---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What innocence, may I ask, is being…"
description: "\"What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is known that this virtuous damsel has already got a dozen illegitimate children?\" — Nikita Khr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg"
---

#  What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is…

![“What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is known that this virtuous damsel has already got a dozen illegitimate children?” quote by Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg)

> “What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is known that this virtuous damsel has already got a dozen illegitimate children?”

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Questioning a woman's virtue despite known children reveals hypocrisy and societal double standards.

**In simple terms:** Double standards expose hypocrisy.

Key Takeaway

Challenge unfair judgments.

Themes

gender hypocrisy morality social norms

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- media criticism
- political debate
- personal relationships
- legal judgments

Key Concepts

feminist critique ethical double standards

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we judge women more harshly?
- How can society enforce equal standards?

A Different Perspective

Public shaming can harm reputations unjustly.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Dozen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen/) [Dozen Illegitimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dozen-illegitimate-5661304/) [Illegitimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegitimate/) [Illegitimate Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegitimate-children-615110/) [Innocence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence/) [Innocence Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innocence-ask-5661305/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Virtuous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous/) [Virtuous Damsel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtuous-damsel-5661306/)

## Related quotes

> [Illegitimate children carry the burden of sin that he has no](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/illegitimate-children-carry-the-burden-of-sin-that-he-has-no/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [There are no illegitimate children - only illegitimate parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-r-yankwich/there-are-no-illegitimate-children-only-illegitimate-parents/)

[Leon R Yankwich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-r-yankwich/)

> [“There is no such thing as illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-adam-snyder/there-is-no-such-thing-as-illegitimate-children-only-illegitimate/)

[J.Adam Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-adam-snyder/)

> [There are illegitimate parents, but I don't believe there are any illegitimate children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/there-are-illegitimate-parents-but-i-don-t-believe-there-are-any/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [There are no illegitimate children, only illegitimate parents-if the term is to be used at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-devlin/there-are-no-illegitimate-children-only-illegitimate-parents-if-the/)

[Bernadette Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-devlin/)

> [The Americans are the illegitimate children of the English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-americans-are-the-illegitimate-children-of-the-english/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Me is what them call illegitimate, that mean say me is a criminal, bomba rassclaat! That's why me go write a song called 'Illegitimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-tosh/me-is-what-them-call-illegitimate-that-mean-say-me-is-a-criminal/)

[Peter Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-tosh/)

> [What I always say is that we're the illegitimate children of Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lewis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcdonald/what-i-always-say-is-that-we-re-the-illegitimate-children-of-andy/)

[Kevin McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcdonald/)

> [“Black women are acting irresponsibly by giving birth to baby after baby out of wedlock. Most of these children are from different fathers as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-jesse-lee-peterson/black-women-are-acting-irresponsibly-by-giving-birth-to-baby-after-2/)

[Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-jesse-lee-peterson/)

> [“...the Bush administration may, in future years, be remembered 'for bringing peace to the Middle East' (as Condoleezza Rice has pronounced). History may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-manguel/the-bush-administration-may-in-future-years-be-remembered-for/)

[Alberto Manguel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-manguel/)

> [Illegitimate children took a look at the world through the eyes can see \| know why? The illegitimate child of the sins of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/illegitimate-children-took-a-look-at-the-world-through-the-eyes-can/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [“...Illegitimate children can be left money, but they can't inherit the peerage." "You wouldn't want it," Cameron put in. "More trouble than it's worth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ashley/illegitimate-children-can-be-left-money-but-they-can-t-inherit-the/)

[Jennifer Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ashley/)

> [Influencing people is dangerous. Their acts and thoughts become your illegitimate children. You can't get away from them and Heaven knows what they mayn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bibesco/influencing-people-is-dangerous-their-acts-and-thoughts-become-your/)

[Elizabeth Bibesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bibesco/)

> [There are accidental parents, but there are no accidental children. There are illegitimate parents, but there are no illegitimate children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/there-are-accidental-parents-but-there-are-no-accidental-children/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Who’s she? Just another Ivashkov. There are tons of them. Probably because all the guys like Adrian and have all sorts of illegitimate children."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/who-s-she-just-another-ivashkov-there-are-tons-of-them-probably/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

## More by Nikita Khrushchev

> [When I was young, I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-i-was-young-i-worked-for-a-capitalist-twelve-hours-a-day-and-i/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [The dictatorship of the proletariat and the leadership of the Marxist-Leninist party are indispensable conditions for the triumph of the Socialist revolution and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-and-the-leadership-of-the-marxist/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations and don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it or not,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-don-t-like-us-don-t-accept-our-invitations-and-don-t-invite-us/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-live-among-wolves-you-have-to-act-like-a-wolf/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [I once said, 'We will bury you,' and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/i-once-said-we-will-bury-you-and-i-got-into-trouble-with-it-of-course/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [If you live among dogs, keep a stick. After all, this is what a hound has teeth for-to bite when he feels like it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-live-among-dogs-keep-a-stick-after-all-this-is-what-a-hound/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [the construction of a communist society would be completed 'in the main' by 1980](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-construction-of-a-communist-society-would-be-completed-in-the/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [When you are skinning your customers, you should leave some skin on to heal, so that you can skin them again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/when-you-are-skinning-your-customers-you-should-leave-some-skin-on-to/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [If you feed the people just with revolutionary slogans they will listen today, they will listen tomorrow, they will listen the day after tomorrow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/if-you-feed-the-people-just-with-revolutionary-slogans-they-will/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [But life is a great school. It thrashes and bangs and teaches you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/but-life-is-a-great-school-it-thrashes-and-bangs-and-teaches-you/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [The press is our chief ideological weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-press-is-our-chief-ideological-weapon/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [He was a crystal of morality among our scientists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/he-was-a-crystal-of-morality-among-our-scientists/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [The main difference for the history of the world if I had been shot rather than Kennedy is that Onassis probably wouldn't have married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/the-main-difference-for-the-history-of-the-world-if-i-had-been-shot/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [Once you pledge, don't hedge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/once-you-pledge-don-t-hedge/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

> [In the future, if nuclear weapons are unleashed there will be no front and no rear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/in-the-future-if-nuclear-weapons-are-unleashed-there-will-be-no-front/)

[Nikita Khrushchev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

[Explore all 87 Nikita Khrushchev quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is known that this virtuous damsel has already got a dozen illegitimate children?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nikita Khrushchev"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played-here-when-it-is-known-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played-here-when-it-is-known-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d42/nikita-khrushchev-7811_children_what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played_720017.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What innocence, may I ask, is being played here when it is known that this virtuous damsel has already got a…” — Nikita Khrushchev",
                "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": "Nikita Khrushchev",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-khrushchev/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What innocence, may I ask, is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played-here-when-it-is-known-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-khrushchev/what-innocence-may-i-ask-is-being-played-here-when-it-is-known-that/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
