--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The worst crime I could commit in his…" description: "\"“The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do anything for my own pleasure, anything outside of my daughterly duties.”\" — Ottessa Moshfegh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg" --- # The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do… ![“The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do anything for my own pleasure, anything outside of my daughterly duties.” quote by Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg) > ““The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do anything for my own pleasure, anything outside of my daughterly duties.”” [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self-sacrifice for others can feel like betrayal of personal desires **In simple terms:** Putting others first can feel like denying oneself Key Takeaway Balance duty with personal joy Themes family self conflict Mood conflicted reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - caregiving - career choices Key Concepts Existentialism moral duty Questions to Reflect On - What personal pleasures do you suppress? - How can you honor both self and others? A Different Perspective Neglecting self can lead to burnout and resentment ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ## Related quotes > [...but now the worst crime was pretending to be something you were not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-now-the-worst-crime-was-pretending-to-be-something-you-were-not/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Perhaps the worlds second worst crime is boredom. The first is being a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perhaps-the-worlds-second-worst-crime-is-boredom-the-first-is-being-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Take the Iraq War,it's the second worst crime after the Second World War. It's the first time in history, in the history of imperialism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/take-the-iraq-war-it-s-the-second-worst-crime-after-the-second-world/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [The worst crime committed by totalitarian mind-sets is that they force their citizens, including their victims, to become complicit in their crimes. Dancing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-worst-crime-committed-by-totalitarian-mind-sets-is-that-they-2/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [It was kind of like, my worst crime was that I was a pop star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/it-was-kind-of-like-my-worst-crime-was-that-i-was-a-pop-star/) [Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/) > [The worst crime is faking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/the-worst-crime-is-faking-it/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-gompers/the-worst-crime-against-working-people-is-a-company-which-fails-to/) [Samuel Gompers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-gompers/) > [Falling for you was my worst crime, breaking the rules was my greatest punishment but loving you was the best decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monika-geidane/falling-for-you-was-my-worst-crime-breaking-the-rules-was-my-greatest/) Monika Geidane > [Everyday, day & night, we hear the lies that September 11th is the worst tragedy, worst accident, and worst crime to ever been committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-zulu-shabazz/everyday-day-night-we-hear-the-lies-that-september-11th-is-the-worst/) [Malik Zulu Shabazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-zulu-shabazz/) > [I think it's good to have pressure on yourself. The worst crime is to get kind of really complacent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-think-it-s-good-to-have-pressure-on-yourself-the-worst-crime-is-to/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [“The worst crime you can do to yourself is to forget why you chose the path you're on, but keep walking down it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-oakes/the-worst-crime-you-can-do-to-yourself-is-to-forget-why-you-chose-the/) [Stephanie Oakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-oakes/) > [Perhaps the world's second worst crime is boredom. The first is being a bore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perhaps-the-world-s-second-worst-crime-is-boredom-the-first-is-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animals are the main victims of history, and the treatment of domesticated animals in industrial farms is perhaps the worst crime in history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/animals-are-the-main-victims-of-history-and-the-treatment-of/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [The worst crime of all would be that a mistake happens and no one talks about it or learns from it. So, as unsettling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-gupta/the-worst-crime-of-all-would-be-that-a-mistake-happens-and-no-one/) [Sanjay Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-gupta/) > [There are likable characters in prison. Sometimes the worst criminals are also some of the most charming people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taryn-manning/there-are-likable-characters-in-prison-sometimes-the-worst-criminals/) [Taryn Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taryn-manning/) ## More by Ottessa Moshfegh > [Sometimes I think I'm a nihilist because it doesn't matter, none of this matters. We're all following the will of some unknowable higher power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/sometimes-i-think-i-m-a-nihilist-because-it-doesn-t-matter-none-of/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [If you look at the horror genre, that work is all about making people uncomfortable by stimulating our fear of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/if-you-look-at-the-horror-genre-that-work-is-all-about-making-people/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“...the face I wore at work, my death mask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-face-i-wore-at-work-my-death-mask/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [I've always really enjoyed sharing my work with others. I find it really hard if I don't think the work will exist outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-ve-always-really-enjoyed-sharing-my-work-with-others-i-find-it/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [Indifference is the saddest state of being. It's like PTSD - you're not gonna fight, you're not gonna run, you're just frozen there, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/indifference-is-the-saddest-state-of-being-it-s-like-ptsd-you-re-not/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Talking to Reva about misery was insufferable. 'Look on the bright side,' was what she wanted everyone to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/talking-to-reva-about-misery-was-insufferable-look-on-the-bright-side/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [ What's inspiring me the most \[is\] injustice. My own growth as a member of the human race, in terms of the veils being lifted,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/what-s-inspiring-me-the-most-is-injustice-my-own-growth-as-a-member/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Knowledge of anything current or faddish made me feel I was just a victim of isolation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/knowledge-of-anything-current-or-faddish-made-me-feel-i-was-just-a/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I wanted to hold onto the house the way you'd hold onto a love letter. It was proof that I had not always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-the-house-the-way-you-d-hold-onto-a-love-letter/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Like a favorite song you’ve heard so many times it begins to annoy you,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/like-a-favorite-song-you-ve-heard-so-many-times-it-begins-to-annoy-you/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I watched that old world go by, away and away, gone gone gone, until, like me, it disappeared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-watched-that-old-world-go-by-away-and-away-gone-gone-gone-until/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“I was nervous. It had been a long time since I’d gone any place I wanted to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-was-nervous-it-had-been-a-long-time-since-i-d-gone-any-place-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“But maybe I’d need something to read on my ride to my future, I thought. I could borrow a few of the finer books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/but-maybe-i-d-need-something-to-read-on-my-ride-to-my-future-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“The stars come out. I look for the moon, but it eludes me. I can't find or measure my way. Drift, drift. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-stars-come-out-i-look-for-the-moon-but-it-eludes-me-i-can-t-find/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) > [“Right," I said, but it didn't feel very right. I didn't want to make it. I wanted to lie down with it and strangle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/right-i-said-but-it-didn-t-feel-very-right-i-didn-t-want-to-make-it-i/) [Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) [Explore all 82 Ottessa Moshfegh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/) [Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [Too much virtue can be criminal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-racine/too-much-virtue-can-be-criminal/) [Jean Racine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-racine/) > [The federal prison population increased by almost 800 percent between 1980 and 2013, often at a far faster rate than the Bureau of Prisons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-yates/the-federal-prison-population-increased-by-almost-800-percent-between/) [Sally Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-yates/) > [ \[P\]rogress, however, has not sufficiently infiltrated the Interior Ministry, affording protection to those who participated in the Bytyqi murders and other egregious Milosevic-era crimes. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avis-bohlen/p-rogress-however-has-not-sufficiently-infiltrated-the-interior/) Avis Bohlen [Browse all 8,359 Crime quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do anything for my own pleasure, anything outside of my daughterly duties.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ottessa Moshfegh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-eyes-was-to-do-anything-for-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Crime" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-eyes-was-to-do-anything-for-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c7/ottessa-moshfegh-8200_crime_the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-ey_2959443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The worst crime I could commit in his eyes was to do anything for my own pleasure, anything outside of my…” — Ottessa Moshfegh", "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": "Ottessa Moshfegh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The worst crime I could commit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-eyes-was-to-do-anything-for-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/the-worst-crime-i-could-commit-in-his-eyes-was-to-do-anything-for-my/#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 } } ] } ```