---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The patterns of gratification are simple…"
description: "\"“The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall into two patterns, the Great Bitch and the Poison Maiden.”\" — Germaine Greer"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png"
---

#  The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall…

![“The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall into two patterns, the Great Bitch and the Poison Maiden.” quote by Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png)

> ““The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall into two patterns, the Great Bitch and the Poison Maiden.””

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

## About This Quote

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

Human desire manifests in two archetypal patterns: nurturing (the Great Bitch) and destructive (the Poison Maiden).

**In simple terms:** Desire has two main patterns.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and balance nurturing and destructive impulses.

Themes

gender psychology desire

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- relationships
- creative work
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

archetypes dualism

Questions to Reflect On

- Which pattern influences you more?
- How can you transform destructive urges?

A Different Perspective

Oversimplification may ignore nuanced motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Gratification Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification-simple-514731/) [Great Bitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-bitch-3673523/) [Patterns Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patterns-gratification-6143246/) [Poison Maiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison-maiden-2569777/) [Representation-of-women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representation-of-women-157757/) [Stereotypes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stereotypes/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Poison Maiden has conceived by him, and is plumb ready to enter the divine category of mother, only one last fiend clubs her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-poison-maiden-has-conceived-by-him-and-is-plumb-ready-to-enter/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“The Great Bitch is the deadly female, a worthy opponent for the omnipotent hero to exercise his powers upon and through. She is desirous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-great-bitch-is-the-deadly-female-a-worthy-opponent-for-the/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“Because he wanted nothing from her; this was a generous, expansive feeling, unattached to the possibility of gratification; it was the simple happiness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-baker/because-he-wanted-nothing-from-her-this-was-a-generous-expansive/)

[Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-baker/)

> [“She had no sense of time, of what day it was, or anything beyond the bed she was on and the unceasing battle she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/she-had-no-sense-of-time-of-what-day-it-was-or-anything-beyond-the/)

[Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/)

> [“I would suggest that especially in the differential of images that arise, in the inflections that we find within the representations of women we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loriliai-biernacki/i-would-suggest-that-especially-in-the-differential-of-images-that/)

[Loriliai Biernacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loriliai-biernacki/)

> [I definitely think we're living in a world or generation where we need constant gratification and adoration with Instagram and likes, and we base…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-ballinger/i-definitely-think-we-re-living-in-a-world-or-generation-where-we/)

[Colleen Ballinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-ballinger/)

> [“When we allow ourselves to show some patience and take time to listen to the others, we may learn a lot about ourselves. Patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-allow-ourselves-to-show-some-patience-and-take-time-to-listen/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [The realization that my problem was one that concerned all men, a problem of living and thinking, suddenly swept over me and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-realization-that-my-problem-was-one-that-concerned-all-men-a/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Our ideas of happiness, gratification, contentment, satisfaction, all demand that those feelings come from within us. If you flip that on its head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/our-ideas-of-happiness-gratification-contentment-satisfaction-all/)

[Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/)

> [“In our quest for entertainment and instant gratification, we have become detached from the real world and its problems, contributing to the erosion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/in-our-quest-for-entertainment-and-instant-gratification-we-have/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/self-love-is-the-sole-antagonist-of-virtue-leading-us-constantly-by/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [This is the great truth life has to teach us ... that gratification of our individual desires and expression of our personal preferences without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-odlum/this-is-the-great-truth-life-has-to-teach-us-that-gratification-of/)

[Hortense Odlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-odlum/)

> [For me, just the sheer fact that I get to act and do this for a living is enough personal gratification and individual fulfillment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/for-me-just-the-sheer-fact-that-i-get-to-act-and-do-this-for-a-living/)

[Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/)

> [Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/happiness-is-a-state-of-inner-fulfillment-not-the-gratification-of/)

[Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/)

> [One moment of gratification is not worth a lifetime of being unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-moment-of-gratification-is-not-worth-a-lifetime-of-being-unhappy/)

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

## More by Germaine Greer

> [You're only young once, but you can be immature forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/you-re-only-young-once-but-you-can-be-immature-forever/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Is it too much to ask that women be spared the daily struggle for superhuman beauty in order to offer it to the caresses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/is-it-too-much-to-ask-that-women-be-spared-the-daily-struggle-for/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“Female castration results in concentration of her feelings upon her male companion, and her impotence in confrontations with her own kind. Because all her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/female-castration-results-in-concentration-of-her-feelings-upon-her/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-have-been-charged-with-deviousness-and-duplicity-since-the-dawn/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“Psychologists cannot fix the world so they fix women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/psychologists-cannot-fix-the-world-so-they-fix-women/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Bras are a ludicrous invention; but if you make bralessness a rule, you're just subjecting yourself to yet another repression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/bras-are-a-ludicrous-invention-but-if-you-make-bralessness-a-rule-you/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [The essence of pleasure is spontaneity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-essence-of-pleasure-is-spontaneity/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [If a person loves only one other person, and is indifferent to his fellow men, his love is not love but a symbiotic attachment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/if-a-person-loves-only-one-other-person-and-is-indifferent-to-his/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Gillard is as likeable as Rudd is charmless. She is self-deprecating; he is ludicrously vainglorious. She is a mistress of understatement; he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/gillard-is-as-likeable-as-rudd-is-charmless-she-is-self-deprecating/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [“Liberty is terrifying but it is also exhilarating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/liberty-is-terrifying-but-it-is-also-exhilarating/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [It is often falsely assumed, even by feminists, that sexuality is the enemy of the female who really wants to develop these aspects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/it-is-often-falsely-assumed-even-by-feminists-that-sexuality-is-the/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Women who were housewives, who were pretty miserable ... felt inspired by her book and their life changed. They didn't become megastars, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/women-who-were-housewives-who-were-pretty-miserable-felt-inspired-by/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [It is in our interests to let the police and their employers go on believing that the Underground is a conspiracy, because it increases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/it-is-in-our-interests-to-let-the-police-and-their-employers-go-on/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Rescuing women from their burden of unwarranted guilt is going to require 'educational practices and socializing agents' even more effective than the ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/rescuing-women-from-their-burden-of-unwarranted-guilt-is-going-to/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

> [Men have still not realized that letting women do so much of the work for so little reward makes a man in the house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/men-have-still-not-realized-that-letting-women-do-so-much-of-the-work/)

[Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

[Explore all 232 Germaine Greer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/)

## More Gratification quotes

> [One moment of gratification is not worth a lifetime of being unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-moment-of-gratification-is-not-worth-a-lifetime-of-being-unhappy/)

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

> [Happiness is a state of inner fulfillment, not the gratification of inexhaustible desires for outward things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/happiness-is-a-state-of-inner-fulfillment-not-the-gratification-of/)

[Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/)

> [For me, just the sheer fact that I get to act and do this for a living is enough personal gratification and individual fulfillment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-gladstone/for-me-just-the-sheer-fact-that-i-get-to-act-and-do-this-for-a-living/)

[Lily Gladstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-gladstone/)

> [This is the great truth life has to teach us ... that gratification of our individual desires and expression of our personal preferences without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hortense-odlum/this-is-the-great-truth-life-has-to-teach-us-that-gratification-of/)

[Hortense Odlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hortense-odlum/)

> [Self-love . . . is the sole antagonist of virtue, leading us constantly by our propensities to self-gratification in violation of our moral duties to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/self-love-is-the-sole-antagonist-of-virtue-leading-us-constantly-by/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“In our quest for entertainment and instant gratification, we have become detached from the real world and its problems, contributing to the erosion of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slavoj-i-ek/in-our-quest-for-entertainment-and-instant-gratification-we-have/)

[Slavoj Žižek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slavoj-i-ek/)

> [Our ideas of happiness, gratification, contentment, satisfaction, all demand that those feelings come from within us. If you flip that on its head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bogost/our-ideas-of-happiness-gratification-contentment-satisfaction-all/)

[Ian Bogost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bogost/)

> [The realization that my problem was one that concerned all men, a problem of living and thinking, suddenly swept over me and I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-realization-that-my-problem-was-one-that-concerned-all-men-a/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“When we allow ourselves to show some patience and take time to listen to the others, we may learn a lot about ourselves. Patience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/when-we-allow-ourselves-to-show-some-patience-and-take-time-to-listen/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [I definitely think we're living in a world or generation where we need constant gratification and adoration with Instagram and likes, and we base…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-ballinger/i-definitely-think-we-re-living-in-a-world-or-generation-where-we/)

[Colleen Ballinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-ballinger/)

> [“They therefore have no opportunity to suffer the interval between desire and gratification which the less privileged endure, and which, for all its apparent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/they-therefore-have-no-opportunity-to-suffer-the-interval-between/)

[Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/)

> [ “Nothing could be more admirable than the manner in which for forty years he \[Joseph Black\] performed this useful and dignified office. His style… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-peter-brougham/nothing-could-be-more-admirable-than-the-manner-in-which-for-forty/)

[Henry Peter Brougham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-peter-brougham/)

> [All men who live only according to their five senses, and seek nothing beyond the gratification of their natural appetites for pleasure and reputation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/all-men-who-live-only-according-to-their-five-senses-and-seek-nothing/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [While business advertises, charity is taught to beg. While business motivates with a dollar, charity is told to motivate with guilt. While business takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-pallotta/while-business-advertises-charity-is-taught-to-beg-while-business/)

[Dan Pallotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-pallotta/)

> [“We’re making our decisions … or so we think. Yet in truth, ignorance, greed, and the scourge of immediate gratification are often the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/we-re-making-our-decisions-or-so-we-think-yet-in-truth-ignorance/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

[Browse all 551 Gratification quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall into two patterns, the Great Bitch and the Poison Maiden.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Germaine Greer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple-and-seem-to-fall-into-two/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gratification"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple-and-seem-to-fall-into-two/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57b/germaine-greer-1521_gratification_the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple_2423721.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The patterns of gratification are simple, and seem to fall into two patterns, the Great Bitch and the Poison…” — Germaine Greer",
                "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": "Germaine Greer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The patterns of gratification are simple,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple-and-seem-to-fall-into-two/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/the-patterns-of-gratification-are-simple-and-seem-to-fall-into-two/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
