--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was at a dinner party many years…" description: "\"I was at a dinner party many years ago,sitting along from Tom Stoppard, who in those days smoked not just between courses,but between mouthfuls. An Ame..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/stephen-fry-573_american-woman_i-was-at-a-dinner-party-many-years-ago-s_2881849.jpg" --- # I was at a dinner party many years ago,sitting along from… ![“I was at a dinner party many years ago,sitting along from Tom Stoppard, who in those days smoked not just between courses,but between mouthfuls. An American woman watched in disbelief. "And you so intelligent!" "Excuse me?" said tom "Knowing those things are going to kill you" she said "and still…” quote by Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/stephen-fry-573_american-woman_i-was-at-a-dinner-party-many-years-ago-s_2881849.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/stephen-fry-573_american-woman_i-was-at-a-dinner-party-many-years-ago-s_2881849.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e6/stephen-fry-573_american-woman_i-was-at-a-dinner-party-many-years-ago-s_2881849.jpg) > “I was at a dinner party many years ago,sitting along from Tom Stoppard, who in those days smoked not just between courses,but between mouthfuls. An American woman watched in disbelief. "And you so intelligent!" "Excuse me?" said tom "Knowing those things are going to kill you" she said "and still you do it." "How differently I might behave" Tom said, "if immortality were an option” [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The anecdote highlights how people often ignore the harmful consequences of their habits while praising intelligence, revealing a tension between admiration and self‑destruction. **In simple terms:** People praise intellect even when it harms them. Key Takeaway Recognize and question harmful habits. Themes habits intelligence self‑destruction social perception Mood reflective critical Type observational anecdotal When to use this quote - social gatherings - personal reflection - health discussions Key Concepts cognitive dissonance behavioral paradox Questions to Reflect On - Do you admire traits that harm you? - How can you balance admiration with self‑care? A Different Perspective Praising intelligence may mask dangerous behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-woman/) [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Dinner party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner-party/) [Disbelief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disbelief/) [Immortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortality/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“Knowing those things are going to kill you," she said, "and still you do it." "How differently I might behave," Tom said, "if immortality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/knowing-those-things-are-going-to-kill-you-she-said-and-still-you-do/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“Bianca, camp is cool! 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Everybody clings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/it-has-been-said-that-the-immortality-of-the-soul-is-a-grand-peut-tre/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [I'm a big fan of Tom Stoppard's work, and have been since I was in school where I studied him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelaide-clemens/i-m-a-big-fan-of-tom-stoppard-s-work-and-have-been-since-i-was-in/) [Adelaide Clemens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelaide-clemens/) > [I consider myself a Jewish writer, like all my heroes: Tom Stoppard, David Mamet, Philip Roth, Arthur Miller, Woody Allen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-consider-myself-a-jewish-writer-like-all-my-heroes-tom-stoppard/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [“The ‘role of the theatre’ is much debated (by almost nobody, of course), but the thing defines itself in practice first and foremost as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/the-role-of-the-theatre-is-much-debated-by-almost-nobody-of-course/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“Tom Stoppard’s other work includes: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties, Night and Day, After Magritte, The Real Thing, Enter A Free Man,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/tom-stoppard-s-other-work-includes-rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“IN 1967 YOUNG Tom Stoppard had his breakthrough hit, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a brilliant play about actors playing characters playing actors playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-andersen/in-1967-young-tom-stoppard-had-his-breakthrough-hit-rosencrantz-and/) [Kurt Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-andersen/) > [There were authors I read as an adult who completely inspired me. 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