--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So I think there is one rule every host…" description: "\"So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and bicarbonate and aromatic spirits on a handy shelf, Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png" --- # So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought… ![“So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and bicarbonate and aromatic spirits on a handy shelf, Which is don't spoil the denouement by telling the guests everything is terrible, but let them have the thrill of finding it out for themselves.” quote by Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png) > “So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and bicarbonate and aromatic spirits on a handy shelf, Which is don't spoil the denouement by telling the guests everything is terrible, but let them have the thrill of finding it out for themselves.” [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Avoid ruining a story’s climax by revealing all details; let guests discover the truth themselves. **In simple terms:** Don’t spoil the ending; keep mystery alive. Key Takeaway Preserve suspense for better impact. Themes storytelling secrecy anticipation guest experience communication Mood playful intriguing thoughtful Type advice literary philosophical When to use this quote - Dinner parties - theater productions - marketing campaigns - educational workshops - online content creation Key Concepts Narrative tension dramatic irony psychology of surprise Questions to Reflect On - How much information is enough to intrigue without frustrating? - When does mystery become deception? A Different Perspective If too much is hidden, guests may feel misled or confused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Combs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/combs/) [Denouement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denouement/) [Files](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/files/) [Findings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/findings/) [Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guests/) [Guests Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guests-terrible-4028898/) [Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handy/) [Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/host/) [Host Hostess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/host-hostess-587514/) [Hostess Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostess-ought-4028894/) [Hostesses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hostesses/) [Nails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nails/) [Ought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ought/) [Shelves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shelves/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Spirits Handy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirits-handy-4028896/) [Spoil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spoil/) [Telling Guests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-guests-4028892/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrill/) ## Related quotes > [Few enjoy noisy overcrowded functions. But they are a gesture of goodwill on the part of host or hostess, and also on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/few-enjoy-noisy-overcrowded-functions-but-they-are-a-gesture-of/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [A guest is really good or bad because of the host or hostess who makes being a guest an easy or a difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/a-guest-is-really-good-or-bad-because-of-the-host-or-hostess-who/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“Holmes laughed. "Watson insists that I am the dramatist in real life," said he. "Some touch of the artist wells up within me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/holmes-laughed-watson-insists-that-i-am-the-dramatist-in-real-life/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [I think the success of 'Downton' is partly because there are effectively 18 leading characters, all given equal importance, so it's enormously involving on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/i-think-the-success-of-downton-is-partly-because-there-are/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [Anticlimax is, of course, the warp and way of things. Real life seldom structures a decent denouement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/anticlimax-is-of-course-the-warp-and-way-of-things-real-life-seldom/) [Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/) > [Sometimes I feel that I am destined always to be offstage whenever the main action occurs. That God has made me the victim of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/sometimes-i-feel-that-i-am-destined-always-to-be-offstage-whenever/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [“A denouement is not a complete or fully resolved ending but a satisfying closure to a story. \[in French translates 'an untying, a relaxing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-b-allender/a-denouement-is-not-a-complete-or-fully-resolved-ending-but-a/) [Dan B. Allender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-b-allender/) > [Do not permit yourself to fall in love with the end-game play to the exclusion of entire games. It is well to have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/do-not-permit-yourself-to-fall-in-love-with-the-end-game-play-to-the/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [Life doesn't have plots and subplots and denouements. It's just a big collection of loose ends and dangling threads that never get explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/life-doesn-t-have-plots-and-subplots-and-denouements-it-s-just-a-big/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [One dictionary defines denouement as "a final part in which everything is made clear and no questions or surprises remain." By that definition, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pseudonymous-bosch/one-dictionary-defines-denouement-as-a-final-part-in-which-everything/) [Pseudonymous Bosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pseudonymous-bosch/) > [Here was the astounding fact: the race did go forward; the race did achieve; and in every way the race grew better. Progress through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-branch-cabell/here-was-the-astounding-fact-the-race-did-go-forward-the-race-did/) [James Branch Cabell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-branch-cabell/) > [“A new story begins the moment an old one ends. But a denouement is a respite that calls us to stop the journey for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-b-allender/a-new-story-begins-the-moment-an-old-one-ends-but-a-denouement-is-a/) [Dan B. Allender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-b-allender/) > [More than working toward the book's climax, I work toward the denouement. As a reader and a writer, that's where I find the real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-van-eekhout/more-than-working-toward-the-book-s-climax-i-work-toward-the/) [Greg van Eekhout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-van-eekhout/) > [There's a conventional reaction when you see a star: You anticipate he'll be a part of a particular denouement down the road, so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-bigelow/there-s-a-conventional-reaction-when-you-see-a-star-you-anticipate-he/) [Kathryn Bigelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-bigelow/) > [A young professor I watched in action at one of our large eastern colleges used to stand with his back to the class and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-barnett-gilson/a-young-professor-i-watched-in-action-at-one-of-our-large-eastern/) [Mary Barnett Gilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-barnett-gilson/) ## More by Ogden Nash > [There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/there-is-only-one-way-to-achieve-happiness-on-this-terrestrial-ball/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [The sky is now indelible ink, The branches reft asunder; But you and I we do not shrink; We love the lovely thunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-sky-is-now-indelible-ink-the-branches-reft-asunder-but-you-and-i/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Middle-aged life is merry, and I love to lead it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/middle-aged-life-is-merry-and-i-love-to-lead-it/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [When a lady's erotic life is vexed God knows what God is coming next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/when-a-lady-s-erotic-life-is-vexed-god-knows-what-god-is-coming-next/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [“Love is a word that is constantly heard, Hate is a word that is not. Love, I am told, is more precious that gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/love-is-a-word-that-is-constantly-heard-hate-is-a-word-that-is-not/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [A husband is a guy who tells you when you've got on too much lipstick and helps you with your girdle when your hips…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/a-husband-is-a-guy-who-tells-you-when-you-ve-got-on-too-much-lipstick/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Marriage is the alliance of two people, one of whom never remembers birthdays and the other never forgets them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/marriage-is-the-alliance-of-two-people-one-of-whom-never-remembers/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [I claim there ain't Another Saint As great as Valentine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/i-claim-there-ain-t-another-saint-as-great-as-valentine/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [“Senescence begins And middle-age ends The day your descendants Outnumber your friends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/senescence-begins-and-middle-age-ends-the-day-your-descendants/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [Poets arent very usefulBecause they aren't consumeful or produceful..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/poets-arent-very-usefulbecause-they-aren-t-consumeful-or-produceful/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [I don't mind their having a lot of money, and I don't care how they employ it, but I do think that they damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/i-don-t-mind-their-having-a-lot-of-money-and-i-don-t-care-how-they/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [To maintain your marriage brimming, with really like in the wedding cup, anytime you are incorrect, admit it each time you're proper, shut up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/to-maintain-your-marriage-brimming-with-really-like-in-the-wedding/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [No, you never get any fun Out of the things you haven't done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/no-you-never-get-any-fun-out-of-the-things-you-haven-t-done/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [“Which the Chicken and Which the Egg? He drinks because she scolds, he thinks; She thinks she scolds because he drinks; And nether will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/which-the-chicken-and-which-the-egg-he-drinks-because-she-scolds-he/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [“People can't concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twenty-fifth of December.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/people-can-t-concentrate-properly-on-blowing-other-people-to-pieces/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) [Explore all 261 Ogden Nash quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) ## More Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. 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 painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) [Jessica Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-yu/) > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) [Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) [Kevin McLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mcleod/) > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and bicarbonate and aromatic spirits on a handy shelf, Which is don't spoil the denouement by telling the guests everything is terrible, but let them have the thrill of finding it out for themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ogden Nash" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host-and-hostess-ought-to-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host-and-hostess-ought-to-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f2/ogden-nash-1286_adventure_so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host_2075750.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So I think there is one rule every host and hostess ought to keep with the comb and nail file and…” — Ogden Nash", "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": "Ogden Nash", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So I think there is one...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host-and-hostess-ought-to-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/so-i-think-there-is-one-rule-every-host-and-hostess-ought-to-keep/#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 } } ] } ```