--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here was a new lesson for her, then: it…" description: "\"“Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and then to take his arm again and stroll compan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg" --- # Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to… ![“Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and then to take his arm again and stroll companionably onward, without feeling any awkwardness.” quote by Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg) > ““Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and then to take his arm again and stroll companionably onward, without feeling any awkwardness.”” [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage illustrates how a person can oscillate between clumsy, overly familiar behavior and composed, confident interaction without internal discomfort. **In simple terms:** Fluctuating social poise Key Takeaway Comfort in shifting personas Themes social dynamics self‑presentation confidence adaptability interpersonal nuance Mood playful observational Type narrative reflective When to use this quote - first dates - networking events - team meetings - public speaking Key Concepts behavioral flexibility social anxiety identity performance Practical Applications - coaching social confidence - teaching adaptive communication Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑awareness affect social fluidity? - When is it advantageous to appear vulnerable? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Because he says he can't stand you and you act like you can't stand him, and whenever a man and a woman behave like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-oyeyemi/because-he-says-he-can-t-stand-you-and-you-act-like-you-can-t-stand/) [Helen Oyeyemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-oyeyemi/) > [I don't feel pressure to behave like anything, because I know I can just be myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mullin/i-don-t-feel-pressure-to-behave-like-anything-because-i-know-i-can/) [Paul Mullin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mullin/) > [Always behave like a duck: keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-braude/always-behave-like-a-duck-keep-calm-and-unruffled-on-the-surface-but/) [Jacob Braude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-braude/) > [It's very claustrophobic to live a life which is not really how you wanted to live. You are forcing yourself to be quiet and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taapsee-pannu/it-s-very-claustrophobic-to-live-a-life-which-is-not-really-how-you/) [Taapsee Pannu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taapsee-pannu/) > [As we get used to women in power, we are likely to discover that they behave much like powerful men - vain, entitled, always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-rosin/as-we-get-used-to-women-in-power-we-are-likely-to-discover-that-they/) [Hanna Rosin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanna-rosin/) > [“Do not force your children to behave like you, for surely they have been created for a time which is different to your time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ibn-e-abu-talib/do-not-force-your-children-to-behave-like-you-for-surely-they-have/) Ali ibn-e-Abu Talib > [“I am going to tell you what nature behaves like. If you will simply admit that maybe she does behave like this, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-feynman/i-am-going-to-tell-you-what-nature-behaves-like-if-you-will-simply/) [Richard P. Feynman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-feynman/) > [Well, I suppose one ought not to employ a magician and then complain that he does not behave like other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-clarke/well-i-suppose-one-ought-not-to-employ-a-magician-and-then-complain/) [Susanna Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-clarke/) > [You never cease to amaze me! The one thing that someone like you should do is keep your head down, and what do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaius/you-never-cease-to-amaze-me-the-one-thing-that-someone-like-you/) [Gaius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaius/) > [One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/one-must-think-like-a-hero-to-behave-like-a-merely-decent-human-being/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Gods always behave like the people who make them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zora-neale-hurston/gods-always-behave-like-the-people-who-make-them/) [Zora Neale Hurston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zora-neale-hurston/) > [People who make babies surrender their right to behave like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/people-who-make-babies-surrender-their-right-to-behave-like-them/) [Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/) > [“The secret to good health is to behave like your ancestors did before the Industrial Revolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-secret-to-good-health-is-to-behave-like-your-ancestors-did-before/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) ## More by Meredith Duran > [“No, thank you. I prefer my liquor cold.' 'Right. Or in a pipe, I suppose.' Phin's brow lifted. 'What a clumsy way to drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/no-thank-you-i-prefer-my-liquor-cold-right-or-in-a-pipe-i-suppose/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Miss Masters was not content with threatening to hire away his staff, oh no. First, she had to perfume it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/miss-masters-was-not-content-with-threatening-to-hire-away-his-staff/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Her face turned to the window, and he saw her swallow. She was not as calm as she appeared, but for some reason, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/her-face-turned-to-the-window-and-he-saw-her-swallow-she-was-not-as/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“the kiss he gave her when he pulled her head down was slow and deep, a leisurely address that reached into her like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-kiss-he-gave-her-when-he-pulled-her-head-down-was-slow-and-deep-a/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“She had told the truth: she did not like to dance. Men assumed that a spinster wanted for excitement. Dried-up. They made a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-had-told-the-truth-she-did-not-like-to-dance-men-assumed-that-a/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Yours if you want it." - Julian to Emma.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/yours-if-you-want-it-julian-to-emma/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“She wished he could make her somehow indelibly his; that they were still children so they could cut their fingers and mingle their blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-wished-he-could-make-her-somehow-indelibly-his-that-they-were/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Fear cripples our minds and breeds delusions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/fear-cripples-our-minds-and-breeds-delusions/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Surely this is what death would be like: nothingness, oblivion, as the world continued to turn, heedless of her absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/surely-this-is-what-death-would-be-like-nothingness-oblivion-as-the/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“The cat's tail was straying into her face again; she was forced to expel air in a most unbecoming fashion to avoid a mouthful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-cat-s-tail-was-straying-into-her-face-again-she-was-forced-to/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“Speak plainly, sir.' '\*Sir\*? I say, Lyd. Are you always so formal with men you've made love with?' The whip of her head caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/speak-plainly-sir-sir-i-say-lyd-are-you-always-so-formal-with-men-you/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“The flesh was weak, but it was not dumb. It had its own animal intelligence. In her husband's bed her body had felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-flesh-was-weak-but-it-was-not-dumb-it-had-its-own-animal/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“After a long moment, the Countess sat back down. "So," she said. "You … do love her. I must say, you look peculiarly resigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/after-a-long-moment-the-countess-sat-back-down-so-she-said-you-do/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“His arms banded about her so tightly that she felt nothing could break his hold. It calmed something in her that had been trembling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/his-arms-banded-about-her-so-tightly-that-she-felt-nothing-could/) [meredith duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) > [“The desire that moved him to it was not simply concerned with satisfaction. This hunger in him wanted to break her open so completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-desire-that-moved-him-to-it-was-not-simply-concerned-with/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) [Explore all 143 Meredith Duran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) ## More Behave quotes > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To behave creatively in art means behavior with skill; and skill comes from discipline, not derangement. The artist who knows the rules -and proportion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burne-hogarth/to-behave-creatively-in-art-means-behavior-with-skill-and-skill-comes/) Burne Hogarth > [You can behave as badly as you like in America. Nobody notices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/you-can-behave-as-badly-as-you-like-in-america-nobody-notices/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [“Then Olympus it is. But do try to behave. I know it’s hard for you, but… (Delphine) I won’t piss on the floor. (Jericho)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/then-olympus-it-is-but-do-try-to-behave-i-know-it-s-hard-for-you-but/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [Why does man behave like perfect idiot? This is the problem I wish to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-szent-gyorgyi/why-does-man-behave-like-perfect-idiot-this-is-the-problem-i-wish-to/) [Albert Szent-Gyorgyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-szent-gyorgyi/) > [This is a time in my life where I'm gonna behave like an elegant human being. Or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-stritch/this-is-a-time-in-my-life-where-i-m-gonna-behave-like-an-elegant/) [Elaine Stritch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-stritch/) > [Most people, even in simple risky situations, don't behave the way the theory of utility would have them behave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-raiffa/most-people-even-in-simple-risky-situations-don-t-behave-the-way-the/) [Howard Raiffa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-raiffa/) > [As a club, we have an educational purpose: to give back to those people who love Arsenal so that they learn moral values from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/as-a-club-we-have-an-educational-purpose-to-give-back-to-those-people/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [What astonishes many of us is not so much that human nature is fundamentally corrupt; we are astonished rather that it does not behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morton-irving-seiden/what-astonishes-many-of-us-is-not-so-much-that-human-nature-is/) Morton Irving Seiden > [Do we behave out of fear of punishment, or out of the demands of our heart? For me, it is the latter, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-we-behave-out-of-fear-of-punishment-or-out-of-the-demands-of-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you are in hard labor, remember that the length of labor is usually proportional to the number of people around. Avoid the presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/when-you-are-in-hard-labor-remember-that-the-length-of-labor-is/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [The superpowers often behave like two heavily armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-superpowers-often-behave-like-two-heavily-armed-blind-men-feeling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For political and bureaucratic reasons, governments at all levels are telling far less to the public than to insiders about how to prepare for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/for-political-and-bureaucratic-reasons-governments-at-all-levels-are/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) Browse all 1,587 Behave quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and then to take his arm again and stroll companionably onward, without feeling any awkwardness.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Meredith Duran" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-was-possible-to-behave-like-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Behave" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-was-possible-to-behave-like-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17b/meredith-duran-2968_behave_here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-wa_71916.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here was a new lesson for her, then: it was possible to behave like an utter goose in front of a man, and…” — Meredith Duran", "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": "Meredith Duran", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Here was a new lesson for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-was-possible-to-behave-like-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/here-was-a-new-lesson-for-her-then-it-was-possible-to-behave-like-an/#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 } } ] } ```