--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being a philosopher, rather than a…" description: "\"“Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity, Mr. Gaul did not feel it at all incumbent upon him to refrain from contemplating Perdita's le..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png" --- # Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity… ![“Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity, Mr. Gaul did not feel it at all incumbent upon him to refrain from contemplating Perdita's legs.” quote by John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png) > ““Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity, Mr. Gaul did not feel it at all incumbent upon him to refrain from contemplating Perdita's legs.”” [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A philosopher dismisses the obligation to avoid objectifying a character’s body, showing indifference to moral constraints. **In simple terms:** Philosopher ignores moral duty about bodily contemplation. Key Takeaway Question ethical responsibilities in intellectual pursuits. Themes ethics philosophy objectification literature morality Mood critical philosophical Type literary advice When to use this quote - academic discourse - creative writing - media criticism - personal reflection Key Concepts moral philosophy critical theory literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - When is it acceptable to separate art from morality? - How does objectification affect interpretation? A Different Perspective May trivialize serious ethical concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lechery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lechery/) [Philosopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosopher/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) ## Related quotes > [When the French nation gradually came into existence among the ruins of the Roman civilization in Gaul, a new language was at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lytton-strachey/when-the-french-nation-gradually-came-into-existence-among-the-ruins/) [Lytton Strachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lytton-strachey/) > [Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres. Gaul as a whole is divided into three parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-caesar/gallia-est-omnis-divisa-in-partes-tres-gaul-as-a-whole-is-divided/) Irving Caesar > [The gigantic Gaul derided the Roman soldiers as a band of pigmies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lothrop-motley/the-gigantic-gaul-derided-the-roman-soldiers-as-a-band-of-pigmies/) [John Lothrop Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lothrop-motley/) > [“Such, under the reign of the Antonines, were the six provinces of Gaul; the Narbonnese, Aquitaine, the Celtic, or Lyonnese, the Belgic, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/such-under-the-reign-of-the-antonines-were-the-six-provinces-of-gaul/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [In Gaul were two orders, the nobility and the priesthood, while the people, says Caesar, were all slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lothrop-motley/in-gaul-were-two-orders-the-nobility-and-the-priesthood-while-the/) [John Lothrop Motley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lothrop-motley/) > [“that there was no doubt that the Helvetii were the most powerful of the whole of Gaul;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/that-there-was-no-doubt-that-the-helvetii-were-the-most-powerful-of/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [All Gaul is divided into three parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/all-gaul-is-divided-into-three-parts/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-caesar/all-gaul-is-divided-into-three-parts-one-of-which-the-belgae-inhabit/) [Julius Caesar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-caesar/) > [ Accumulating knowledge is a form of avarice and lends itself to another version of the Midas story ...man \[is\] so avid for knowledge that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/accumulating-knowledge-is-a-form-of-avarice-and-lends-itself-to/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [All intellectual missionaries tend to lechery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-engel/all-intellectual-missionaries-tend-to-lechery/) [Marian Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-engel/) > [My Lord, I find thy face apelike and thy form misshapen. Thy beard, moreover, is an offense against decency, resembling more closely the scabrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/my-lord-i-find-thy-face-apelike-and-thy-form-misshapen-thy-beard/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [There is to some men a great Lechery in Lying, and imposing on the understandings of beleeving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aubrey/there-is-to-some-men-a-great-lechery-in-lying-and-imposing-on-the/) [John Aubrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-aubrey/) > [God bids you not to commit lechery, that is, not to have sex with any woman except your wife. You ask of her that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-bids-you-not-to-commit-lechery-that-is-not-to-have-sex-with-any/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [Lechery is secretive, but must finally reveal itself to at least one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/lechery-is-secretive-but-must-finally-reveal-itself-to-at-least-one/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“lechery?" he asked with a wink, guessing from the hour that I had been with some palace kitchen-maid. "Oh aye, most vile," I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/lechery-he-asked-with-a-wink-guessing-from-the-hour-that-i-had-been/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) ## More by John Cowper Powys > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“though books, as Milton says, may be the embalming of mighty spirits, they are also the resurrection of rebellious, reactionary, fantastical, and wicked spirits!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/though-books-as-milton-says-may-be-the-embalming-of-mighty-spirits/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [Let none count themselves wise who have not with the nerves of their imagination felt the pain of the vivisected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/let-none-count-themselves-wise-who-have-not-with-the-nerves-of-their/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“Life is short and the number of books is appalling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/life-is-short-and-the-number-of-books-is-appalling/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [The mistake we make is to turn upon our past with angry wholesale negation. … The way of wisdom is to treat it airily,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-mistake-we-make-is-to-turn-upon-our-past-with-angry-wholesale/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [Our rulers at the present day, with their machines and their preachers, are all occupied in putting into our heads the preposterous notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/our-rulers-at-the-present-day-with-their-machines-and-their-preachers/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [Every day that we allow ourselves to take things for granted, every day that we allow some little physical infirmity or worldly worry to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/every-day-that-we-allow-ourselves-to-take-things-for-granted-every/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [To read great books does not mean one becomes ‘bookish’; it means that something of the terrible insight of Dostoyevsky, of the richly-charged imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/to-read-great-books-does-not-mean-one-becomes-bookish-it-means-that/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [The permanent mental attitude which the sensitive intelligence derives from philosophy is an attitude that combines extreme reverence with limitless skepticism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-permanent-mental-attitude-which-the-sensitive-intelligence/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [The more money you give to people the better; and the less advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-more-money-you-give-to-people-the-better-and-the-less-advice/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [It is that cricket field that, in all the sharp and bitter moments of life as they come to me now, gives me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-is-that-cricket-field-that-in-all-the-sharp-and-bitter-moments-of/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“There occurred within a causal radius of Brandon Station one of those infinitesimal ripples in the creative silence of the First Cause. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/there-occurred-within-a-causal-radius-of-brandon-station-one-of-those/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [Most of the pathetic scenes in almost everybody's life are scenes unnoted by anyone and totally disregarded by the person in question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/most-of-the-pathetic-scenes-in-almost-everybody-s-life-are-scenes/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [The love that interferes and knows not how to leave alone is a love alien to Nature's ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-love-that-interferes-and-knows-not-how-to-leave-alone-is-a-love/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > ["The meaning of culture" is nothing less than the conduct of life itself, fortified, thickened, made more crafty and subtle, by contact with books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-meaning-of-culture-is-nothing-less-than-the-conduct-of-life/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) [Explore all 44 John Cowper Powys quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) ## More Lechery quotes > [Lechery is secretive, but must finally reveal itself to at least one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/lechery-is-secretive-but-must-finally-reveal-itself-to-at-least-one/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [God bids you not to commit lechery, that is, not to have sex with any woman except your wife. You ask of her that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/god-bids-you-not-to-commit-lechery-that-is-not-to-have-sex-with-any/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [There is to some men a great Lechery in Lying, and imposing on the understandings of beleeving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aubrey/there-is-to-some-men-a-great-lechery-in-lying-and-imposing-on-the/) [John Aubrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-aubrey/) > [ Accumulating knowledge is a form of avarice and lends itself to another version of the Midas story ...man \[is\] so avid for knowledge that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/accumulating-knowledge-is-a-form-of-avarice-and-lends-itself-to/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“lechery?" he asked with a wink, guessing from the hour that I had been with some palace kitchen-maid. "Oh aye, most vile," I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/lechery-he-asked-with-a-wink-guessing-from-the-hour-that-i-had-been/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [All intellectual missionaries tend to lechery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-engel/all-intellectual-missionaries-tend-to-lechery/) [Marian Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-engel/) > [My Lord, I find thy face apelike and thy form misshapen. Thy beard, moreover, is an offense against decency, resembling more closely the scabrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/my-lord-i-find-thy-face-apelike-and-thy-form-misshapen-thy-beard/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Kinkiness comes from low energy. It's the substitution of lechery for lust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/kinkiness-comes-from-low-energy-it-s-the-substitution-of-lechery-for/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [“There's looking and there's looking. When some men look at you it's a greasy thing. It makes you want to have a bath. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/there-s-looking-and-there-s-looking-when-some-men-look-at-you-it-s-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Every time I tried to express my most heartfelt desires to be morally good I met with contempt and ridicule; and as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/every-time-i-tried-to-express-my-most-heartfelt-desires-to-be-morally/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [It provokes the desire but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery: it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/it-provokes-the-desire-but-it-takes-away-the-performance-therefore/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Lechery, lechery; still, wars and lechery: nothing else holds fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/lechery-lechery-still-wars-and-lechery-nothing-else-holds-fashion/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The Bible, in which these things are taught, favors drunkenness, murder, slavery, lying, stealing and lechery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-chilton-moore/the-bible-in-which-these-things-are-taught-favors-drunkenness-murder/) [Charles Chilton Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-chilton-moore/) > [Already I am no longer looked at with lechery or love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwendolyn-brooks/already-i-am-no-longer-looked-at-with-lechery-or-love/) [Gwendolyn Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwendolyn-brooks/) > [Drink, sir, is a great provoker of three things . . . nose-painting, sleep, and urine. Lechery, sir, it provokes, and unprovokes; it provokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/drink-sir-is-a-great-provoker-of-three-things-nose-painting-sleep-and/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 22 Lechery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lechery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity, Mr. Gaul did not feel it at all incumbent upon him to refrain from contemplating Perdita's legs.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Cowper Powys" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophyte-in-sanctity-mr-gaul-did/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Lechery" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophyte-in-sanctity-mr-gaul-did/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/john-cowper-powys-15016_lechery_being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophy_2918386.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Being a philosopher, rather than a neophyte in sanctity, Mr. Gaul did not feel it at all incumbent upon him…” — John Cowper Powys", "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": "John Cowper Powys", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Being a philosopher, rather than a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophyte-in-sanctity-mr-gaul-did/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/being-a-philosopher-rather-than-a-neophyte-in-sanctity-mr-gaul-did/#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 } } ] } ```