--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The newspaper got it all wrong. They…" description: "\"“The newspaper got it all wrong. They should have called me a harlot and a slut, a poseur and a tease, a nubile and naive, a slattern and a sleaze, a v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/rebecca-godfrey-39293_harlot_the-newspaper-got-it-all-wrong-they-shou_2394453.jpg" --- # The newspaper got it all wrong. They should have called me… ![“The newspaper got it all wrong. They should have called me a harlot and a slut, a poseur and a tease, a nubile and naive, a slattern and a sleaze, a vandalist and anarchist, a dirty dilettante with a fatal and fervent disease. Because I was all of those things in the twelve days when there was too…” quote by Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/rebecca-godfrey-39293_harlot_the-newspaper-got-it-all-wrong-they-shou_2394453.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/rebecca-godfrey-39293_harlot_the-newspaper-got-it-all-wrong-they-shou_2394453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b6/rebecca-godfrey-39293_harlot_the-newspaper-got-it-all-wrong-they-shou_2394453.jpg) > ““The newspaper got it all wrong. They should have called me a harlot and a slut, a poseur and a tease, a nubile and naive, a slattern and a sleaze, a vandalist and anarchist, a dirty dilettante with a fatal and fervent disease. Because I was all of those things in the twelve days when there was too much rain and I was burning and I found and lost Justine.”” [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator lists degrading labels assigned by society, reflecting on a chaotic period of self‑destruction and loss during a stormy, emotionally turbulent time. **In simple terms:** Society’s harsh labels and personal chaos during a stormy period Key Takeaway Question the impact of labels and seek authentic self Themes identity societal judgment self‑destruction storm metaphor loss Mood melancholy reflective raw Type literary personal When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative writing - mental health discussion Key Concepts stigma self‑identity emotional turbulence Questions to Reflect On - How do labels affect your self‑perception? - Can you find a narrative beyond the imposed names? A Different Perspective The list may exaggerate for dramatic effect, overlooking nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Harlot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harlot/) [Sleaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleaze/) ## Related quotes > [Sleaze is a point by point refutation of elegance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/sleaze-is-a-point-by-point-refutation-of-elegance/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [People always go on about sleaze, but I think it's only a small part of what I write about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/people-always-go-on-about-sleaze-but-i-think-it-s-only-a-small-part/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [To grasp the true meaning of socialism, imagine a world where everything is designed by the post office, even the sleaze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-grasp-the-true-meaning-of-socialism-imagine-a-world-where/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What do you have to forget or overlook in order to desire that this dysfunctional clan once more occupies the White House and is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/what-do-you-have-to-forget-or-overlook-in-order-to-desire-that-this/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Could you conjugate that? To sleaze. I sleaze. You sleaze. We all have sleazen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armistead-maupin/could-you-conjugate-that-to-sleaze-i-sleaze-you-sleaze-we-all-have/) [Armistead Maupin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armistead-maupin/) > [“Bad as political fiction can be, there is always a politician prepared to make it look artistic by comparison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/bad-as-political-fiction-can-be-there-is-always-a-politician-prepared/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“You couldn't find your dick in the dark, you scheming, sleaze-mongering scumwad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/you-couldn-t-find-your-dick-in-the-dark-you-scheming-sleaze-mongering/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [How about this John Edwards thing? Imagine that, a personal injury attorney who turns out to be a sleaze ball. Who could have seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/how-about-this-john-edwards-thing-imagine-that-a-personal-injury/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Its amazing how you think you know someone, and they still find a way to appall you by sinking to a whole new level…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-amazing-how-you-think-you-know-someone-and-they-still-find-a-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the last of the truly tacky women. I do trash with flash and sleaze with ease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/i-m-the-last-of-the-truly-tacky-women-i-do-trash-with-flash-and/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [“So sweet is this song that no one could resist it. For in it is all the passionate ache for the moonlight, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/so-sweet-is-this-song-that-no-one-could-resist-it-for-in-it-is-all/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Every harlot was a virgin once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/every-harlot-was-a-virgin-once/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [The old harlot, German philosophy, has finally turned into a church lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/the-old-harlot-german-philosophy-has-finally-turned-into-a-church-lady/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [“The Harlot’s House. We caught the tread of dancing feet, We loitered down the moonlit street, And stopped beneath the harlot’s house. Inside, above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-harlot-s-house-we-caught-the-tread-of-dancing-feet-we-loitered/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The old harlot, German philosophy, has finally turnedinto a church lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/the-old-harlot-german-philosophy-has-finally-turnedinto-a-church-lady/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) ## More by Rebecca Godfrey > [“That girl in the backseat of the beater, I wonder if she's bored d restless, stuck in this small town, hating the slow, stoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/that-girl-in-the-backseat-of-the-beater-i-wonder-if-she-s-bored-d/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“Call it inevitable, call it the doomed fate of love. Call it karmic, fucked up, the dance of the wolves. Live it, love it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/call-it-inevitable-call-it-the-doomed-fate-of-love-call-it-karmic/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“I don't know why, but whenever I'd look at Amber, all determined and long-legged, I'd imagine her climbing out of a car wreck while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/i-don-t-know-why-but-whenever-i-d-look-at-amber-all-determined-and/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“But the problem with me was that as soon as I started thinking about getting it together, I got this mad craving desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/but-the-problem-with-me-was-that-as-soon-as-i-started-thinking-about/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“In the alley where I last saw Justine, there was no sun. The storefronts displayed carnation bouquets and orthopedic shoes and hearing aids, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/in-the-alley-where-i-last-saw-justine-there-was-no-sun-the/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [Interference is a terrific page-turner, but it's also a haunting, powerful look at the way families and friendships entangle us all. Berry is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/interference-is-a-terrific-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-haunting/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [Broken locks and bruised knees and borrowed lipgloss and rain on the streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/broken-locks-and-bruised-knees-and-borrowed-lipgloss-and-rain-on-the/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“Shards of glass fell down like lacerated rain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/shards-of-glass-fell-down-like-lacerated-rain/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [I've read Flowers in the Attic and The Other Side of Midnight and Go Ask Alice and I don't want to read any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/i-ve-read-flowers-in-the-attic-and-the-other-side-of-midnight-and-go/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [I saw this girl dancing, and I moved closer to her because I liked the way she looked, haughty and sexy but not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/i-saw-this-girl-dancing-and-i-moved-closer-to-her-because-i-liked-the/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) [Explore all 11 Rebecca Godfrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) ## More Harlot quotes > [The old harlot, German philosophy, has finally turnedinto a church lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/the-old-harlot-german-philosophy-has-finally-turnedinto-a-church-lady/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [“The Harlot’s House. We caught the tread of dancing feet, We loitered down the moonlit street, And stopped beneath the harlot’s house. Inside, above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-harlot-s-house-we-caught-the-tread-of-dancing-feet-we-loitered/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The old harlot, German philosophy, has finally turned into a church lady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/the-old-harlot-german-philosophy-has-finally-turned-into-a-church-lady/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [Every harlot was a virgin once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/every-harlot-was-a-virgin-once/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“So sweet is this song that no one could resist it. For in it is all the passionate ache for the moonlight, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/so-sweet-is-this-song-that-no-one-could-resist-it-for-in-it-is-all/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [If you would not step into the harlot's house, do not go by the harlot's door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-secker/if-you-would-not-step-into-the-harlot-s-house-do-not-go-by-the-harlot/) [Thomas Secker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-secker/) > [“Death raised his brows, unashamed to be caught ogling. “Just because you’re a gutless harlot doesn’t mean I won’t find your . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole-endless-knight/death-raised-his-brows-unashamed-to-be-caught-ogling-just-because-you/) Kresley Cole; Endless Knight > [“A man who lives with his wife is safer and more venerable than a man who lives with a tramp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/a-man-who-lives-with-his-wife-is-safer-and-more-venerable-than-a-man/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Surely hers was the heart of a harlot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-jordan/surely-hers-was-the-heart-of-a-harlot/) [Joanna Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-jordan/) > [Man loves his own ruin. The cup is so sweet that though he knows it will poison him, yet he must drink it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/man-loves-his-own-ruin-the-cup-is-so-sweet-that-though-he-knows-it/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“It was a strange room, the door hanging off its hinges, and yet a telephone. But its last occupant was a harlot, long past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-was-a-strange-room-the-door-hanging-off-its-hinges-and-yet-a/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Power without responsibility - the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/power-without-responsibility-the-prerogative-of-the-harlot-throughout/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dissembling harlot, thou art false in all!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/dissembling-harlot-thou-art-false-in-all/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Take Tamar, for instance. She disguises herself as a harlot and sleeps with her own father-in-law, just to prove what a hypocrite he is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-torode/take-tamar-for-instance-she-disguises-herself-as-a-harlot-and-sleeps/) [Sam Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-torode/) > [“Oh, and you should know . . . if you keep calling me harlot, sooner or later I’m going to have a rage blackout,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/oh-and-you-should-know-if-you-keep-calling-me-harlot-sooner-or-later/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) [Browse all 24 Harlot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harlot/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The newspaper got it all wrong. They should have called me a harlot and a slut, a poseur and a tease, a nubile and naive, a slattern and a sleaze, a vandalist and anarchist, a dirty dilettante with a fatal and fervent disease. 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