--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chaperons, even in their days of glory…" description: "\"Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet. This is no sm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/judith-martin-1927_able_chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-we_36258.jpg" --- # Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never… ![“Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet. This is no small contribution.” quote by Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/judith-martin-1927_able_chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-we_36258.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/judith-martin-1927_able_chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-we_36258.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e9/judith-martin-1927_able_chaperons-even-in-their-days-of-glory-we_36258.jpg) > “Chaperons, even in their days of glory, were almost never able to enforce morality; what they did was to force immorality to be discreet. This is no small contribution.” [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chaperones couldn't stop immoral acts, but they made them hidden, which subtly shaped social behavior. **In simple terms:** Hidden control of immorality Key Takeaway Discretion can be a moral tool Themes social control morality privacy power dynamics censorship Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type observation analysis commentary When to use this quote - courtship rituals - school supervision - workplace oversight Key Concepts social norms behavioral enforcement public vs private conduct Practical Applications - designing discreet compliance policies - studying hidden deviance Questions to Reflect On - Does hidden control truly improve morality? - What are the limits of indirect enforcement? A Different Perspective Discretion may enable continued immorality rather than deter it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Contribution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Immorality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immorality/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnancy/) ## Related quotes > [Chaperons don't enforce morality; they force immorality to be discreet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/chaperons-don-t-enforce-morality-they-force-immorality-to-be-discreet/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [The political Right likes to champion individual rights and individual liberty, but it has also worked to enforce morality in relation to abortion, gambling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-brat/the-political-right-likes-to-champion-individual-rights-and/) [Dave Brat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-brat/) > [It is a mistake to assume that the law should always enforce morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/it-is-a-mistake-to-assume-that-the-law-should-always-enforce-morality/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“We dare not invest so much in the kingdom of this world that we neglect our main task of introducing people to a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-dare-not-invest-so-much-in-the-kingdom-of-this-world-that-we/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Morality did not keep well; it required stable conditions; it was costly; it was subject to variations, and the market for it was uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/morality-did-not-keep-well-it-required-stable-conditions-it-was/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [The philosophers of industrialism, from Bacon to Bentham, from Smith to Marx, insisted that the improvement of man's condition was the highest requirement of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-mumford/the-philosophers-of-industrialism-from-bacon-to-bentham-from-smith-to/) [Lewis Mumford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-mumford/) > [“Kant was right; morality did in the eighteenth century, as a matter of historical fact, presuppose something very like the teleological scheme of God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-c-macintyre/kant-was-right-morality-did-in-the-eighteenth-century-as-a-matter-of/) [Alasdair C. MacIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-c-macintyre/) > [“Morality did not begin by one man saying to another, "I will not hit you if you do not hit me"; there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/morality-did-not-begin-by-one-man-saying-to-another-i-will-not-hit/) [G.K. 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As discreet as a six-foot-six, no-neck guy weighing three hundred and fifty pounds, all dressed in black SWAT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/i-ll-be-real-discreet-tank-said-as-discreet-as-a-six-foot-six-no-neck/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [I try to learn from both, from features and documentaries. In both cases you have to find a way to make the camera as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-try-to-learn-from-both-from-features-and-documentaries-in-both/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [There is a justice, but we do not always see it. Discreet, smiling, it is there, at one side, a little behind injustice, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/there-is-a-justice-but-we-do-not-always-see-it-discreet-smiling-it-is/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [I was a very sickly child. My parents were immigrants. They were not decorous. They were not discreet. They always thought I was gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-was-a-very-sickly-child-my-parents-were-immigrants-they-were-not/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) ## More by Judith Martin > [Smart people duck when they hear the dread announcement 'I'm going to be perfectly honest with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/smart-people-duck-when-they-hear-the-dread-announcement-i-m-going-to/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [If you put together all the ingredients that naturally attract children - sex, violence, revenge, spectacle and vigorous noise - what you have is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/if-you-put-together-all-the-ingredients-that-naturally-attract/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [The one prediction that never comes true is, 'You'll thank me for telling you this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/the-one-prediction-that-never-comes-true-is-you-ll-thank-me-for/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [There are always proper responses, even to rude questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/there-are-always-proper-responses-even-to-rude-questions/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Perhaps the greatest rudenesses of our time come not from the callousness of strangers, but from the solicitousness of intimates who believe that their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/perhaps-the-greatest-rudenesses-of-our-time-come-not-from-the/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [We are all entitled to our little harmless habits, but we are not entitled to demand approval for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/we-are-all-entitled-to-our-little-harmless-habits-but-we-are-not/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [“Lady” is not used before the lady’s first name unless she is the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl; those who come by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/lady-is-not-used-before-the-lady-s-first-name-unless-she-is-the/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Greece is a good place for rebirths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/greece-is-a-good-place-for-rebirths/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Adorable children are considered to be the general property of the human race. Rude children belong to their mothers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/adorable-children-are-considered-to-be-the-general-property-of-the/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [I have always believed that the key to a happy marriage was the ability to say with a straight face, 'Why, I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/i-have-always-believed-that-the-key-to-a-happy-marriage-was-the/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [It is, indeed, a trial to maintain the virtue of humility when one can't help being right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/it-is-indeed-a-trial-to-maintain-the-virtue-of-humility-when-one-can/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [Honesty is a virtue, but not the only one. 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