--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She shut her eyes: the sweet word…" description: "\"“She shut her eyes: the sweet word \"promiscuity\" came to her mind and suffused her; she enunciated silently to herself: \"promiscuity of ideas.\" How cou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/milan-kundera-120_promiscuity_she-shut-her-eyes-the-sweet-word-promisc_2724905.jpg" --- # She shut her eyes: the sweet word "promiscuity" came to… ![“She shut her eyes: the sweet word "promiscuity" came to her mind and suffused her; she enunciated silently to herself: "promiscuity of ideas." How could such contradictory attitudes follow after one another in a single head like two mistresses in the same bed? In the past that nearly infuriated…” quote by Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/milan-kundera-120_promiscuity_she-shut-her-eyes-the-sweet-word-promisc_2724905.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/milan-kundera-120_promiscuity_she-shut-her-eyes-the-sweet-word-promisc_2724905.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/602/milan-kundera-120_promiscuity_she-shut-her-eyes-the-sweet-word-promisc_2724905.jpg) > ““She shut her eyes: the sweet word "promiscuity" came to her mind and suffused her; she enunciated silently to herself: "promiscuity of ideas." How could such contradictory attitudes follow after one another in a single head like two mistresses in the same bed? In the past that nearly infuriated her, but today it entrances her: for she knows that the contract between what Leroy used to say and what he's professing today doesn't matter in the slightest. Because one idea is as good as another. Because all statements and positions carry the same value, can rub against one another, nestle, snuggle, fondle, mingle, diddle, cuddle, couple.”” [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind can hold contradictory ideas simultaneously, allowing opposing concepts to coexist and interact without hierarchy. **In simple terms:** Contradictory thoughts can coexist. Key Takeaway Embrace mental complexity. Themes philosophy psychology paradox Mood introspective complex Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - debate - personal introspection Key Concepts cognitive dissonance pluralism intellectual freedom Questions to Reflect On - How do you resolve conflicting beliefs? - What benefits arise from mental plurality? A Different Perspective Holding contradictions may cause inner tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Promiscuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promiscuity/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [Revolution in Love’. Can you tell me what you mean by that? Do you want free love as against bourgeois marriage, or monogamy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/revolution-in-love-can-you-tell-me-what-you-mean-by-that-do-you-want/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“The practical consequence of both of the teachings noted is to encourage homosexual promiscuity. Church members can engage in many short-term liaisons without raising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-practical-consequence-of-both-of-the-teachings-noted-is-to/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [He reclined on a delightfully cushioned lounge in the sprawling ranch Paris had rented. In Dallas, Texas, of all places. Promiscuity had decked himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/he-reclined-on-a-delightfully-cushioned-lounge-in-the-sprawling-ranch/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“Monogamy is not a choice, it is a responsibility of a genuine human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/monogamy-is-not-a-choice-it-is-a-responsibility-of-a-genuine-human/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [I consider promiscuity immoral. Not because sex is evil, but because sex is too good and too important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-consider-promiscuity-immoral-not-because-sex-is-evil-but-because/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Sentimentality is the emotional promiscuity of those who have no sentiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/sentimentality-is-the-emotional-promiscuity-of-those-who-have-no/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [If only Paris and the Harpies had gotten along. But Promiscuity had taken one look at the beautiful women and deemed them “too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/if-only-paris-and-the-harpies-had-gotten-along-but-promiscuity-had/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“Polygamy is about sex, whereas monogamy is about love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/polygamy-is-about-sex-whereas-monogamy-is-about-love/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/although-i-never-publicly-defended-promiscuity-i-never-publicly/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [My sister stood up, trembling, and I must admit that I expected her familiar sneer to have taken its usual place on her face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-lennon/my-sister-stood-up-trembling-and-i-must-admit-that-i-expected-her/) [J. Robert Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-lennon/) > [I believe capitalism is dying a slow death right now, as you can see with the recession and with the credit crunch and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjem-choudary/i-believe-capitalism-is-dying-a-slow-death-right-now-as-you-can-see/) [Anjem Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjem-choudary/) > [“To the Paris apartment, which for him was synonymous with promiscuity, he preferred a house with a garden, in countryside which was not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beno-t-peeters/to-the-paris-apartment-which-for-him-was-synonymous-with-promiscuity/) [Benoît Peeters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beno-t-peeters/) > [A lot of gay men have a lot of sex. That's what we do. But I've stopped all that-the revolving door into my bedroom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-clary/a-lot-of-gay-men-have-a-lot-of-sex-that-s-what-we-do-but-i-ve-stopped/) [Julian Clary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-clary/) > [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) ## More by Milan Kundera > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“From that time on they both looked forward to sleeping together. I might even say that the goal of their lovemaking was not so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-that-time-on-they-both-looked-forward-to-sleeping-together-i/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Beauty in the European sense has always had a premeditated quality to it. We've always had an aesthetic intention and a long-range plan. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/beauty-in-the-european-sense-has-always-had-a-premeditated-quality-to/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The beauty of New York is unintentional; it arose independent of human design, like a stalagmite cavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-beauty-of-new-york-is-unintentional-it-arose-independent-of-human/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Children, Never look Back!" and this meant that we must never allow the future to be weighed down by memory . for children have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/children-never-look-back-and-this-meant-that-we-must-never-allow-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Our lives may be separate, but they run in the same direction, like parallel lines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/our-lives-may-be-separate-but-they-run-in-the-same-direction-like/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Having a child is to show an absolute accord with mankind. If I have a child, it's as though I'm saying: I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/having-a-child-is-to-show-an-absolute-accord-with-mankind-if-i-have-a/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Love is a battle," said Marie-Claude, still smiling. "And I plan to go on fighting. To the end." Love is a battle?" said Franz.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/love-is-a-battle-said-marie-claude-still-smiling-and-i-plan-to-go-on/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“He remained annoyed with himself until he realized that not knowing what he wanted was actually quite natural. We can never know what to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/he-remained-annoyed-with-himself-until-he-realized-that-not-knowing/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [When we ignore the body, we are more easily victimized by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/when-we-ignore-the-body-we-are-more-easily-victimized-by-it/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Do stories, apart from happening, being, have something to say? For all my skepticism, some trace of irrational superstition did survive in me, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/do-stories-apart-from-happening-being-have-something-to-say-for-all/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Os extremos delimitam a fronteira para além da qual a vida termina, e a paixão pelo extremismo, tanto em arte como em política, é…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/os-extremos-delimitam-a-fronteira-para-al-m-da-qual-a-vida-termina-e/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Anyone whose goal is 'something higher' must expect someday to suffer vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/anyone-whose-goal-is-something-higher-must-expect-someday-to-suffer/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) [Explore all 952 Milan Kundera quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## More Promiscuity quotes > [“Strangers when you meet, strangers when you part -a gymnasium of bodies namelessly masturbating each other. People with no morals often considered themselves more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/strangers-when-you-meet-strangers-when-you-part-a-gymnasium-of-bodies/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [A lot of gay men have a lot of sex. That's what we do. But I've stopped all that-the revolving door into my bedroom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-clary/a-lot-of-gay-men-have-a-lot-of-sex-that-s-what-we-do-but-i-ve-stopped/) [Julian Clary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-clary/) > [“To the Paris apartment, which for him was synonymous with promiscuity, he preferred a house with a garden, in countryside which was not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beno-t-peeters/to-the-paris-apartment-which-for-him-was-synonymous-with-promiscuity/) [Benoît Peeters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beno-t-peeters/) > [I believe capitalism is dying a slow death right now, as you can see with the recession and with the credit crunch and with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjem-choudary/i-believe-capitalism-is-dying-a-slow-death-right-now-as-you-can-see/) [Anjem Choudary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjem-choudary/) > [My sister stood up, trembling, and I must admit that I expected her familiar sneer to have taken its usual place on her face.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-robert-lennon/my-sister-stood-up-trembling-and-i-must-admit-that-i-expected-her/) [J. Robert Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-robert-lennon/) > [The wondrous thing about nature, her gift to us, is her wanton promiscuity. She reproduces herself with abandon, with teeming infinite generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-ozeki/the-wondrous-thing-about-nature-her-gift-to-us-is-her-wanton/) [Ruth Ozeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-ozeki/) > [Although I never publicly defended promiscuity, I never publicly attacked it. I attempted to avoid the subject, in part because I felt, and often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sullivan/although-i-never-publicly-defended-promiscuity-i-never-publicly/) [Andrew Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sullivan/) > [“Polygamy is about sex, whereas monogamy is about love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/polygamy-is-about-sex-whereas-monogamy-is-about-love/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [If only Paris and the Harpies had gotten along. But Promiscuity had taken one look at the beautiful women and deemed them “too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/if-only-paris-and-the-harpies-had-gotten-along-but-promiscuity-had/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [Sentimentality is the emotional promiscuity of those who have no sentiment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/sentimentality-is-the-emotional-promiscuity-of-those-who-have-no/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [I consider promiscuity immoral. Not because sex is evil, but because sex is too good and too important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/i-consider-promiscuity-immoral-not-because-sex-is-evil-but-because/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“Monogamy is not a choice, it is a responsibility of a genuine human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/monogamy-is-not-a-choice-it-is-a-responsibility-of-a-genuine-human/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [He reclined on a delightfully cushioned lounge in the sprawling ranch Paris had rented. In Dallas, Texas, of all places. Promiscuity had decked himself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/he-reclined-on-a-delightfully-cushioned-lounge-in-the-sprawling-ranch/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [“The practical consequence of both of the teachings noted is to encourage homosexual promiscuity. Church members can engage in many short-term liaisons without raising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wink/the-practical-consequence-of-both-of-the-teachings-noted-is-to/) [Walter Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wink/) > [“Two sad eyes and one skanky smile, I practically pulse with the promise of promiscuity. I'm easy to catch, but too slippery to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kidd/two-sad-eyes-and-one-skanky-smile-i-practically-pulse-with-the/) [Kris Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kidd/) [Browse all 126 Promiscuity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promiscuity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“She shut her eyes: the sweet word \"promiscuity\" came to her mind and suffused her; she enunciated silently to herself: \"promiscuity of ideas.\" How could such contradictory attitudes follow after one another in a single head like two mistresses in the same bed? In the past that nearly infuriated her, but today it entrances her: for she knows that the contract between what Leroy used to say and what he's professing today doesn't matter in the slightest. Because one idea is as good as another. 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