-willard-gibbs/) > [This time, there were no drugs involved. The hours were completely normal daytime hours. I think we were able to appreciate the interplay, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-buckingham/this-time-there-were-no-drugs-involved-the-hours-were-completely/) [Lindsey Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsey-buckingham/) > [I would like beautiful gymnastics to be recognized as the best. I want the judges to appreciate things that are not necessarily winning points.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kohei-uchimura/i-would-like-beautiful-gymnastics-to-be-recognized-as-the-best-i-want/) [Kohei Uchimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kohei-uchimura/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [It's great at this stage in my life to still be in the running, that people appreciate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/it-s-great-at-this-stage-in-my-life-to-still-be-in-the-running-that/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [The sectaries of a persecuted religion, depressed by fear, animated with resentment, and perhaps heated by enthusiasm, are seldom in a proper temper of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-sectaries-of-a-persecuted-religion-depressed-by-fear-animated/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [Love is too wonderful for us but why we often times do not ever appreciate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/love-is-too-wonderful-for-us-but-why-we-often-times-do-not-ever/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [I think the most important thing is to stay hopeful, to believe wonderful things are possible and do your best. Basically, to not give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irena-a-hoffman/i-think-the-most-important-thing-is-to-stay-hopeful-to-believe/) [Irena A. Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irena-a-hoffman/) > [“Admire and appreciate your man and he will be happy on your side”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-alfiori/admire-and-appreciate-your-man-and-he-will-be-happy-on-your-side/) [Linda Alfiori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-alfiori/) [Browse all 3,873 Appreciate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“HIGGINS. It's all you'll get until you stop being a common idiot. If you're going to be a lady, you'll have to give up feeling neglected if the men you know don't spend half their time snivelling over you and the other half giving you black eyes. If you can't stand the coldness of my sort of life, and the strain of it, go back to the gutter. Work til you are more a brute than a human being; and then cuddle and squabble and drink til you fall asleep. Oh, it's a fine life, the life of the gutter. It's real: it's warm: it's violent: you can feel it through the thickest skin: you can taste it and smell it without any training or any work. Not like Science and Literature and Classical Music and Philosophy and Art. You find me cold, unfeeling, selfish, don't you? Very well: be off with you to the sort of people you like. Marry some sentimental hog or other with lots of money, and a thick pair of lips to kiss you with and a thick pair of boots to kick you with. 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