--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt?…" description: "\"How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is \"I will see you in the vestry after service.\"\" — Sydney Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/sydney-smith-6523_bishop_how-can-a-bishop-marry-how-can-he-flirt_331052.png" --- # How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can… ![“How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is "I will see you in the vestry after service."” quote by Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/sydney-smith-6523_bishop_how-can-a-bishop-marry-how-can-he-flirt_331052.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/sydney-smith-6523_bishop_how-can-a-bishop-marry-how-can-he-flirt_331052.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dcc/sydney-smith-6523_bishop_how-can-a-bishop-marry-how-can-he-flirt_331052.png) > “How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is "I will see you in the vestry after service."” [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning clerical celibacy and romantic propriety, highlighting institutional constraints on personal relationships. **In simple terms:** Clergy face rules on marriage and flirtation. Key Takeaway Recognize institutional limits on personal behavior. Themes religion courtship institutional constraints Mood wry thoughtful Type satirical observational When to use this quote - church life - personal relationships - historical context Key Concepts celibacy social norms power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do institutions shape personal intimacy? - Can tradition evolve with modern values? A Different Perspective Clergy may find creative ways to express affection within rules. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishop/) [Bishops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishops/) [Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Flirting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flirting/) ## Related quotes > [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/) Yuri Razuvaev > [In 1815, M. Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of D—— He was an old man of about seventy-five years of age; he had occupied the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-1815-m-charles-francois-bienvenu-myriel-was-bishop-of-d-he-was-an/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I should as soon think of contradicting a bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/i-should-as-soon-think-of-contradicting-a-bishop/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Well, I hope your hard self enjoys flogging the bishop tonight!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/well-i-hope-your-hard-self-enjoys-flogging-the-bishop-tonight/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“The bishop in each district considers the opinion of the other preachers, and the bishop has the final say concerning all issues that arise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ora-jay-eash/the-bishop-in-each-district-considers-the-opinion-of-the-other/) [Ora-Jay Eash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ora-jay-eash/) > [That you, sister. May you be the mother of a bishop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-behan/that-you-sister-may-you-be-the-mother-of-a-bishop/) [Brendan Behan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-behan/) > [I wrote to my bishop, the Archbishop of Utrecht, Holland, and explained that I wanted not just permission to stay longer, but a mission.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/i-wrote-to-my-bishop-the-archbishop-of-utrecht-holland-and-explained/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [The one-cylinder ward is one in which the bishop handles all the problems, makes all the decisions, follows through on all the assignments, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-russell-ballard/the-one-cylinder-ward-is-one-in-which-the-bishop-handles-all-the/) [M. Russell Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-russell-ballard/) > [In 'Hell Ride,' I play a biker - it's about the bikers. It's with Dennis Hopper and Michael Madsen, Larry Bishop and myself. We're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-jones/in-hell-ride-i-play-a-biker-it-s-about-the-bikers-it-s-with-dennis/) [Vinnie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-jones/) > [The Bishop goes on to the human eye, asking rhetorically, and with the implication that there is no answer, 'How could an organ so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-bishop-goes-on-to-the-human-eye-asking-rhetorically-and-with-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The Bishop has a skin, God knows, Wrinkled like the foot of a goose, (All find safety in the tomb.) Nor can he hide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-bishop-has-a-skin-god-knows-wrinkled-like-the-foot-of-a-goose-all/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [That men saw his mask, but the bishop saw his face. That men saw his life, but the bishop saw his conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/that-men-saw-his-mask-but-the-bishop-saw-his-face-that-men-saw-his/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/wherever-the-bishop-shall-appear-there-let-the-multitude-also-be-even/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [Every bishop can testify to the promptings that attend calls to serve in the Church. Frequently the call seems to be for the benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/every-bishop-can-testify-to-the-promptings-that-attend-calls-to-serve/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) ## More by Sydney Smith > [Live always in the best company when you read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/live-always-in-the-best-company-when-you-read/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Scotland: That garret of the earth - that knuckle-end of England - that land of Calvin, oatcakes, and sulfur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/scotland-that-garret-of-the-earth-that-knuckle-end-of-england-that/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [My living in Yorkshire was so far out of the way, that it was eleven miles away from a lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/my-living-in-yorkshire-was-so-far-out-of-the-way-that-it-was-eleven/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Poverty is no disgrace to a man, but it is confoundedly inconvenient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/poverty-is-no-disgrace-to-a-man-but-it-is-confoundedly-inconvenient/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/a-comfortable-house-is-a-great-source-of-happiness-it-ranks/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do little - do what you can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/it-is-the-greatest-of-all-mistakes-to-do-nothing-because-you-can-only/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Silence is a girl's loudest shout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/silence-is-a-girl-s-loudest-shout/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage. Every day sends to their graves obscure men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/a-great-deal-of-talent-is-lost-to-the-world-for-want-of-a-little/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [A man who wishes to make his way in life could do no better than go through the world with a boiling tea-kettle in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/a-man-who-wishes-to-make-his-way-in-life-could-do-no-better-than-go/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [ \[T\]he 47th proposition in Euclid might now be voted down with as much ease as any proposition in politics; and therefore if Lord Hawkesbury… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/t-he-47th-proposition-in-euclid-might-now-be-voted-down-with-as-much/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Be what nature intended you for, and you will succeed; be anything else and you will be ten thousand times worse than nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/be-what-nature-intended-you-for-and-you-will-succeed-be-anything-else/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [To business that we love we rise bedtime, and go to't with delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/to-business-that-we-love-we-rise-bedtime-and-go-to-t-with-delight/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [The schoolboy whips his taxed top; the beardless youth manages his taxed horse with a taxed bridle on a taxed road; and the dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/the-schoolboy-whips-his-taxed-top-the-beardless-youth-manages-his/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [I always fear that creation will expire before teatime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/i-always-fear-that-creation-will-expire-before-teatime/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated; often moving in opposite directions, yet always punishing anyone who comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/marriage-resembles-a-pair-of-shears-so-joined-that-they-cannot-be/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) [Explore all 98 Sydney Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) ## More Bishop quotes > [“Who among us can claim normalcy, Bishop?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/who-among-us-can-claim-normalcy-bishop/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [Only a good bishop can be sacrificed, a bad bishop can only be lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-razuvaev/only-a-good-bishop-can-be-sacrificed-a-bad-bishop-can-only-be-lost/) Yuri Razuvaev > [Once a bishop is appointed, in terms of governance, we are semi-autonomous. It's not like we are branch managers of a bank or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/once-a-bishop-is-appointed-in-terms-of-governance-we-are-semi/) [Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/) > [“We are like the moon. The moon shines anyway, but it does not produce its own light. It reflects the light illuminated onto its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/we-are-like-the-moon-the-moon-shines-anyway-but-it-does-not-produce/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Wherever the bishop shall appear, there let the multitude also be; even as, wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/wherever-the-bishop-shall-appear-there-let-the-multitude-also-be-even/) [Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/) > [“There were many candidates for this office, but none, thought the bishop, of the stuff of which an archdeacon is made. And he went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-nathan/there-were-many-candidates-for-this-office-but-none-thought-the/) [Robert Nathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-nathan/) > [“CHAPTER XII—THE BISHOP WORKS”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/chapter-xii-the-bishop-works/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [It is important that the Church of London, which has now lost its ruler, should receive for its new bishop a man whose personal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-becket/it-is-important-that-the-church-of-london-which-has-now-lost-its/) [Thomas Becket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-becket/) > [“Does it have a name? All of these fancy magical weapons usually have names." Bishop glared at her. "Yeah. I like to call it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rowen/does-it-have-a-name-all-of-these-fancy-magical-weapons-usually-have/) [Michelle Rowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rowen/) > [I think that the Pope has trust in every bishop that is appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blase-j-cupich/i-think-that-the-pope-has-trust-in-every-bishop-that-is-appointed/) [Blase J. Cupich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blase-j-cupich/) > [“The Bishop blessed him and helped him to his feet. "May God have mercy on you," he said. And erased him from his heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-bishop-blessed-him-and-helped-him-to-his-feet-may-god-have-mercy/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Chandler’s “She was blonde enough to make a bishop kick a hole through a stained-glass window”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/chandler-s-she-was-blonde-enough-to-make-a-bishop-kick-a-hole-through/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [“The power of self deception is great in the case of all men, but I incline to think that it is greatest in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hensley-henson/the-power-of-self-deception-is-great-in-the-case-of-all-men-but-i/) Herbert Hensley Henson > [I did think of becoming a priest quite late on, when other boys were thinking of knocking over fences and going out with girls.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colm-toibin/i-did-think-of-becoming-a-priest-quite-late-on-when-other-boys-were/) [Colm Toibin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) > [“Go to church to learn about forgiveness; come back to become a forgiver! Go to church and learn about kindness; come back to become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/go-to-church-to-learn-about-forgiveness-come-back-to-become-a/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) [Browse all 108 Bishop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bishop/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? 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