--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Harry Burns: You realize of course that…" description: "\"“Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally Albright: Why not? Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg" --- # Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be… ![“Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally Albright: Why not? Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sally Albright: That's not true. I…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg) > ““Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally Albright: Why not? Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved. Harry Burns: No you don't. Sally Albright: Yes I do. Harry Burns: No you don't. Sally Albright: Yes I do. Harry Burns: You only think you do. Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge? Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you. Sally Albright: They do not. Harry Burns: Do too. Sally Albright: They do not. Harry Burns: Do too. Sally Albright: How do you know? Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her. Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive? Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too. Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU? Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story. Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then. Harry Burns: I guess not. Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.”” [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Men and women struggle to maintain platonic friendships because sexual attraction often complicates the dynamic. **In simple terms:** Sexual tension can ruin friendships. Key Takeaway Recognize and respect boundaries. Themes friendship gender sexuality Mood humorous conversational Type romantic dialogue When to use this quote - college - workplace - social gatherings - online communities Key Concepts attraction communication social norms Questions to Reflect On - Can platonic friendships survive mutual attraction? - What boundaries help maintain friendship? A Different Perspective Some friendships thrive despite attraction, showing it’s not inevitable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burns Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burns-saying-1421483/) [Friends Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends-harry-1195222/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Having sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-sex/) [Man Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-friends-1460400/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Sex Harry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex-harry-5618794/) [Thing Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-friendship-486854/) ## Related quotes > [I choose my battles, Dresden. Not you." She looked up at me calmly. 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I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) [Unknwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. 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Sally Albright: Why not? Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved. Harry Burns: No you don't. Sally Albright: Yes I do. Harry Burns: No you don't. Sally Albright: Yes I do. Harry Burns: You only think you do. Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge? Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you. Sally Albright: They do not. Harry Burns: Do too. Sally Albright: They do not. Harry Burns: Do too. Sally Albright: How do you know? Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her. Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive? Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too. Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU? Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story. Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then. Harry Burns: I guess not. Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nora Ephron" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-we-could-never-be-friends/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-we-could-never-be-friends/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19b/nora-ephron-1217_friendship_harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-w_2332951.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends. 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