--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can hardly imagine that I and Lord…" description: "\"You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg" --- # You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would… ![“You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?” quote by Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg) > “You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?” [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. Societal expectations clash with personal desires, especially regarding marriage and class. **In simple terms:** Family and class pressures affect marriage choices. Key Takeaway Balance personal happiness with social expectations. Themes society class marriage Mood witty critical Type satirical dramatic When to use this quote - arranged marriages - career vs love - social mobility - family negotiations Key Concepts social conventions family duty Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize love or social approval? - How can you challenge restrictive traditions? A Different Perspective Rigid class norms can limit personal freedom. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Only daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only-daughter/) ## Related quotes > [“Me, sir! What has it to do with me? You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/me-sir-what-has-it-to-do-with-me-you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [You know, I have had a terrible life. I married two men I really didn't like. My only daughter was killed in a car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/you-know-i-have-had-a-terrible-life-i-married-two-men-i-really-didn-t/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [Katherine Sedley was the only daughter and heiress to the libertine poet Sir Charles Sedley, and grew into a thoroughly scandalous lady in her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-holloway-scott/katherine-sedley-was-the-only-daughter-and-heiress-to-the-libertine/) Susan Holloway Scott > [No one wanted that marriage, no one. Even Mahatma Gandhi wasn't happy about it. As for my father...it's not true that he opposed it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/no-one-wanted-that-marriage-no-one-even-mahatma-gandhi-wasn-t-happy/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [The story of Terisa and Geraden began very much like a fable. She was a princess in a high tower. He was a hero…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-donaldson/the-story-of-terisa-and-geraden-began-very-much-like-a-fable-she-was/) [Stephen R. Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-donaldson/) > [Well, I think it's because I'm an only daughter. I have four brothers, a bunch of guy cousins, and so it's like I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-machado/well-i-think-it-s-because-i-m-an-only-daughter-i-have-four-brothers-a/) [Alicia Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-machado/) > [I always say it was great for God to send his only son, but I'm waiting for him to send his only daughter. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-pert/i-always-say-it-was-great-for-god-to-send-his-only-son-but-i-m/) [Candace Pert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-pert/) > [Nina Simone was a gifted and prolific singer, songwriter and pianist who became a powerful presence in the civil rights movement and paid a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/nina-simone-was-a-gifted-and-prolific-singer-songwriter-and-pianist/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [ We \[ with Italo Calvino\] had a great relationship. I don't think it's a coincidence that his only daughter's name is Giovanna. I loved… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanna-cau/we-with-italo-calvino-had-a-great-relationship-i-don-t-think-it-s-a/) [Giovanna Cau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanna-cau/) > [Truth was the only daughter of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/truth-was-the-only-daughter-of-time/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [There's a kind of intimacy that happens between a mother and an only child. Which only gets more intimate when it's between a mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/there-s-a-kind-of-intimacy-that-happens-between-a-mother-and-an-only/) [Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/) > [When I consider all the circumstances detailed above respecting the Pans, I cannot help believing that, under the mythos, a doctrine or history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey-higgins/when-i-consider-all-the-circumstances-detailed-above-respecting-the/) [Godfrey Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey-higgins/) > [I worked on the United Parcel Service truck, I sold home delivery of milk. But always, in the back of my mind, I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-king/i-worked-on-the-united-parcel-service-truck-i-sold-home-delivery-of/) [Larry King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-king/) > [Magic, then, is not a method, but a language; it is part and parcel of that greater phenomenon, ritual, which is the language of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-katherina-langer/magic-then-is-not-a-method-but-a-language-it-is-part-and-parcel-of/) [Susanne Katherina Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-katherina-langer/) > [Divers philosophers hold that the lips is parcel of the mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/divers-philosophers-hold-that-the-lips-is-parcel-of-the-mouth/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## 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 Alliances quotes > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [I would be quite happy to see the Northern Alliance steam across northern Afghanistan and take Kabul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-hoon/i-would-be-quite-happy-to-see-the-northern-alliance-steam-across/) [Geoff Hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-hoon/) > [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/) [Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/) > [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I prayed for the first time in a very long time today. I explained to God that unless he wanted the Marxist-Islamic alliance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-behring-breivik/i-prayed-for-the-first-time-in-a-very-long-time-today-i-explained-to/) Anders Behring Breivik > [You cannot lead an alliance if you say you're going alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-cannot-lead-an-alliance-if-you-say-you-re-going-alone/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Clearly, gay marriage is on the top of the agenda right now. It's pretty amazing, considering where stuff was at when I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/clearly-gay-marriage-is-on-the-top-of-the-agenda-right-now-it-s/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [America must always be the world's paramount military power, but we can magnify our power through alliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/america-must-always-be-the-world-s-paramount-military-power-but-we/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. 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And the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-told-david-lange-he-was-crazy-because-you-can-t-have-an-alliance/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) [Browse all 389 Alliances quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought up with the utmost care - to marry into a cloak-room, and form an alliance with a parcel?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oscar Wilde" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-bracknell-would-dream-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alliances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-bracknell-would-dream-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/oscar-wilde-16_alliances_you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-b_1891629.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter - a girl brought…” — Oscar Wilde", "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": "Oscar Wilde", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can hardly imagine that I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-bracknell-would-dream-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/you-can-hardly-imagine-that-i-and-lord-bracknell-would-dream-of/#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 } } ] } ```