--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It paid to be cultured, just as long as…" description: "\"“It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start growing bacteria.”\" — Michael Lee West" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg" --- # It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start… ![“It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start growing bacteria.” quote by Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg) > ““It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start growing bacteria.”” [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous claim that being cultured is beneficial, but warns against unintended negative consequences. **In simple terms:** Culture is good, but beware side effects. Key Takeaway Balance cultural pursuits with practical health. Themes culture humor health Mood lighthearted witty Type humorous observational When to use this quote - social gatherings - educational events - personal development Key Concepts social etiquette microbiology Questions to Reflect On - How do you define being cultured? - What unintended effects can arise from cultural pursuits? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cultured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultured/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not doing 'Once' to prove that I'm worldly or cultured. I just love the role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/i-m-not-doing-once-to-prove-that-i-m-worldly-or-cultured-i-just-love/) [Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/) > [“Instead of being regarded as intelligent or knowledgeable, many a woman would rather be regarded as beautiful or good in the kitchen; many a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/instead-of-being-regarded-as-intelligent-or-knowledgeable-many-a/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [My parents cultured me a lot and they introduced me to a lot of artists, a lot of their friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-tamblyn/my-parents-cultured-me-a-lot-and-they-introduced-me-to-a-lot-of/) [Amber Tamblyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-tamblyn/) > [Being cultured is the least expensive form of respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/being-cultured-is-the-least-expensive-form-of-respectability/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“Alaska’s like two thousand miles away from anywhere cultured. No offense, Canada.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-macvie/alaska-s-like-two-thousand-miles-away-from-anywhere-cultured-no/) Meagan Macvie > [On my parents scale of values, the more Western something was, the more cultured it was considered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/on-my-parents-scale-of-values-the-more-western-something-was-the-more/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“Vanora rolled her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m the epitome of a cultured young woman.” “I’d believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-frater/vanora-rolled-her-eyes-i-have-no-idea-what-you-re-talking-about-i-m/) [Rhiannon Frater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-frater/) > [My view is that knowing languages is part of the process of becoming a cultured person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-lomb/my-view-is-that-knowing-languages-is-part-of-the-process-of-becoming/) [Kató Lomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-lomb/) > [The more cultured a man, the less fortunate he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/the-more-cultured-a-man-the-less-fortunate-he-is/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“and they were made of meat cultured on stretchy racks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-they-were-made-of-meat-cultured-on-stretchy-racks/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Zaid's finest moment, however, comes in his second paragraph, when he says that "the truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/zaid-s-finest-moment-however-comes-in-his-second-paragraph-when-he/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“To live with unforgiveness is to become a captive cultured citizen whose taxation is that of demonically ticketed torment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/to-live-with-unforgiveness-is-to-become-a-captive-cultured-citizen/) [Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/) > [It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/it-is-the-mark-of-the-cultured-man-that-he-is-aware-of-the-fact-that/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-truly-cultured-are-capable-of-owning-thousands-of-unread-books/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) ## More by Michael Lee West > [“Now that Olive was grown, I didn't know what to do with myself. You could build your life around one single thing, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/now-that-olive-was-grown-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-myself-you/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“Gardens come and go, but I find myself getting attached to certain perennials. My tulips are bridesmaids, with fat faces and good posture. Hollyhocks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/gardens-come-and-go-but-i-find-myself-getting-attached-to-certain/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“It seemed clear that people in love lived in constant jeopardy. They were either making love or making each other crazy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-seemed-clear-that-people-in-love-lived-in-constant-jeopardy-they/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“Work and pray, live on hay, You'll get pie in the sky when you die. -Joe Hill, The Preacher and the Slave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/work-and-pray-live-on-hay-you-ll-get-pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die-joe/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“He just knew we would find luck, but believing something don't make it true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/he-just-knew-we-would-find-luck-but-believing-something-don-t-make-it/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“But I knew better: No matter where you go, the past floods back. You can try like the dickens, but you can't escape fate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/but-i-knew-better-no-matter-where-you-go-the-past-floods-back-you-can/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“A tofu birthday cake dosn't wreak a marriage; but if you cut the tofu into lewd shapes, you are probably asking for trouble. Looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/a-tofu-birthday-cake-dosn-t-wreak-a-marriage-but-if-you-cut-the-tofu/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“This is how the soul heals. it thaws out bit by bit, the way the ground warms after a hard winter. you notive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/this-is-how-the-soul-heals-it-thaws-out-bit-by-bit-the-way-the-ground/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“As my daddy said, soil is the basis of everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/as-my-daddy-said-soil-is-the-basis-of-everything/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“You raise them half-decent, and they grow up and leave. They move to Miami or California-- someplace with gourmet groceries and nude beaches because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/you-raise-them-half-decent-and-they-grow-up-and-leave-they-move-to/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“There was another thing I had forgotten about the South: It was the one place on earth where an unsuspecting person could get killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/there-was-another-thing-i-had-forgotten-about-the-south-it-was-the/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“Everybody's always doing the same old things--- you know, doing unto others before they can do unto you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/everybody-s-always-doing-the-same-old-things-you-know-doing-unto/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“I was tired of well-meaning folks, telling me it was time I got over being heartbroke. When somebody tells you that, a little bell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/i-was-tired-of-well-meaning-folks-telling-me-it-was-time-i-got-over/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“She, if anyone, was on a hell-bound train. I mean, if you're masquerading as a do-gooder, why not go all the way?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/she-if-anyone-was-on-a-hell-bound-train-i-mean-if-you-re-masquerading/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [“It's hard to explain your passions, but sometimes it is harder to live them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-s-hard-to-explain-your-passions-but-sometimes-it-is-harder-to-live/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) [Explore all 18 Michael Lee West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) ## More Cultured quotes > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [The truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books without losing their composure or their desire for more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-zaid/the-truly-cultured-are-capable-of-owning-thousands-of-unread-books/) [Gabriel Zaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-zaid/) > [It is the mark of the cultured man that he is aware of the fact that equality is an ethical and not a biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/it-is-the-mark-of-the-cultured-man-that-he-is-aware-of-the-fact-that/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“To live with unforgiveness is to become a captive cultured citizen whose taxation is that of demonically ticketed torment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/to-live-with-unforgiveness-is-to-become-a-captive-cultured-citizen/) [Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/) > [“Zaid's finest moment, however, comes in his second paragraph, when he says that "the truly cultured are capable of owning thousands of unread books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/zaid-s-finest-moment-however-comes-in-his-second-paragraph-when-he/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“and they were made of meat cultured on stretchy racks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-they-were-made-of-meat-cultured-on-stretchy-racks/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The more cultured a man, the less fortunate he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/the-more-cultured-a-man-the-less-fortunate-he-is/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [My view is that knowing languages is part of the process of becoming a cultured person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-lomb/my-view-is-that-knowing-languages-is-part-of-the-process-of-becoming/) [Kató Lomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-lomb/) > [“Vanora rolled her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m the epitome of a cultured young woman.” “I’d believe that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhiannon-frater/vanora-rolled-her-eyes-i-have-no-idea-what-you-re-talking-about-i-m/) [Rhiannon Frater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhiannon-frater/) > [On my parents scale of values, the more Western something was, the more cultured it was considered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amos-oz/on-my-parents-scale-of-values-the-more-western-something-was-the-more/) [Amos Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amos-oz/) > [“Alaska’s like two thousand miles away from anywhere cultured. No offense, Canada.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meagan-macvie/alaska-s-like-two-thousand-miles-away-from-anywhere-cultured-no/) Meagan Macvie > [Being cultured is the least expensive form of respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/being-cultured-is-the-least-expensive-form-of-respectability/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My parents cultured me a lot and they introduced me to a lot of artists, a lot of their friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-tamblyn/my-parents-cultured-me-a-lot-and-they-introduced-me-to-a-lot-of/) [Amber Tamblyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-tamblyn/) > [“Instead of being regarded as intelligent or knowledgeable, many a woman would rather be regarded as beautiful or good in the kitchen; many a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/instead-of-being-regarded-as-intelligent-or-knowledgeable-many-a/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [ \[N\]othing about a book is so unmistakable and so irreplaceable as the stamp of the cultured mind. I don't care what the story is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/n-othing-about-a-book-is-so-unmistakable-and-so-irreplaceable-as-the/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) [Browse all 31 Cultured quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultured/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start growing bacteria.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Lee West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-you-didn-t-start-growing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cultured" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-you-didn-t-start-growing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1aa/michael-lee-west-29404_cultured_it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-y_2465539.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It paid to be cultured, just as long as you didn't start growing bacteria.” — Michael Lee West", "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": "Michael Lee West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It paid to be cultured, just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-you-didn-t-start-growing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-paid-to-be-cultured-just-as-long-as-you-didn-t-start-growing/#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 } } ] } ```