--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You may be desperate, but never let…" description: "\"You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as anything less than a cultivated woman.\" — Lisa See" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg" --- # You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as… ![“You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as anything less than a cultivated woman.” quote by Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg) > “You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as anything less than a cultivated woman.” [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A cultivated woman maintains dignity and self‑respect, refusing to be diminished by others' perceptions. **In simple terms:** Never let anyone see you as less than cultivated. Key Takeaway Uphold self‑worth and elegance. Themes self‑respect womanhood cultivation confidence Mood empowered proud Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - dating - career advancement - social events - personal branding - networking Key Concepts feminism identity social expectations Questions to Reflect On - How do you define cultivation? - What actions reinforce your self‑worth? A Different Perspective Societal pressures may challenge self‑image. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cultivated Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultivated-woman-834437/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Desperate Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate-let-2519539/) [Let Cultivated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-cultivated-2339377/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settle/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) ## Related quotes > [Christianity is not a religion for the masses, let alone for all. Cultivated by few and translated into deeds, it is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/christianity-is-not-a-religion-for-the-masses-let-alone-for-all/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [“Are you done getting your head straight?” “No,” I admitted. He nodded. “You ready to let me help you do that yet?” I closed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-martinez/are-you-done-getting-your-head-straight-no-i-admitted-he-nodded-you/) [Aly Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-martinez/) > [Her mother was a cultivated woman - she was born in a greenhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/her-mother-was-a-cultivated-woman-she-was-born-in-a-greenhouse/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [Never allow yourself to be so desperate that you end up settling for far less than that you deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-allow-yourself-to-be-so-desperate-that-you-end-up-settling-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even though I'm not with their mother, it's important for my kids to see adults in a committed and happy relationship. They need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-strahan/even-though-i-m-not-with-their-mother-it-s-important-for-my-kids-to/) [Michael Strahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-strahan/) > [I could settle down into a state of equable low spirits, and resign myself to coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-could-settle-down-into-a-state-of-equable-low-spirits-and-resign/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Never settle for average](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/never-settle-for-average/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“When we are quiet and still we contract and settle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/when-we-are-quiet-and-still-we-contract-and-settle/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [The problem men seem to have, and women, too, is that they have this very structured idea that we should find a partner and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-kendal/the-problem-men-seem-to-have-and-women-too-is-that-they-have-this/) [Felicity Kendal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-kendal/) > [There is no future until you settle the past...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-future-until-you-settle-the-past/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won't, for he sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/although-we-might-settle-for-less-heavenly-father-won-t-for-he-sees/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [You can make a very good argument that society would be much worse off if you let 10 rapists and murderers free rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-goldberg/you-can-make-a-very-good-argument-that-society-would-be-much-worse/) [Jonah Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-goldberg/) > [Never settle for the crumbs of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/never-settle-for-the-crumbs-of-life/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Why settle for less when you deserve the best?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/britt-l/why-settle-for-less-when-you-deserve-the-best/) [Britt L](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/britt-l/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) ## More by Lisa See > [“the birth of the twins and what happened to them, although traditional, has transformed me as irreversibly as soaking cloth in a vat of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/the-birth-of-the-twins-and-what-happened-to-them-although-traditional/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [When the sun is shining, think of the time it won't be, because even when you're sitting in your house with the doors shut,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-the-sun-is-shining-think-of-the-time-it-won-t-be-because-even/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Snow Flower was my old same for life. I had a greater and deeper love for her than I could ever feel for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/snow-flower-was-my-old-same-for-life-i-had-a-greater-and-deeper-love/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When she reaches the ground, she looks from the old woman to me. A moment of confusion. Then recognition. I know her too, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-she-reaches-the-ground-she-looks-from-the-old-woman-to-me-a/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“huigan—causes us to turn inward and reflect as the liquor coats our tongues, shimmers down our throats, and then rises again as fragrance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/huigan-causes-us-to-turn-inward-and-reflect-as-the-liquor-coats-our/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“...maybe writing doesn't require sacrifice. Maybe it's a gift to experience emotions through our brushes, ink, and paper. I wrote out sorrow, fear, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-writing-doesn-t-require-sacrifice-maybe-it-s-a-gift-to/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“You can always count on people to crowded your party when you’re in glory but you should never dream of people sending you charcoal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-can-always-count-on-people-to-crowded-your-party-when-you-re-in/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Let those who believe, believe. Let those who doubt, doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/let-those-who-believe-believe-let-those-who-doubt-doubt/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [It used to happen in villages and towns in China that they would have - I guess you'd call them beauty contests - where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/it-used-to-happen-in-villages-and-towns-in-china-that-they-would-have/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“So many mistakes. So many errors. So much tragedy as a result. In that moment I understood that the cruelest words in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/so-many-mistakes-so-many-errors-so-much-tragedy-as-a-result-in-that/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Yes, she had held her family together, but at what cost to herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/yes-she-had-held-her-family-together-but-at-what-cost-to-herself/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“When in the world did anyone die from a dream?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/when-in-the-world-did-anyone-die-from-a-dream/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [But, you know, I just did a big trip in the spring to Vietnam and Cambodia and Thailand, and that's when I bought a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/but-you-know-i-just-did-a-big-trip-in-the-spring-to-vietnam-and/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“Maybe that's what we're all like with our mothers. They seem ordinary until one day they're extraordinary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/maybe-that-s-what-we-re-all-like-with-our-mothers-they-seem-ordinary/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [Model communes are the ones where the leaders lie the best and the biggest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/model-communes-are-the-ones-where-the-leaders-lie-the-best-and-the/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) [Explore all 178 Lisa See quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) ## More Desperate quotes > [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [“I am a desperate romantic. I love the idea of random collisions of the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-thompson/i-am-a-desperate-romantic-i-love-the-idea-of-random-collisions-of-the/) [Jessica Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-thompson/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [“Really? I'm trying to place you. It seems like we've met before." Did I just issue him a pick up line? Fantastic, I've now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/really-i-m-trying-to-place-you-it-seems-like-we-ve-met-before-did-i/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [Never be desperate. Get rid of your insecurities. Know your worth. Believe in yourself and go get what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-be-desperate-get-rid-of-your-insecurities-know-your-worth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She was stupid and lonely. So desperate to be touched and loved with a good love. I need you, don't leave me, you're all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian-bane/she-was-stupid-and-lonely-so-desperate-to-be-touched-and-loved-with-a/) [Lucian Bane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian-bane/) > [You mostly know that you want to be funny, know that you have the desire. It's not like people who grow up beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-mostly-know-that-you-want-to-be-funny-know-that-you-have-the/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [The World Health Organisation has a lot of its medical experts sitting in Geneva while hospitals in Africa have no drugs and desperate patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/the-world-health-organisation-has-a-lot-of-its-medical-experts/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I know it's a film and all of that, and it's a Hollywood film, but it kind of feels like this sometimes, when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-know-it-s-a-film-and-all-of-that-and-it-s-a-hollywood-film-but-it/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [“you think I"m that desperate?" "The raging hard-on jabbing at me says yes." ~Creed/Annika”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-croft/you-think-i-m-that-desperate-the-raging-hard-on-jabbing-at-me-says/) [Sydney Croft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-croft/) > [Along with a livable wage, many parents are desperate for quality affordable child care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/along-with-a-livable-wage-many-parents-are-desperate-for-quality/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [As a player, if a club is desperate to sign you, then you can benefit from that. Desperate clubs are prepared to pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-forlan/as-a-player-if-a-club-is-desperate-to-sign-you-then-you-can-benefit/) [Diego Forlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-forlan/) [Browse all 1,618 Desperate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as anything less than a cultivated woman.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lisa See" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyone-see-you-as-anything-less/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desperate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyone-see-you-as-anything-less/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbb/lisa-see-2200_desperate_you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyon_253889.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You may be desperate, but never let anyone see you as anything less than a cultivated woman.” — Lisa See", "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": "Lisa See", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You may be desperate, but never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyone-see-you-as-anything-less/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/you-may-be-desperate-but-never-let-anyone-see-you-as-anything-less/#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 } } ] } ```