---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Juliet's version of cleanliness was next…"
description: "\"Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen.\" — Terry Pratchett"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg"
---

#  Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness…

![“Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen.” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg)

> “Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen.”

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Juliet equates cleanliness with a near-divine quality, yet portrays it as chaotic and elusive, highlighting the paradox of striving for order in a disordered world.

**In simple terms:** Cleanliness as a paradoxical ideal

Key Takeaway

Order can be both sacred and unattainable

Themes

paradox order sacredness chaos human striving

Mood

ironic thoughtful playful

Type

aphorism observation

When to use this quote

- daily routines
- personal hygiene
- environmental maintenance
- spiritual practices

Key Concepts

subjectivity of standards limits of perception

Practical Applications

- motivational speaking
- creative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to pursue an ideal that is inherently chaotic?
- How do we reconcile reverence for order with its unpredictable nature?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cleanliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleanliness/) [Cleanliness Godliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleanliness-godliness-513326/) [Erratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erratic/) [Erratic Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/erratic-past-1040597/) [Godliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/godliness/) [Juliet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juliet/) [Juliet Version](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juliet-version-1040596/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Say Erratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-erratic-1040598/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/)

## Related quotes

> [Classically, very few people have considered that cleanliness is next to godliness. A rank loincloth and hair in an advanced state of matted entanglement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/classically-very-few-people-have-considered-that-cleanliness-is-next/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/aziraphale-collected-books-if-he-were-totally-honest-with-himself-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A witch who is bored might do ANYTHING. People said things like 'we had to make our own amusements in those days' as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-witch-who-is-bored-might-do-anything-people-said-things-like-we-had/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cleanliness-is-indeed-next-to-godliness/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Cleanliness might be next to godliness, but honey, ugliness will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/cleanliness-might-be-next-to-godliness-but-honey-ugliness-will-get/)

[Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/)

> [Mrs Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her clenliness more umcomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself. Cleanliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-joe-was-a-very-clean-housekeeper-but-had-an-exquisite-art-of-3/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [Skepticism, not cleanliness, is next to godliness. Skepticism is the father of freedom. It is like the pry that holds open the door for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-spence/skepticism-not-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness-skepticism-is-the/)

[Gerry Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-spence/)

> [A good digestion is as truly obligatory as a good conscience; pure blood is as truly a part of mankind as a pure faith;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/a-good-digestion-is-as-truly-obligatory-as-a-good-conscience-pure/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness; carefulness into vigorousness; vigorousness into guiltlessness; guiltlessness into abstemiousness; abstemiousness into cleanliness; cleanliness into godliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-doctrines-of-religion-are-resolved-into-carefulness-carefulness/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [“Momma convinced us that not only was cleanliness next to Godliness, dirtiness was the inventor of misery. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/momma-convinced-us-that-not-only-was-cleanliness-next-to-godliness/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Most of us have heard the saying, 'Cleanliness is next to godliness.' That's a sentiment I value, but another virtue has inspired me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-gardner/most-of-us-have-heard-the-saying-cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness/)

[Chris Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-gardner/)

> [Cleanliness is not next to godliness nowadays, for cleanliness is made an essential and godliness is regarded as an offence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/cleanliness-is-not-next-to-godliness-nowadays-for-cleanliness-is-made/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself. Cleanliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-joe-was-a-very-clean-housekeeper-but-had-an-exquisite-art-of-2/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Sweat cleaned you as effectively as water. But this was the race which had invented the proverb that cleanliness was next to godliness -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/sweat-cleaned-you-as-effectively-as-water-but-this-was-the-race-which/)

[Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/)

> [Women are dirt searchers; their greatest worth is irradicating rings on collars and tables. Never mind real-estate boards' corruption and racism, here's your soapsuds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/women-are-dirt-searchers-their-greatest-worth-is-irradicating-rings/)

[Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/)

## More by Terry Pratchett

> [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

[Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

## More Cleanliness quotes

> [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Cleanliness is the scourge of art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-brown/cleanliness-is-the-scourge-of-art/)

[Craig Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-brown/)

> [Night fell clean and cold in Dublin, and wind moaned beyond my room as if a million pipes played the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/night-fell-clean-and-cold-in-dublin-and-wind-moaned-beyond-my-room-as/)

[Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/)

> [I think toilets are more important than temples. No matter how many temples we go to, we are not going to get salvation. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jairam-ramesh/i-think-toilets-are-more-important-than-temples-no-matter-how-many/)

[Jairam Ramesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jairam-ramesh/)

> [There is a road to freedom. Its milestones are obedience, endeavour, honesty, order, cleanliness, sobriety, truthfulness, sacrifice, and love of the fatherland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/there-is-a-road-to-freedom-its-milestones-are-obedience-endeavour/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [Women are dirt searchers; their greatest worth is irradicating rings on collars and tables. Never mind real-estate boards' corruption and racism, here's your soapsuds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florynce-kennedy/women-are-dirt-searchers-their-greatest-worth-is-irradicating-rings/)

[Florynce Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florynce-kennedy/)

> [I like using LEGO bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reaction to artwork created from something with which they are familiar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/i-like-using-lego-bricks-as-a-medium-because-i-enjoy-seeing-people-s/)

[Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/)

> [All will come out in the washing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/all-will-come-out-in-the-washing/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [The mother must set the example in holding out the shrine as the heart of the house hold! She must enforce discipline over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/the-mother-must-set-the-example-in-holding-out-the-shrine-as-the/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

> [He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/he-that-toucheth-pitch-shall-be-defiled-therewith/)

[Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/)

> [Every attainment, every step forward in knowledge, follows from courage, from hardness against oneself, from cleanliness in relation to oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-attainment-every-step-forward-in-knowledge-follows-from-courage/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The first step toward the management of disease was replacement of demon theories and humours theories by the germ theory. That very step, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/the-first-step-toward-the-management-of-disease-was-replacement-of/)

[Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/)

> [I neither drink nor smoke, because my schoolmaster impressed upon me three cardinal virtues; cleanliness in person, cleanliness in mind; temperance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-neither-drink-nor-smoke-because-my-schoolmaster-impressed-upon-me/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [To keep the air fresh among words is the secret of verbal cleanliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/to-keep-the-air-fresh-among-words-is-the-secret-of-verbal-cleanliness/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [“I stood there for a second, savouring the smell of stale sweat and cheap beer. My feet stuck to the floor as I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-jolly/i-stood-there-for-a-second-savouring-the-smell-of-stale-sweat-and/)

[Grant Jolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-jolly/)

[Browse all 256 Cleanliness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleanliness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all understanding and was seldom seen.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Pratchett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next-to-godliness-which-was-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cleanliness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next-to-godliness-which-was-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d99/terry-pratchett-19_cleanliness_juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next_81862.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Juliet's version of cleanliness was next to godliness, which was to say it was erratic, past all…” — Terry Pratchett",
                "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": "Terry Pratchett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Juliet's version of cleanliness was next...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next-to-godliness-which-was-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/juliet-s-version-of-cleanliness-was-next-to-godliness-which-was-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
