--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: . . . She knew only that if she did or…" description: "\". . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so, men would unerringly respond with the complimentary thus-and-so. It was like a mathematical fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg" --- # . . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so… ![“. . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so, men would unerringly respond with the complimentary thus-and-so. It was like a mathematical formula and no more difficult, for mathematics was the one subject that had come easy to Scarlett in her schooldays.” quote by Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg) > “. . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so, men would unerringly respond with the complimentary thus-and-so. It was like a mathematical formula and no more difficult, for mathematics was the one subject that had come easy to Scarlett in her schooldays.” [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scarlett's behavior follows a predictable, almost mathematical social rule. **In simple terms:** Social interactions can be formulaic. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns in behavior. Themes social dynamics predictability gender roles logic Mood analytical observant Type literary psychological When to use this quote - dating - networking - workplace negotiations Key Concepts sociology literature Questions to Reflect On - Do you see social rules as formulas? - How can you break predictable patterns? A Different Perspective People are not always predictable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-mathematics-2607639/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Formulas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formulas/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew/) [Like Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-mathematical-3389030/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Scarlett Schooldays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarlett-schooldays-4474011/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) ## Related quotes > [To emphasize only the beautiful seems to me to be like a mathematical system that only concerns itself with positive numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/to-emphasize-only-the-beautiful-seems-to-me-to-be-like-a-mathematical/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [ Detest it \[a certain difficult mathematics problem\] just as much as lewd intercourse; it can deprive you of all your leisure, your health, your… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farkas-bolyai/detest-it-a-certain-difficult-mathematics-problem-just-as-much-as/) [Farkas Bolyai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farkas-bolyai/) > [“Steele found, for example, that if he could convince women who took difficult mathematics examinations that everyone connected with the test assumed they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-bain/steele-found-for-example-that-if-he-could-convince-women-who-took/) [Ken Bain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-bain/) > [The game of life does not proceed like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes they make five,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-game-of-life-does-not-proceed-like-a-mathematical-calculation-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is like mathematical 1st principle equation once you forget to put lim, then every steps are wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/life-is-like-mathematical-1st-principle-equation-once-you-forget-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [It's like a mathematical law, Grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/it-s-like-a-mathematical-law-grace/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [It is utterly implausible that a mathematical formula should make the future known to us, and those who think it can would once have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bernoulli/it-is-utterly-implausible-that-a-mathematical-formula-should-make-the/) [Jacob Bernoulli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bernoulli/) > [The physicist who states a law of nature with the aid of a mathematical formula is abstracting a real feature of a real material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-putnam/the-physicist-who-states-a-law-of-nature-with-the-aid-of-a/) [Hilary Putnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-putnam/) > [I knew that he was as reliable as a mathematical formula.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-knew-that-he-was-as-reliable-as-a-mathematical-formula/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [The history of art cannot be properly understood without some reference to the history of science. In both we are studying the symbols by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/the-history-of-art-cannot-be-properly-understood-without-some/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [The calculative exactness of practical life which the money economy has brought about corresponds to the ideal of natural science: to transform the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-simmel/the-calculative-exactness-of-practical-life-which-the-money-economy/) [Georg Simmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-simmel/) > [ Characteristically skeptical of the idea that living things would faithfully follow mathematical formulas, \[Robert Harper\] seized upon factors in corn which seemed to blend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-thom/characteristically-skeptical-of-the-idea-that-living-things-would/) [Charles Thom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-thom/) > [You treat world history as a mathematician does mathematics, in which nothing but laws and formulas exist, no reality, no good and evil, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/you-treat-world-history-as-a-mathematician-does-mathematics-in-which/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [There is a mathematical formula to why you got famous. It isn’t some magical thing that just started happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-kroeger/there-is-a-mathematical-formula-to-why-you-got-famous-it-isn-t-some/) [Chad Kroeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-kroeger/) > [Since childhood I've been very bad with formulas in math, physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pulkit-samrat/since-childhood-i-ve-been-very-bad-with-formulas-in-math-physics/) [Pulkit Samrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pulkit-samrat/) ## More by Margaret Mitchell > [I won't think of it now. I can't stand it now. I'll think of it later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-won-t-think-of-it-now-i-can-t-stand-it-now-i-ll-think-of-it-later/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I don't want any money for it," he said. "It's a gift." Scarlett's mouth dropped open. The line was so closely, so carefully drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-don-t-want-any-money-for-it-he-said-it-s-a-gift-scarlett-s-mouth/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Until you lose your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/until-you-lose-your-reputation-you-never-realize-what-a-burden-it-was/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [And apologies, once postponed, become harder and harder to make, and finally impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/and-apologies-once-postponed-become-harder-and-harder-to-make-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“There was a glow of grim pride in her usually gentle face, approbation and a fierce joy in her smile that equaled the fiery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/there-was-a-glow-of-grim-pride-in-her-usually-gentle-face-approbation/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Her lips on his could tell him better than all her stumbling words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/her-lips-on-his-could-tell-him-better-than-all-her-stumbling-words/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [The way to get a man interested and to hold his interest was to talk about himself, and then gradually lead the conversation around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-way-to-get-a-man-interested-and-to-hold-his-interest-was-to-talk/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [She was as forthright and simple as the winds that blew over Tara and the yellow river that wound around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-was-as-forthright-and-simple-as-the-winds-that-blew-over-tara-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“The very mystery of him excited her curiosity like a door that had neither lock nor key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-very-mystery-of-him-excited-her-curiosity-like-a-door-that-had/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“He had never once crossed the borders of friendliness with her and, when she thought of this, fresh anger rose, the anger of hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/he-had-never-once-crossed-the-borders-of-friendliness-with-her-and/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“The husband is always the last to find out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/the-husband-is-always-the-last-to-find-out/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [People must do what they must do. We all don't think alike or act alike and it's wrong to-to judge others by ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/people-must-do-what-they-must-do-we-all-don-t-think-alike-or-act/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [All you have done is to be different from other women and you have made a little success of it. This is unforgivable sin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/all-you-have-done-is-to-be-different-from-other-women-and-you-have/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“She felt puzzled and ashamed, as always when people attributed to her emotions and motives they possessed and thought she shared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-felt-puzzled-and-ashamed-as-always-when-people-attributed-to-her/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“I do not want to marry you or anyone else. I am not a marrying man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/i-do-not-want-to-marry-you-or-anyone-else-i-am-not-a-marrying-man/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) [Explore all 391 Margaret Mitchell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) [Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": ". . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so, men would unerringly respond with the complimentary thus-and-so. It was like a mathematical formula and no more difficult, for mathematics was the one subject that had come easy to Scarlett in her schooldays.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Mitchell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-thus-and-so-men-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difficult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-thus-and-so-men-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20f/margaret-mitchell-692_difficult_she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-th_1332214.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“. . . She knew only that if she did or said thus-and-so, men would unerringly respond with the complimentary…” — Margaret Mitchell", "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": "Margaret Mitchell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": ". . . She knew only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-thus-and-so-men-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/she-knew-only-that-if-she-did-or-said-thus-and-so-men-would/#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 } } ] } ```