---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only people who should really sin are…"
description: "\"The only people who should really sin are the people who can sin and grin.\" — Ogden Nash"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png"
---

#  The only people who should really sin are the people who…

![“The only people who should really sin are the people who can sin and grin.” quote by Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png)

> “The only people who should really sin are the people who can sin and grin.”

[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.

Only those capable of mischief should indulge, embracing humor with their flaws.

**In simple terms:** Sin is okay if you can laugh about it.

Key Takeaway

Embrace flaws with humor.

Themes

humor morality self‑acceptance

Mood

playful reflective

Type

aphilosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- social interactions
- creative writing

Key Concepts

ethical relativism self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- Can you find humor in your own mistakes?
- When does joking become denial?

A Different Perspective

Humor may downplay serious consequences of harmful actions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/)

## Related quotes

> [God has decided the rules of life, whereby you don't trespass on anybody else's rights, and sin is something that upsets the balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/god-has-decided-the-rules-of-life-whereby-you-don-t-trespass-on/)

[Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/)

> [“Fear is really the sin of unbelief…I am talking about fear coming from believing what we see over what God tells us is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-a-sturgill/fear-is-really-the-sin-of-unbelief-i-am-talking-about-fear-coming/)

Jean A. Sturgill

> [Really to sin you have to be serious about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/really-to-sin-you-have-to-be-serious-about-it/)

[Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/)

> [Mother told me always to follow the golden rule.And she said it's really a sin to be mean and cruel.So remember if you're untrueAngels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-david/mother-told-me-always-to-follow-the-golden-rule-and-she-said-it-s/)

[Hal David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-david/)

> [Some tourists think Amsterdam is a city of sin, but in truth it is a city of freedom. And in freedom, most people find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/some-tourists-think-amsterdam-is-a-city-of-sin-but-in-truth-it-is-a/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Everyone believes in sin, the people who charge their peers with political incorrectness and the people who regard political correctness as the bogey of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garret-keizer/everyone-believes-in-sin-the-people-who-charge-their-peers-with/)

[Garret Keizer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garret-keizer/)

> [Sex is not a sin. Many people have complained that this is taking all the fun out of sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-westheimer/sex-is-not-a-sin-many-people-have-complained-that-this-is-taking-all/)

[Ruth Westheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-westheimer/)

> [Being GAY is the ONLY sin people focus on. Cursing? Sin. Sex before marriage? Sin. Sins are sins. Y'all are too judgmental, that's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaylon-hillsman/being-gay-is-the-only-sin-people-focus-on-cursing-sin-sex-before/)

[Jaylon Hillsman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaylon-hillsman/)

> [“The hypocrite is against sin in other people. The godly man is against sin anywhere but, first and foremost, against sin in himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rousas-john-rushdoony/the-hypocrite-is-against-sin-in-other-people-the-godly-man-is-against/)

[Rousas John Rushdoony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rousas-john-rushdoony/)

> [“Sin, the more people I might have in my bed, the emptier it would feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-st-clare/sin-the-more-people-i-might-have-in-my-bed-the-emptier-it-would-feel/)

Kelly St. Clare

> [We are all afflicted by original sin; people succumbing to temptations to do and to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/we-are-all-afflicted-by-original-sin-people-succumbing-to-temptations/)

[Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/)

> [“Maybe the question we need to ask isn't whether there's any fresh twenty-first century sin - but whether the people who define sin have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-the-question-we-need-to-ask-isn-t-whether-there-s-any-fresh/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [I think the greatest sin in the world is bringing children into the world that have disease from their parents, that have no chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/i-think-the-greatest-sin-in-the-world-is-bringing-children-into-the/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [“May be the question we need to ask isn't whether there's any fresh twenty first century sin...but whether the people who define sin have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/may-be-the-question-we-need-to-ask-isn-t-whether-there-s-any-fresh/)

[Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/)

> [“In freedom, people find sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/in-freedom-people-find-sin/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## 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 People quotes

> [If I am going to be phased out by whatever powers, then I want people to know that it is not because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parvathy/if-i-am-going-to-be-phased-out-by-whatever-powers-then-i-want-people/)

[Parvathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parvathy/)

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [I feel like the future is unwritten. So many of the things that we write now haven't been about educating people on the environment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flansburgh/i-feel-like-the-future-is-unwritten-so-many-of-the-things-that-we/)

[John Flansburgh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flansburgh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/)

[Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/)

> [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/)

[Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/)

> [By eating many fruits and vegetables in place of fast food and junk food, people could avoid obesity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-murdock/by-eating-many-fruits-and-vegetables-in-place-of-fast-food-and-junk/)

[David H. Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-murdock/)

> [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/)

[Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/)

> [Pain is meant to wake us up. People try to hide their pain. But they're wrong. Pain is something to carry, like a radio.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/pain-is-meant-to-wake-us-up-people-try-to-hide-their-pain-but-they-re/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

[Browse all 211,607 People quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The only people who should really sin are the people who can sin and grin.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ogden Nash"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-are-the-people-who-can-sin-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "People"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-are-the-people-who-can-sin-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f36/ogden-nash-1286_people_the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-ar_2110181.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The only people who should really sin are the people who can sin and grin.” — 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": "The only people who should really...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-are-the-people-who-can-sin-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/the-only-people-who-should-really-sin-are-the-people-who-can-sin-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
