--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe they were all either pimps or…" description: "\"“Maybe they were all either pimps or whores. Maybe it was life’s classifying principle, maybe I had seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/robert-b-parker-2608_life_maybe-they-were-all-either-pimps-or-whor_803600.jpg" --- # Maybe they were all either pimps or whores. Maybe it was… ![“Maybe they were all either pimps or whores. Maybe it was life’s classifying principle, maybe I had seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker.” quote by Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/robert-b-parker-2608_life_maybe-they-were-all-either-pimps-or-whor_803600.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/robert-b-parker-2608_life_maybe-they-were-all-either-pimps-or-whor_803600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fd/robert-b-parker-2608_life_maybe-they-were-all-either-pimps-or-whor_803600.jpg) > ““Maybe they were all either pimps or whores. Maybe it was life’s classifying principle, maybe I had seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker.”” [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Characters may be labeled by society’s harsh judgments, yet they confront existential absurdities with dark humor. **In simple terms:** People get unfairly labeled. Key Takeaway Question societal labels and find humor. Themes identity societal judgment existentialism dark humor morality Mood cynical dark Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - courtrooms - street life - personal relationships - self‑reflection Key Concepts labeling theory absurdist perspective ethical ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - What does the “Footman” symbolize? - How do labels affect self‑identity? A Different Perspective Humor may trivialize serious suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Noir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noir/) [Pimps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pimps/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't mind working in the clubs, but I resented it being a club where pimps hang out. Because the music that I create…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-white/i-didn-t-mind-working-in-the-clubs-but-i-resented-it-being-a-club/) [Barry White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-white/) > [“But why give a man something it's so hard to earn? In that respect women are really thick. They're the daughters of rigidity. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/but-why-give-a-man-something-it-s-so-hard-to-earn-in-that-respect/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [“Everyone looked like a broken-down movie extra, a withered starlet; disenchanted stunt-men, midget auto-racers, poignant California characters with their end-of-the-continent sadness, handsome, decadent, Casanova-ish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/everyone-looked-like-a-broken-down-movie-extra-a-withered-starlet/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“To all pimps and whores a merry syphilis and a happy gonorrhea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/to-all-pimps-and-whores-a-merry-syphilis-and-a-happy-gonorrhea/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Susan said. “You ought to not forget that whoever you killed last year, there were people you could have killed and didn’t.” “There’s that,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/susan-said-you-ought-to-not-forget-that-whoever-you-killed-last-year/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“There was nearly an inch of snow accumulated and Washington was rapidly sinking into hysteria.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/there-was-nearly-an-inch-of-snow-accumulated-and-washington-was/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Later, early Christmas morning, I was still awake, and Susan was asleep, on her back, with her mouth open slightly. I looked at her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/later-early-christmas-morning-i-was-still-awake-and-susan-was-asleep/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Rachel drank some more bourbon. “What I am trying to do,” she said, “is to thank you. And to say it as genuinely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/rachel-drank-some-more-bourbon-what-i-am-trying-to-do-she-said-is-to/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“ Conversation between Susan's therapist and Spenser - "And when you find her? Then what?" "Then she will be free again to come here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/conversation-between-susan-s-therapist-and-spenser-and-when-you-find/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“You and Galileo,” I said. “Didn’t he throw his balls off the leaning tower?” Quirk Said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/you-and-galileo-i-said-didn-t-he-throw-his-balls-off-the-leaning/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“I’m sleeping with a Harvard grad,” I said. “The Emory of the North,” Becker said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-m-sleeping-with-a-harvard-grad-i-said-the-emory-of-the-north-becker/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Can you analyze our relationship in the light of Silvermanian pragmatism?” I said. “I love you because I find it compelling to be loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/can-you-analyze-our-relationship-in-the-light-of-silvermanian/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Susan had decided to sit by the pool at the hotel with a copy of a book by Alice Miller called The Drama of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/susan-had-decided-to-sit-by-the-pool-at-the-hotel-with-a-copy-of-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“And Quirk’s a captain now,” he said. “Captain Quirk?” The motorcycle cop grinned. “Captain Quirk,” he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/and-quirk-s-a-captain-now-he-said-captain-quirk-the-motorcycle-cop/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Sandy’s face was very close to mine in the crowded room. She had a wide mouth and a lot of teeth. She had turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/sandy-s-face-was-very-close-to-mine-in-the-crowded-room-she-had-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) ## More by Robert B. Parker > [“I always loved it when I had a story to tell her, because her attention was complete and felt like sunlight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-always-loved-it-when-i-had-a-story-to-tell-her-because-her/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [Writer's block? I've never heard of a plumber complain about plumber's block.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/writer-s-block-i-ve-never-heard-of-a-plumber-complain-about-plumber-s/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [I had achieved the most important things in my life when I married Joan and had the sons. Given the choice between Joan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-had-achieved-the-most-important-things-in-my-life-when-i-married/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [Joan organizes our social life, and on weekends I follow her around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/joan-organizes-our-social-life-and-on-weekends-i-follow-her-around/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Sandy’s face was very close to mine in the crowded room. She had a wide mouth and a lot of teeth. She had turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/sandy-s-face-was-very-close-to-mine-in-the-crowded-room-she-had-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“And Quirk’s a captain now,” he said. “Captain Quirk?” The motorcycle cop grinned. “Captain Quirk,” he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/and-quirk-s-a-captain-now-he-said-captain-quirk-the-motorcycle-cop/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [Both our opinions are rooted in our experience," I said. "Both of them are true, it's just that we've had different experiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/both-our-opinions-are-rooted-in-our-experience-i-said-both-of-them/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“I think you’ve never quite altogether forgiven yourself for that woman in Los Angeles all that time ago.” “Candy Sloan,” I said. Susan nodded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-think-you-ve-never-quite-altogether-forgiven-yourself-for-that/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/if-you-want-to-write-write-it-that-s-the-first-rule-and-send-it-in/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Susan had decided to sit by the pool at the hotel with a copy of a book by Alice Miller called The Drama of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/susan-had-decided-to-sit-by-the-pool-at-the-hotel-with-a-copy-of-a/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“called Evan Malone at the number Epstein had given me and got his wife, and made an appointment to come up to his place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/called-evan-malone-at-the-number-epstein-had-given-me-and-got-his/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [I have reached the point where I know that as long as I sit down to write, the ideas will come. What they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-have-reached-the-point-where-i-know-that-as-long-as-i-sit-down-to/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Can you analyze our relationship in the light of Silvermanian pragmatism?” I said. “I love you because I find it compelling to be loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/can-you-analyze-our-relationship-in-the-light-of-silvermanian/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“Pearl eyed a man and woman walking by in funny hats. Her whole body stiffened with the desire to bark at them. Mine too.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/pearl-eyed-a-man-and-woman-walking-by-in-funny-hats-her-whole-body/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) > [“I’m sleeping with a Harvard grad,” I said. “The Emory of the North,” Becker said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-parker/i-m-sleeping-with-a-harvard-grad-i-said-the-emory-of-the-north-becker/) [Robert B. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) [Explore all 151 Robert B. Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-parker/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [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/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe they were all either pimps or whores. 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