---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I watched wealthy men and their wives and…"
description: "\"“I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing and playing cards and making deals: I will admire you exactly as much, no more or less, as you..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg"
---

#  I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing…

![“I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing and playing cards and making deals: I will admire you exactly as much, no more or less, as you admire me. I will love you in the strictest moderation.” quote by Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg)

> ““I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing and playing cards and making deals: I will admire you exactly as much, no more or less, as you admire me. I will love you in the strictest moderation.””

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker proposes equal admiration and love, measured and balanced, avoiding excess devotion.

**In simple terms:** Mutual respect and measured love are best.

Key Takeaway

Practice balanced affection.

Themes

e love balance

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- Relationships
- marriage
- friendship
- business partnerships

Key Concepts

Reciprocity moderation gender dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you maintain balance in admiration?
- What limits should love have?

A Different Perspective

Excessive admiration can become possessive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Admire Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admire-love-1447962/) [Dates Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dates-dancing-4958289/) [Deals Admire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals-admire-4958288/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Playing Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-card/) [Playing cards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-cards/) [Watched Wealthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-wealthy-4958287/) [Wealthy Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wealthy-men-592393/)

## Related quotes

> [Do you know," he said, "there are men who would like very much to see me dead. Powerful men. Obscenely wealthy me. Men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/do-you-know-he-said-there-are-men-who-would-like-very-much-to-see-me/)

[Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/)

> [Will appear first, I believe, as a conscious organization of intelligent and quite possibly in some cases, wealthy men, as a movement having distinct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hg-wells/will-appear-first-i-believe-as-a-conscious-organization-of/)

[HG Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hg-wells/)

> [Wealthy men, too, like several of those in our neighborhood, had so many slaves that they were compelled to buy other plantations on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/wealthy-men-too-like-several-of-those-in-our-neighborhood-had-so-many/)

[John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/)

> [“In economy, invisible hand is a set of wealthy men. It's the puppeteer who's in charge behind the curtain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/in-economy-invisible-hand-is-a-set-of-wealthy-men-it-s-the-puppeteer/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [The press is owned by wealthy men who only want certain things to reach the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-press-is-owned-by-wealthy-men-who-only-want-certain-things-to/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I don't think most people are aware of the exotic and extreme tools at the disposal of the most powerful and wealthy men of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-farrow/i-don-t-think-most-people-are-aware-of-the-exotic-and-extreme-tools/)

[Ronan Farrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-farrow/)

> [Wealthy men can't live in an island that is encircled by poverty. We all breathe the same air. We must give a chance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayrton-senna/wealthy-men-can-t-live-in-an-island-that-is-encircled-by-poverty-we/)

[Ayrton Senna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayrton-senna/)

> [“She’d paid full price, but life was a competition and she knew non-working wives of wealthy men loved to talk about how they’d saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/she-d-paid-full-price-but-life-was-a-competition-and-she-knew-non/)

[Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/)

> [You know, criticism began as the province of amateurs, of wealthy men who liked the arts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-christgau/you-know-criticism-began-as-the-province-of-amateurs-of-wealthy-men/)

[Robert Christgau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-christgau/)

> [To love is to admire with the heart; to admire is to love with the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/to-love-is-to-admire-with-the-heart-to-admire-is-to-love-with-the-mind/)

[Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/)

> [In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/in-vain-i-have-struggled-it-will-not-do-my-feelings-will-not-be/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [All men do not, in fine, admire or love the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/all-men-do-not-in-fine-admire-or-love-the-same-thing/)

[Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/)

> [“Becoming more deeply connected with those you admire and love bolsters, in you, the traits you most admire in them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kare-anderson/becoming-more-deeply-connected-with-those-you-admire-and-love/)

[Kare Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kare-anderson/)

> [“Ivoleyn is the most beautiful and remarkable woman in all of Altania, he said, his throat so tight the words inflicted a pain upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/ivoleyn-is-the-most-beautiful-and-remarkable-woman-in-all-of-altania/)

[Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/)

> [No, I don't admire the genius. But I admire and love the result of the genius's activity in the world, of which the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/knut-hamsun/no-i-don-t-admire-the-genius-but-i-admire-and-love-the-result-of-the/)

[Knut Hamsun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/knut-hamsun/)

## More by Helen Oyeyemi

> [“Juju is not enough to protect you. Everything you have I will turn against you. I'll turn sugar bitter for you. I'll take your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/juju-is-not-enough-to-protect-you-everything-you-have-i-will-turn/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/marriage-is-no-real-excuse-for-not-loving/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [I do tend to feel more connected to dead writers, perhaps because they have finished their work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-do-tend-to-feel-more-connected-to-dead-writers-perhaps-because-they/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“People don’t make too much money around here, but what comes with that is a different definition of what it means to be well-off.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/people-don-t-make-too-much-money-around-here-but-what-comes-with-that/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“He looked honored, extraordinarily honored, seeming to care for that which tore his flesh than he did for the flesh itself, embracing the blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/he-looked-honored-extraordinarily-honored-seeming-to-care-for-that/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“White-flowered shrubs thickened around her and so did sleep; it directed her limbs. Lie down now, sleep said sweetly. Lie down. These are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/white-flowered-shrubs-thickened-around-her-and-so-did-sleep-it/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [I don't despise 'Don Quixote,' but it is a book I don't... get. I'll have to come back it. Maybe there'll be a gateway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-don-t-despise-don-quixote-but-it-is-a-book-i-don-t-get-i-ll-have-to/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“I think her favorite thing about our . . . collaboration was her actor and musician friends rubbing shoulders with my academic colleagues, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-think-her-favorite-thing-about-our-collaboration-was-her-actor-and/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“After half an hour the Senora emerged, short of breath, with flushed cheeks…as uf she'd been seized and shaken like a faulty thermometer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/after-half-an-hour-the-senora-emerged-short-of-breath-with-flushed/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“It was the usual struggle between one who loves by accepting burdens and one who loves by refusing to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/it-was-the-usual-struggle-between-one-who-loves-by-accepting-burdens/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“Pops says he loves me just the way I am, but not everyone in the world is like my father. Maman, for example. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/pops-says-he-loves-me-just-the-way-i-am-but-not-everyone-in-the-world/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“With boys there was a fundamental assumption that they had a right to be there—not always, but more often than not. With girls, Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/with-boys-there-was-a-fundamental-assumption-that-they-had-a-right-to/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [The more forcibly I'm made aware of the fact that I'll never be the kind of storyteller I most admire, the less I'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/the-more-forcibly-i-m-made-aware-of-the-fact-that-i-ll-never-be-the/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [The girl was lighter without her heart. She danced barefoot on the hot roads, and her feet were not cut by the glass or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/the-girl-was-lighter-without-her-heart-she-danced-barefoot-on-the-hot/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

> [“So her missing person's poster features a girl with long hair and dreamy eyes that don't see the fracture coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/so-her-missing-person-s-poster-features-a-girl-with-long-hair-and/)

[Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

[Explore all 218 Helen Oyeyemi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/)

## More Money quotes

> [You've got to tell your money what to do or it will leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/you-ve-got-to-tell-your-money-what-to-do-or-it-will-leave/)

[Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/)

> [Don't let's lose sight of what creates wealth. It is open markets, it is capitalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/don-t-let-s-lose-sight-of-what-creates-wealth-it-is-open-markets-it/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Money is the kind of instrument which is very speedily produced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatoly-chubais/money-is-the-kind-of-instrument-which-is-very-speedily-produced/)

[Anatoly Chubais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatoly-chubais/)

> [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [Maybe you can,t buy a big house.. A new car.. A huge diamond ring.. But if you have just one true friend who loves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy/maybe-you-can-t-buy-a-big-house-a-new-car-a-huge-diamond-ring-but-if/)

[Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy/)

> [“Don't allow money to become the yardstick by which you measure the worth of the world around you!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-james-pritchard/don-t-allow-money-to-become-the-yardstick-by-which-you-measure-the/)

[Andrew James Pritchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-james-pritchard/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/)

[Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/)

> [I doubt that we Americans can come to terms with our money neuroses without understanding the more florid pathology of the very rich for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-slater/i-doubt-that-we-americans-can-come-to-terms-with-our-money-neuroses/)

[Philip Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-slater/)

> [“The writer must earn money in order to be able to live and to write, but he must by no means live and write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/the-writer-must-earn-money-in-order-to-be-able-to-live-and-to-write/)

[Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/)

> [Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/jobs-and-money-are-never-the-primary-cause-of-stress-thinking/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

> [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/)

[Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/)

> [The man who works for the gold in the job rather than for the money in the pay envelope, is the fellow who gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-french-johnson/the-man-who-works-for-the-gold-in-the-job-rather-than-for-the-money/)

[Joseph French Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-french-johnson/)

[Browse all 45,172 Money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing and playing cards and making deals: I will admire you exactly as much, no more or less, as you admire me. I will love you in the strictest moderation.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Helen Oyeyemi"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-and-dates-dancing-and-playing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Money"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-and-dates-dancing-and-playing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/255/helen-oyeyemi-1658_money_i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-an_610380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I watched wealthy men and their wives and dates dancing and playing cards and making deals: I will admire…” — Helen Oyeyemi",
                "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": "Helen Oyeyemi",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I watched wealthy men and their...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-and-dates-dancing-and-playing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/i-watched-wealthy-men-and-their-wives-and-dates-dancing-and-playing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
