--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two things you never turn down…" description: "\"There are two things you never turn down: sex and appearing on television.\" — Gore Vidal" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/gore-vidal-466_appearing_there-are-two-things-you-never-turn-down_646028.jpg" --- # There are two things you never turn down: sex and… ![“There are two things you never turn down: sex and appearing on television.” quote by Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/gore-vidal-466_appearing_there-are-two-things-you-never-turn-down_646028.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/gore-vidal-466_appearing_there-are-two-things-you-never-turn-down_646028.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/988/gore-vidal-466_appearing_there-are-two-things-you-never-turn-down_646028.jpg) > “There are two things you never turn down: sex and appearing on television.” [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Two irresistible temptations are sexual activity and TV appearances, both hard to refuse. **In simple terms:** Sex and TV are hard to decline. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage irresistible temptations. Themes temptation media desire Mood cynical humorous Type social observational When to use this quote - celebrity culture - personal relationships - media consumption Key Concepts sociology pop culture Questions to Reflect On - What drives our inability to refuse these? - How do they affect decision making? A Different Perspective Overemphasis may ignore other values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) ## Related quotes > [Somehow, by just continually pestering the general public by appearing on television, they accepted me and wanted more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-elliott/somehow-by-just-continually-pestering-the-general-public-by-appearing/) [Chris Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-elliott/) > [It's hard for a man to turn down sex... if they chase us, we can't run that fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/it-s-hard-for-a-man-to-turn-down-sex-if-they-chase-us-we-can-t-run/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [Whenever women catfight, men think it's going to turn to sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-bleeth/whenever-women-catfight-men-think-it-s-going-to-turn-to-sex/) [Yasmine Bleeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-bleeth/) > [“Babe, I thought you meant another game.” His brows wiggled. “Do you have to turn everything into sex?” “When you’re involved? Yes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-montes/babe-i-thought-you-meant-another-game-his-brows-wiggled-do-you-have/) [E.L. Montes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-montes/) > [Democracy is something America has never really practiced. Because the Founding Fathers hated two things: monarchy and democracy. They wanted a republic, a replica…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/democracy-is-something-america-has-never-really-practiced-because-the/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [What is the purpose and meaning and nature of sexual intercourse? It seems to me to be quite clear. It's for two things. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-e-smith/what-is-the-purpose-and-meaning-and-nature-of-sexual-intercourse-it/) [Janet E. 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Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Many people in the United States happen to believe that United States policy is wrong in Vietnam and the Vietcong are correct in wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/many-people-in-the-united-states-happen-to-believe-that-united-states/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“It is curious how little interested we are in the sexual desires of those who do not attract us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/it-is-curious-how-little-interested-we-are-in-the-sexual-desires-of/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [This separation was absolute in our original Republic. But the sky-godders do not give up easily. In the 1950s they actually got the phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/this-separation-was-absolute-in-our-original-republic-but-the-sky/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/style-is-knowing-who-you-are-what-you-want-to-say-and-not-giving-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [The oligarchs think that the people are both dangerous and stupid. Their point is moot. 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The good artist, like the wise man, addresses himself to life and invests with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-malady-of-civilized-man-is-his-knowledge-of-death-the-good-artist/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Sex is a continuum. You go through different phases along life's way... and if you don't, you've been sort of cheated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/sex-is-a-continuum-you-go-through-different-phases-along-life-s-way/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [All I want is that Americans still be able to read the alphabet in a hundred years. I am not very ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/all-i-want-is-that-americans-still-be-able-to-read-the-alphabet-in-a/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [I do not admire 'the people,' as such. No one really does. Their folk wisdom is usually false, their instincts predatory. Even their sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/i-do-not-admire-the-people-as-such-no-one-really-does-their-folk/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [“One of the problems of a society as tightly controlled as ours is that we get so little information about what those of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/one-of-the-problems-of-a-society-as-tightly-controlled-as-ours-is/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) [Explore all 539 Gore Vidal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) ## More Appearing quotes > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I find it profoundly symbolic that I am appearing before a committee of fifteen men who will report to a legislative body of one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letty-cottin-pogrebin/i-find-it-profoundly-symbolic-that-i-am-appearing-before-a-committee/) [Letty Cottin Pogrebin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letty-cottin-pogrebin/) > [Acting is not a state of being ... but a state of appearing to be. 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We were both appearing in a Canadian Folk Festival and as we sat backstage he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-chapin/it-was-1988-i-believe-that-i-met-grit-we-were-both-appearing-in-a/) [Tom Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-chapin/) > [I am of course getting angry if biologists try to use the general concept 'chance' in order to explain phenomena which are so typical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-paul/i-am-of-course-getting-angry-if-biologists-try-to-use-the-general/) [Wolfgang Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-paul/) > [Equity sends questions to Law. Law sends questions back to equity; Law finds it can't do this, equity finds it can't do that; neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/equity-sends-questions-to-law-law-sends-questions-back-to-equity-law/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Layering in different patterns will keep things from appearing too studied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/layering-in-different-patterns-will-keep-things-from-appearing-too/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [Barbra Streisand developed overwhelming performance anxiety at the height of her career; for 27 years she refused to perform for the general public, appearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stossel/barbra-streisand-developed-overwhelming-performance-anxiety-at-the/) [Scott Stossel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stossel/) > [How many people become abstract as a way of appearing profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-people-become-abstract-as-a-way-of-appearing-profound/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [I have often seen a cat without a grin - but a grin without a cat - remember the cat kept appearing and disappearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/i-have-often-seen-a-cat-without-a-grin-but-a-grin-without-a-cat/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [We feel a lot of pressure about looking silly or appearing weak, whatever that means, or being a failure. 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