--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sir, as men become in a high degree…" description: "\"“Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are considered to be of such importance, that life must be staked ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/samuel-johnson-50_hurt-men_sir-as-men-become-in-a-high-degree-refin_163417.jpg" --- # Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various… ![“Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are considered to be of such importance, that life must be staked to atone for them, though in reality they are not so. A body that has received a very fine polish may be easily hurt. Before men arrive at this…” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/samuel-johnson-50_hurt-men_sir-as-men-become-in-a-high-degree-refin_163417.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/samuel-johnson-50_hurt-men_sir-as-men-become-in-a-high-degree-refin_163417.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4eb/samuel-johnson-50_hurt-men_sir-as-men-become-in-a-high-degree-refin_163417.jpg) > ““Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are considered to be of such importance, that life must be staked to atone for them, though in reality they are not so. A body that has received a very fine polish may be easily hurt. Before men arrive at this artificial refinement, if one tells his neighbor he lies, his neighbor tell him he lies; if one gives his neighbor a blow, his neighbor gives him a blow; but in a state of highly polished society, an affront is held to be a serious injury. It must, therefore, be resented, or rather a duel must be fought upon it; as men have agreed to banish from their society one who puts up with an affront without fighting a duel. Now, Sir, it is never unlawful to fight in self-defence. He, then, who fights a duel, does not fight from passion against his antagonist, but out of self-defence; to avert the stigma of the world, and to prevent himself from being driven out of society. I could wish there was not that superfluity of refinement; but while such notions prevail, no doubt a man may lawfully fight a duel.”” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Refined societies amplify minor slights into grave offenses, prompting duels as a means to protect honor and avoid social exile. **In simple terms:** Polished cultures turn small insults into serious conflicts, leading to duels for honor. Key Takeaway Recognize when social expectations inflate conflicts and seek peaceful resolution. Themes honor social norms conflict refinement dueling Mood tense reflective Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - courtship - political intrigue - personal reputation - legal justification Key Concepts ego status social pressure self‑defence Questions to Reflect On - Do you let social expectations dictate your reactions? - How can honor be defended without violence? A Different Perspective Such duels can perpetuate violence and may ignore underlying misunderstandings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causes Offence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes-offence-1787386/) [Duel Sir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duel-sir-1787384/) [Hurt Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-men-579184/) [Resented Duel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resented-duel-1787383/) [Society Affront](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-affront-1787385/) ## Related quotes > [“It's often not the message that's sent that causes offence but the one that is received.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-asbury/it-s-often-not-the-message-that-s-sent-that-causes-offence-but-the/) [Stephen Asbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-asbury/) > [Although Dorothy in Blue Velvet was humiliated and hurt by men, basically I could react to how she felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabella-rossellini/although-dorothy-in-blue-velvet-was-humiliated-and-hurt-by-men/) [Isabella Rossellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabella-rossellini/) > [“Only once we reach a point where we can recognize that men get hurt from acting "manly" and women are hurt from men being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samhita-mukhopadhyay/only-once-we-reach-a-point-where-we-can-recognize-that-men-get-hurt/) [Samhita Mukhopadhyay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samhita-mukhopadhyay/) > [“A finely tuned spike of pain speared through his skull, signalling a detectable breach in his conditioning. 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Only men have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/dogs-have-never-hurt-me-only-men-have/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [“However things hurt, men hurt worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-berryman/however-things-hurt-men-hurt-worse/) [John Berryman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-berryman/) > [“...in a certain sense, it's harder for men to say no to sex than it is for women. When a woman says no, nobody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/in-a-certain-sense-it-s-harder-for-men-to-say-no-to-sex-than-it-is/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [The more famous and powerful I get the more power I have to hurt men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-stone/the-more-famous-and-powerful-i-get-the-more-power-i-have-to-hurt-men/) [Sharon Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-stone/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [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/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. 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Men are beside themselves when they transgress against their convictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-penn/what-man-in-his-right-mind-would-conspire-his-own-hurt-men-are-beside/) [William Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-penn/) > [ “Life's full of chances to hurt yourself or someone else \[...\] In the next few days, you'll have more chances to hurt yourself than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/life-s-full-of-chances-to-hurt-yourself-or-someone-else-in-the-next/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [Imagine if your Man cried at the slightest emotional breakdown. Of course you will feel disgusted at a point. 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He hadn’t drawn a weapon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-buroker/sicarius-stood-behind-them-not-bothering-to-hide-his-face-as-the/) [Lindsay Buroker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-buroker/) [Browse all 16 Hurt Men quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-men-579184/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sir, as men become in a high degree refined, various causes of offence arise; which are considered to be of such importance, that life must be staked to atone for them, though in reality they are not so. A body that has received a very fine polish may be easily hurt. Before men arrive at this artificial refinement, if one tells his neighbor he lies, his neighbor tell him he lies; if one gives his neighbor a blow, his neighbor gives him a blow; but in a state of highly polished society, an affront is held to be a serious injury. It must, therefore, be resented, or rather a duel must be fought upon it; as men have agreed to banish from their society one who puts up with an affront without fighting a duel. Now, Sir, it is never unlawful to fight in self-defence. He, then, who fights a duel, does not fight from passion against his antagonist, but out of self-defence; to avert the stigma of the world, and to prevent himself from being driven out of society. 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