--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't mind plain women being puritans…" description: "\"I don't mind plain women being puritans. It is the only excuse they have for being plain.\" — Oscar Wilde" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/oscar-wilde-16_chastity_i-don-t-mind-plain-women-being-puritans_2985181.jpg" --- # I don't mind plain women being puritans. It is the only… ![“I don't mind plain women being puritans. It is the only excuse they have for being plain.” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/oscar-wilde-16_chastity_i-don-t-mind-plain-women-being-puritans_2985181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/oscar-wilde-16_chastity_i-don-t-mind-plain-women-being-puritans_2985181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/567/oscar-wilde-16_chastity_i-don-t-mind-plain-women-being-puritans_2985181.jpg) > “I don't mind plain women being puritans. It is the only excuse they have for being plain.” [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Critiques plain women using puritanism as an excuse for lack of style **In simple terms:** Plainness is justified by moral strictness Key Takeaway Challenge superficial judgments based on appearance Themes society appearance self‑expression Mood witty critical Type dramatic social When to use this quote - fashion - social events - personal branding - literary criticism Key Concepts Victorian norms gender critique Questions to Reflect On - What does “plain” truly mean? - How do moral standards affect self‑presentation? A Different Perspective Puritanism may be a genuine belief, not an excuse ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chastity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chastity/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Puritan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritan/) [Puritans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puritans/) ## Related quotes > [“No son of mine should ever take the side of the Puritans: that is always an error.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/no-son-of-mine-should-ever-take-the-side-of-the-puritans-that-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Crying is for plain women. Pretty women go shopping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/crying-is-for-plain-women-pretty-women-go-shopping/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Plain women are always jealous of their husbands. Beautiful women never are. They are always so occupied with being jealous of other women's husbands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/plain-women-are-always-jealous-of-their-husbands-beautiful-women/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Crying is the refuge of plain women but the ruin of pretty ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/crying-is-the-refuge-of-plain-women-but-the-ruin-of-pretty-ones/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [By natural means, as the Lord always operates for the accomplishment of his purposes, means so simple that the thoughtless and unbelieving do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/by-natural-means-as-the-lord-always-operates-for-the-accomplishment/) Anthony W. Ivins > [The English Puritans pulled down church and state to rebuild Zion on the ruins, and all the while it was not Zion, but America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-english-puritans-pulled-down-church-and-state-to-rebuild-zion-on/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [No group of people has been more unjustly maligned in the twentieth century than the Puritans. As a result, we approach the Puritans with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-ryken/no-group-of-people-has-been-more-unjustly-maligned-in-the-twentieth/) [Leland Ryken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-ryken/) > [Personally I'm not a feminist, as I can't stand puritans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivienne-westwood/personally-i-m-not-a-feminist-as-i-can-t-stand-puritans/) [Vivienne Westwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivienne-westwood/) > [America was founded by puritans and like it or not the anti-pleasure dogma of those buckled-shoed killjoys still pervades our collective unconscious like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/america-was-founded-by-puritans-and-like-it-or-not-the-anti-pleasure/) [Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/) > [The Puritans left England for America not because they couldn't be Puritans in their mother country, but because they were not allowed to force…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-puritans-left-england-for-america-not-because-they-couldn-t-be/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Europeans used to say Americans were puritanical. Then they discovered that we were not puritans. So now they say that we are obsessed with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/europeans-used-to-say-americans-were-puritanical-then-they-discovered/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [It's not a performance to impress the Puritans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-tyler/it-s-not-a-performance-to-impress-the-puritans/) [Martin Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-tyler/) > [The Puritans' sense of priorities in life was one of their greatest strengths. Putting God first and valuing everything else in relation to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leland-ryken/the-puritans-sense-of-priorities-in-life-was-one-of-their-greatest/) [Leland Ryken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leland-ryken/) > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [The Puritans came to America to worship in their way and to force everybody else to do the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/the-puritans-came-to-america-to-worship-in-their-way-and-to-force/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) ## More by Oscar Wilde > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-books-that-the-world-calls-immoral-are-the-books-that-show-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/bachelors-should-be-heavily-taxed-it-is-not-fair-that-some-men-should/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Who, being loved, is poor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/who-being-loved-is-poor/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Basil my dear boy puts everything that is charming in him into his work. The consequence is that he has nothing left for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/basil-my-dear-boy-puts-everything-that-is-charming-in-him-into-his/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Anybody can be good in the country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/anybody-can-be-good-in-the-country/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I don't at all like knowing what people say of me behind my back. It makes me far too conceited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/i-don-t-at-all-like-knowing-what-people-say-of-me-behind-my-back-it/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Alles Populäre ist falsch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/alles-popul-re-ist-falsch/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“If these elements of beauty are real, the whole thing simply appeals to our sense of dramatic effect. Suddenly we find that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/if-these-elements-of-beauty-are-real-the-whole-thing-simply-appeals/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [To love one's self is the beginning of a life-long romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/to-love-one-s-self-is-the-beginning-of-a-life-long-romance/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Those who find beautiful meanings in beautiful things are the cultivated. For these there is hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/those-who-find-beautiful-meanings-in-beautiful-things-are-the/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Men always want to be a womans first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a mans last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/men-always-want-to-be-a-womans-first-love-women-have-a-more-subtle/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Why is it that at a bachelor's establishment the servants invariably drink the champagne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/why-is-it-that-at-a-bachelor-s-establishment-the-servants-invariably/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Moderation is a fatal thing. Enough is as bad as a meal. More than enough is as good as a feast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/moderation-is-a-fatal-thing-enough-is-as-bad-as-a-meal-more-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Beauty is the only thing that time cannot harm. Philosophies fall away like sand, creeds follow one another, but what is beautiful is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/beauty-is-the-only-thing-that-time-cannot-harm-philosophies-fall-away/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) [Explore all 3,343 Oscar Wilde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More Chastity quotes > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [But there is a beauty every girl has—a gift from God, as pure as the sunlight, and as sacred as life. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/but-there-is-a-beauty-every-girl-has-a-gift-from-god-as-pure-as-the/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [The soul whose bosom lust did never touch Is God's fair bride; and maiden's souls are such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tertullian/the-soul-whose-bosom-lust-did-never-touch-is-god-s-fair-bride-and/) [Tertullian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tertullian/) > [Chastity is oftener owing to diffidence and shame, than to fortitude of reason or virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/chastity-is-oftener-owing-to-diffidence-and-shame-than-to-fortitude/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/give-me-chastity-and-continence-but-not-yet/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [It is not always from valor or from chastity that men are brave, and women chaste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-not-always-from-valor-or-from-chastity-that-men-are-brave-and/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Love clamors far more incessantly and passionately at a closed gate than an open one!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/love-clamors-far-more-incessantly-and-passionately-at-a-closed-gate/) [Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/) > [Reason and justice tell me there's more love for humanity in electricity and steam than in chastity and vegetarianism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/reason-and-justice-tell-me-there-s-more-love-for-humanity-in/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I get a little angry about this highhanded scrapping of the look of things. What else have we to go by? How else can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-culkin-banning/i-get-a-little-angry-about-this-highhanded-scrapping-of-the-look-of/) [Margaret Culkin Banning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-culkin-banning/) > [Let us avoid debt as we would avoid a plague...Let every head of every household see to it that he has on hand enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-reuben-clark/let-us-avoid-debt-as-we-would-avoid-a-plague-let-every-head-of-every/) [J. Reuben Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-reuben-clark/) > [There is no true Latter-day Saint who would not rather bury a son or a daughter than to have him or her lose his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heber-j-grant/there-is-no-true-latter-day-saint-who-would-not-rather-bury-a-son-or/) [Heber J. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heber-j-grant/) > [The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code of heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/the-church-has-no-double-standard-of-morality-the-moral-code-of/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [Extremes, though contrary, have the like effects. Extreme heat kills, and so extreme cold: extreme love breeds satiety, and so extreme hatred; and too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-chapman/extremes-though-contrary-have-the-like-effects-extreme-heat-kills-and/) [George Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-chapman/) > [There is but one love of Jesus, as there is but one person in the poor - Jesus. We take vows of chastity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/there-is-but-one-love-of-jesus-as-there-is-but-one-person-in-the-poor/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) [Browse all 295 Chastity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chastity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't mind plain women being puritans. 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