---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But when he said he couldn’t shoot, it…"
description: "\"“But when he said he couldn’t shoot, it just seemed to make an odd sort of sense to tell him that Hermione couldn’t dance. It fit, really. Men were sup..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/julia-quinn-282_best-friend_but-when-he-said-he-couldn-t-shoot-it-ju_1906418.jpg"
---

#  But when he said he couldn’t shoot, it just seemed to make…

![“But when he said he couldn’t shoot, it just seemed to make an odd sort of sense to tell him that Hermione couldn’t dance. It fit, really. Men were supposed to shoot, and women were supposed to dance, and trusty best friends were supposed to keep their foolish mouths shut. Clearly, all three of…” quote by Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/julia-quinn-282_best-friend_but-when-he-said-he-couldn-t-shoot-it-ju_1906418.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/julia-quinn-282_best-friend_but-when-he-said-he-couldn-t-shoot-it-ju_1906418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/409/julia-quinn-282_best-friend_but-when-he-said-he-couldn-t-shoot-it-ju_1906418.jpg)

> ““But when he said he couldn’t shoot, it just seemed to make an odd sort of sense to tell him that Hermione couldn’t dance. It fit, really. Men were supposed to shoot, and women were supposed to dance, and trusty best friends were supposed to keep their foolish mouths shut. Clearly, all three of them needed a bit of instruction.””

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

## About This Quote

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

Gender expectations and friendship dynamics can create confusing social scripts that need clarification.

**In simple terms:** Social scripts can be confusing.

Key Takeaway

Question and clarify social expectations.

Themes

gender roles friendship communication

Mood

reflective critical

Type

literary conversational

When to use this quote

- dating
- workplace interactions
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

social norms personal boundaries

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you navigate gendered expectations?
- When should you challenge a friend’s silence?

A Different Perspective

May reinforce stereotypes; not all contexts fit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Best friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friends/) [Couldn Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-dance-2375814/) [Couldn Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couldn-shoot-2316996/) [Supposed Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-dance-720001/) [Supposed Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed-shoot-560358/) [Tell Hermione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tell-hermione-2843949/)

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> [That's crudely put, but If we're not supposed to dance, Why all this music?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-orr/that-s-crudely-put-but-if-we-re-not-supposed-to-dance-why-all-this/)

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> [Girls are supposed to dance. That's why god gave them parts that jiggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-glover/girls-are-supposed-to-dance-that-s-why-god-gave-them-parts-that-jiggle/)

[Donald Glover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-glover/)

> [Coming out of college that's all people kept saying was I couldn't shoot. I shot probably 30-something percent from 3 so they were pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-sexton/coming-out-of-college-that-s-all-people-kept-saying-was-i-couldn-t/)

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> [“He didn't quite know how to neutralize a threat that he couldn't shoot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyn-gala/he-didn-t-quite-know-how-to-neutralize-a-threat-that-he-couldn-t-shoot/)

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## More by Julia Quinn

> [“what a sad pair we are," she said. "Surely we can manage a conversation on a topic other than our respective terrible evenings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/what-a-sad-pair-we-are-she-said-surely-we-can-manage-a-conversation/)

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> [Daphne," he said with controlled gentleness, "what is wrong?" She sat down opposite him and placed a hand on his cheek. "I'm so insensitive,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/daphne-he-said-with-controlled-gentleness-what-is-wrong-she-sat-down/)

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> [A Real Man will help build his woman's self esteem not break it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-s-voice/a-real-man-will-help-build-his-woman-s-self-esteem-not-break-it/)

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