--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Condoms will break, but I can assure you…" description: "\"Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.\" — Joycelyn Elders" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png" --- # Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of… ![“Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.” quote by Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png) > “Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.” [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical barriers can fail, but personal commitments to abstinence are even less reliable. **In simple terms:** Condoms may fail; abstinence vows break more often. Key Takeaway Rely on proven protection, not just promises. Themes health sex education responsibility Mood cautious informative Type advice policy When to use this quote - teenage sexual health programs - family planning counseling - school curricula Key Concepts public health policy behavioral risk Questions to Reflect On - How can we better combine education with reliable protection? - What societal factors undermine abstinence pledges? A Different Perspective Abstinence education alone often lacks effectiveness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstinence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstinence/) [Abstinence Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstinence-break-1210524/) [Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break/) [Condom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condom/) [Condoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condoms/) [Condoms Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condoms-break-1210521/) [Easily Condoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily-condoms-1210523/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Vow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vow/) [Vows Abstinence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vows-abstinence-1210522/) ## Related quotes > [We're doing a great disservice to our young people because the only protection is abstinence, as condoms have been proven fallible. The federal government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-o-donnell/we-re-doing-a-great-disservice-to-our-young-people-because-the-only/) [Christine O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-o-donnell/) > [“AIDS would have claimed fewer lives if we had publicly recommended what I wish to call ‘The Presumption of Sickness,’ i.e., the principle that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/aids-would-have-claimed-fewer-lives-if-we-had-publicly-recommended/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“How is it that mankind can engineer condoms to prevent pregnancy and STDs and not be able to invent some sort of emotional safeguard?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-snadowsky/how-is-it-that-mankind-can-engineer-condoms-to-prevent-pregnancy-and/) [Daria Snadowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-snadowsky/) > [I'm against abstinence programs because I really consider "abstinence only" child abuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-m-against-abstinence-programs-because-i-really-consider-abstinence/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [“It's like you have a special skill when it comes to finding condoms. Seriously. They must fall out of the sky whenever you're around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/it-s-like-you-have-a-special-skill-when-it-comes-to-finding-condoms/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > ['Condoms are cheaper than diapers,' you know what's cheaper than condoms? Being unattractive, score one for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/condoms-are-cheaper-than-diapers-you-know-what-s-cheaper-than-condoms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Condoms aren’t a hundred percent you know,” he reminds me calmly. My mind flashes to a certain episode of Friends, and I suddenly feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-fernando/condoms-aren-t-a-hundred-percent-you-know-he-reminds-me-calmly-my/) [Chantal Fernando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-fernando/) > [“So he heads straight for the condoms an grabs a box a 24 Durex Avanti. He says they’ve got a 64mm width stead a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/londonstani/so-he-heads-straight-for-the-condoms-an-grabs-a-box-a-24-durex-avanti/) [Londonstani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/londonstani/) > [“No matter what those sex-ed teachers say about how great condoms are, there's not a condom in the world to protect you from heartbreak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-friend/no-matter-what-those-sex-ed-teachers-say-about-how-great-condoms-are/) [Natasha Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-friend/) > [I love kids just because they are the only one who remind me to buy condoms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiney-hay/i-love-kids-just-because-they-are-the-only-one-who-remind-me-to-buy/) [Shiney Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shiney-hay/) > [“So here we are, in the family planning aisle with a cart full of sports drinks and our hands full of . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/so-here-we-are-in-the-family-planning-aisle-with-a-cart-full-of/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [“Because Clare had never let the fact that Mark didn't have a father in his life get in the way of sex education. She'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/because-clare-had-never-let-the-fact-that-mark-didn-t-have-a-father/) [lisa henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/) > [“... I believe strongly in condoms. They avert babies and disease. They make you seem responsible, not slutty. They make the girl relax too,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mesrobian/i-believe-strongly-in-condoms-they-avert-babies-and-disease-they-make/) [Carrie Mesrobian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mesrobian/) > [The great thing about glow-in-the-dark condoms is that if you get up in the middle of the night to raid the fridge,you won't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-great-thing-about-glow-in-the-dark-condoms-is-that-if-you-get-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You should probably buy your condoms before your next wild vacation to Denmark. The Danish word for condom is Svangerskabsforebyggendemiddel. Try saying that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/you-should-probably-buy-your-condoms-before-your-next-wild-vacation/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) ## More by Joycelyn Elders > [The best contraceptive in the world is a good education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/the-best-contraceptive-in-the-world-is-a-good-education/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Once I had a professor say to me, "You know you have as much education as a lot of white people." I answered, "Doctor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/once-i-had-a-professor-say-to-me-you-know-you-have-as-much-education/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Handguns are a public health issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/handguns-are-a-public-health-issue/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [ \[On masturbation:\] I think that it is part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/on-masturbation-i-think-that-it-is-part-of-human-sexuality-and/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [I think we should have a very, very heavy tax on handguns and on bullets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-think-we-should-have-a-very-very-heavy-tax-on-handguns-and-on/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [“We have a multiheaded dragon in our midst that for too long has been waging a domestic war on our young, our poor, our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-have-a-multiheaded-dragon-in-our-midst-that-for-too-long-has-been/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [... black women have always found that in the social order of things we're the least likely to be believed--by anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/black-women-have-always-found-that-in-the-social-order-of-things-we/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [You can't keep an ignorant population healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-keep-an-ignorant-population-healthy/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Everybody's got to die from somethin'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/everybody-s-got-to-die-from-somethin/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [ \[We must\] deal with all of the contributing factors to gun violence as a whole, because it's like a leaky bucket - if you've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/we-must-deal-with-all-of-the-contributing-factors-to-gun-violence-as/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [You can't educate people that are not healthy. But you certainly can't keep them healthy if they're not educated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/you-can-t-educate-people-that-are-not-healthy-but-you-certainly-can-t/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [As long as I was in Washington I never met anybody that I thought was good enough, who knew enough, or who loved enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/as-long-as-i-was-in-washington-i-never-met-anybody-that-i-thought-was/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [I came there as prime steak and now I feel like low-grade hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/i-came-there-as-prime-steak-and-now-i-feel-like-low-grade-hamburger/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is about jobs and employment, education, the environment, and all of those things that go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/health-is-more-than-the-absence-of-disease-health-is-about-jobs-and/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) > [Health is more than absence of disease; it is about economics, education, environment, empowerment, and community. The health and well being of the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/health-is-more-than-absence-of-disease-it-is-about-economics/) [Joycelyn Elders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) [Explore all 56 Joycelyn Elders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/) ## More Abstinence quotes > [Sexual activity, and the thoughts and fantasies of sex, use up a great portion of our vital force. When that force is conserved through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patanjali/sexual-activity-and-the-thoughts-and-fantasies-of-sex-use-up-a-great/) [Patanjali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patanjali/) > [Used with due abstinence, hope acts as a healthful tonic; intemperately indulged, as an enervating opiate. The visions of future triumph, which at first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/used-with-due-abstinence-hope-acts-as-a-healthful-tonic-intemperately/) [James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/) > [“Male masturbation is not a release, it is a squandering. Anyone who begins to no-fap will soon discover this. Like most things, we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-freestone/male-masturbation-is-not-a-release-it-is-a-squandering-anyone-who/) [Jack Freestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-freestone/) > [Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/atheism-is-a-religion-like-abstinence-is-a-sex-position/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [When a married person uses pornography, or is unfaithful, it compromises not just his (or her) purity, but also compromises the spouse's purity. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-o-donnell/when-a-married-person-uses-pornography-or-is-unfaithful-it/) [Christine O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-o-donnell/) > [“Look, choosing to wait until marriage makes me feel empowered. But if the same choice cripples you, then it wasn't the right one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-allen/look-choosing-to-wait-until-marriage-makes-me-feel-empowered-but-if/) [Rachael Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-allen/) > [Taking the pledge will not make bad liquor good, but it will improve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/taking-the-pledge-will-not-make-bad-liquor-good-but-it-will-improve-it/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It is better to lock up your heart with a merciless padlock, than to fall in love with someone who doesn't know what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-better-to-lock-up-your-heart-with-a-merciless-padlock-than-to/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [There is a great deal of political pressure to only talk about abstinence, and to deny support for condoms and education on using them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/there-is-a-great-deal-of-political-pressure-to-only-talk-about/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Abstinence-only education - the best STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and pregnancy delivery system that politicians have ever devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/abstinence-only-education-the-best-std-sexually-transmitted-disease/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [While one may lose much because of avarice, nothing was ever accomplished by abstinence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isuna-hasekura/while-one-may-lose-much-because-of-avarice-nothing-was-ever/) [Isuna Hasekura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isuna-hasekura/) > [“The secular, for all its goodness, does not defend itself very well against mindless and perpetual consumption. It cries out to be offered by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-farrar-capon/the-secular-for-all-its-goodness-does-not-defend-itself-very-well/) [Robert Farrar Capon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-farrar-capon/) > [I went to an all-girls Catholic school. And all the nuns just breathed down our necks "abstinence." And that's not the right thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mccarthy/i-went-to-an-all-girls-catholic-school-and-all-the-nuns-just-breathed/) [Jenny McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mccarthy/) > [How do we want our air? Pure. How do we want our water? Pure. How do we want sex on our wedding night? Pure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-kelly/how-do-we-want-our-air-pure-how-do-we-want-our-water-pure-how-do-we/) [Molly Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-kelly/) > [“There’s gratification in abstaining from the easy choice. Instant gratification can bring more suffering than pleasure. If I do the hard thing, the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecily-wang/there-s-gratification-in-abstaining-from-the-easy-choice-instant/) [Cecily Wang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecily-wang/) [Browse all 233 Abstinence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstinence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joycelyn Elders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you-that-vows-of-abstinence-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abstinence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you-that-vows-of-abstinence-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/021/joycelyn-elders-12167_abstinence_condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you_1707265.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms.” — Joycelyn Elders", "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": "Joycelyn Elders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joycelyn-elders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Condoms will break, but I can...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you-that-vows-of-abstinence-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joycelyn-elders/condoms-will-break-but-i-can-assure-you-that-vows-of-abstinence-will/#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 } } ] } ```