--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These gentlemen, although of the highest…" description: "\"“These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the people who come to dine with M. de La Mole; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg" --- # These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,'… ![“These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the people who come to dine with M. de La Mole; and I can see why,' he added a moment later,'they are not ashamed to be indecent.” quote by Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg) > ““These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the people who come to dine with M. de La Mole; and I can see why,' he added a moment later,'they are not ashamed to be indecent.”” [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nobility can be indecent yet unashamed, contrasting with common expectations of decorum. **In simple terms:** High status may be indecent, unapologetic. Key Takeaway Do not judge solely by class. Themes class indecency social norms Mood ironic observational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - social gatherings - courtship - political intrigue - literary analysis Key Concepts aristocratic behavior hypocrisy Questions to Reflect On - How does class affect moral judgments? - What does indecency reveal about power? A Different Perspective Indecency may be a critique of aristocratic hypocrisy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gentlemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentlemen/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Nobility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobility/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“They were completely vague. They expressed everything and nothing. 'It is the Æolian harp of style,' thought Julien. 'Amid the most lofty thoughts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/they-were-completely-vague-they-expressed-everything-and-nothing-it/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“The perversity of woman!' thought Julien. 'What pleasure, what instinct leads them to betray us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-perversity-of-woman-thought-julien-what-pleasure-what-instinct/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being male is a matter of birth, being a man is a matter of age, but being a gentlemen is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-male-is-a-matter-of-birth-being-a-man-is-a-matter-of-age-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Women, after all, gentlemen,' said the enthusiastic Mr. Snodgrass, 'are the great props and comforts of our existance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/women-after-all-gentlemen-said-the-enthusiastic-mr-snodgrass-are-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Smile, but not for long, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Patriarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-kaplan/smile-but-not-for-long-ladies-and-gentlemen-of-the-patriarchy/) Nelly Kaplan > [“Ladies and gentlemen, let us hear the demand of life and adhere to it. It would do us good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/ladies-and-gentlemen-let-us-hear-the-demand-of-life-and-adhere-to-it/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“And now gentlemen, all for one, one for all - that is our motto, is it not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/and-now-gentlemen-all-for-one-one-for-all-that-is-our-motto-is-it-not/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [The Perfect Gentleman~~~\| ¢ Gives Her One of His T-Shirts to Sleep In, ¢ Give Her One of His Hobbies; To Wear so everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-perfect-gentleman-gives-her-one-of-his-t-shirts-to-sleep-in-give/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Gentlemen prefer blondes, but take what they can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-herold/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-but-take-what-they-can-get/) [Don Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-herold/) > [Books, gentlemen, are a species of men, and introduced to them you circulate in the "very best society" that this world can furnish, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/books-gentlemen-are-a-species-of-men-and-introduced-to-them-you/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Never in England were there so many gentlemen and so little gentleness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/never-in-england-were-there-so-many-gentlemen-and-so-little-gentleness/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [How sad it is that these great gentlemen should believe what anyone tells them and do not choose to judge for themselves! But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/how-sad-it-is-that-these-great-gentlemen-should-believe-what-anyone/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [“A gentleman in those days consulted his heirs about tree planting. Should you plant a group of copper beeches against a group of white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/a-gentleman-in-those-days-consulted-his-heirs-about-tree-planting/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [“I assume 'elegant gentlemen,' such as you, learn such useful skills very early in life." "Actually, no." Straight-faced, Vane reached for her pins. "Us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/i-assume-elegant-gentlemen-such-as-you-learn-such-useful-skills-very/) [Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/) ## More by Stendhal > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [The pleasures and the cares of the luckiest ambition, even of limitless power, are nothing next to the intimate happiness that tenderness and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-pleasures-and-the-cares-of-the-luckiest-ambition-even-of/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [The more a race is governed by its passions, the less it has acquired the habit of cautious and reasoned argument, the more intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-more-a-race-is-governed-by-its-passions-the-less-it-has-acquired/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [The tyranny of public opinion (and what an opinion!) is as fatuous in the small towns of France as it is in the United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-tyranny-of-public-opinion-and-what-an-opinion-is-as-fatuous-in/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [In love, unlike most other passions, the recollection of what you have had and lost is always better than what you can hope for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/in-love-unlike-most-other-passions-the-recollection-of-what-you-have/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“The footman burst in, announcing, 'Monsieur le Duc de ---.' 'Hold your tongue, you fool,' said the Duke as he entered the room. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-footman-burst-in-announcing-monsieur-le-duc-de-hold-your-tongue/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Signs cannot be represented, in a spy's report, so damningly as words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/signs-cannot-be-represented-in-a-spy-s-report-so-damningly-as-words/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“If you think of paying court to those in power, your eternal ruin is assured.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/if-you-think-of-paying-court-to-those-in-power-your-eternal-ruin-is/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Your career will be a painful one. I divine something in you which offends the vulgar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/your-career-will-be-a-painful-one-i-divine-something-in-you-which/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [On a cold winter morning a cigar fortifies the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/on-a-cold-winter-morning-a-cigar-fortifies-the-soul/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [A forty-year-old woman is only something to men who have loved her in her youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/a-forty-year-old-woman-is-only-something-to-men-who-have-loved-her-in/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Perhaps men who cannot love passionately are those who feel the effect of beauty most keenly; at any rate this is the strongest impression…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/perhaps-men-who-cannot-love-passionately-are-those-who-feel-the/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [Who knows whether it is not true that phosphorus and mind are not the same thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/who-knows-whether-it-is-not-true-that-phosphorus-and-mind-are-not-the/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“Could anything possibly be more humorous than believing in the depth or in the depravity of the Parisian character?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/could-anything-possibly-be-more-humorous-than-believing-in-the-depth/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [The idea which tyrants find most useful is the idea of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/the-idea-which-tyrants-find-most-useful-is-the-idea-of-god/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) [Explore all 184 Stendhal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) ## More Gentlemen quotes > [“I assume 'elegant gentlemen,' such as you, learn such useful skills very early in life." "Actually, no." Straight-faced, Vane reached for her pins. "Us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-laurens/i-assume-elegant-gentlemen-such-as-you-learn-such-useful-skills-very/) [Stephanie Laurens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-laurens/) > [“A gentleman in those days consulted his heirs about tree planting. Should you plant a group of copper beeches against a group of white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/a-gentleman-in-those-days-consulted-his-heirs-about-tree-planting/) [Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/) > [How sad it is that these great gentlemen should believe what anyone tells them and do not choose to judge for themselves! But it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/how-sad-it-is-that-these-great-gentlemen-should-believe-what-anyone/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [“Never in England were there so many gentlemen and so little gentleness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-sansom/never-in-england-were-there-so-many-gentlemen-and-so-little-gentleness/) [C.J. Sansom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-sansom/) > [“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/if-you-have-feelings-for-someone-let-them-know-it-doesn-t-matter-if/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Books, gentlemen, are a species of men, and introduced to them you circulate in the "very best society" that this world can furnish, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/books-gentlemen-are-a-species-of-men-and-introduced-to-them-you/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [Gentlemen prefer blondes, but take what they can get.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-herold/gentlemen-prefer-blondes-but-take-what-they-can-get/) [Don Herold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-herold/) > [The Perfect Gentleman~~~\| ¢ Gives Her One of His T-Shirts to Sleep In, ¢ Give Her One of His Hobbies; To Wear so everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-perfect-gentleman-gives-her-one-of-his-t-shirts-to-sleep-in-give/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“And now gentlemen, all for one, one for all - that is our motto, is it not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/and-now-gentlemen-all-for-one-one-for-all-that-is-our-motto-is-it-not/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“Ladies and gentlemen, let us hear the demand of life and adhere to it. It would do us good”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/ladies-and-gentlemen-let-us-hear-the-demand-of-life-and-adhere-to-it/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Smile, but not for long, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Patriarchy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-kaplan/smile-but-not-for-long-ladies-and-gentlemen-of-the-patriarchy/) Nelly Kaplan > [“Women, after all, gentlemen,' said the enthusiastic Mr. Snodgrass, 'are the great props and comforts of our existance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/women-after-all-gentlemen-said-the-enthusiastic-mr-snodgrass-are-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [Being male is a matter of birth, being a man is a matter of age, but being a gentlemen is a matter of choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-male-is-a-matter-of-birth-being-a-man-is-a-matter-of-age-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gentlemen and maidens in this general vicinity, how doth it go?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-killings/gentlemen-and-maidens-in-this-general-vicinity-how-doth-it-go/) Ron Killings > [The only B word a female should be called is BEAUTIFUL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-b-word-a-female-should-be-called-is-beautiful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 286 Gentlemen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentlemen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the people who come to dine with M. de La Mole; and I can see why,' he added a moment later,'they are not ashamed to be indecent.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stendhal" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest-nobility-thought-julien-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gentlemen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest-nobility-thought-julien-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/stendhal-1379_gentlemen_these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest_2378842.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These gentlemen, although of the highest nobility,' thought Julien, 'are not in the least boring like the…” — Stendhal", "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": "Stendhal", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“These gentlemen, although of the highest...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest-nobility-thought-julien-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/these-gentlemen-although-of-the-highest-nobility-thought-julien-are/#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 } } ] } ```