---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: shook hands very cordially; and yet I…"
description: "\"“shook hands very cordially; and yet I always feel him shrinking sensitively from me, as a woman, a clever woman, an up to date woman. Feeling this I c..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/virginia-woolf-49_clever-woman_shook-hands-very-cordially-and-yet-i-alw_2491347.jpg"
---

#  shook hands very cordially; and yet I always feel him…

![“shook hands very cordially; and yet I always feel him shrinking sensitively from me, as a woman, a clever woman, an up to date woman. Feeling this I commanded him to read Defoe, and left him, and went and got some more Defoe, having bought one volume at Bickers on the” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/virginia-woolf-49_clever-woman_shook-hands-very-cordially-and-yet-i-alw_2491347.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/virginia-woolf-49_clever-woman_shook-hands-very-cordially-and-yet-i-alw_2491347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac5/virginia-woolf-49_clever-woman_shook-hands-very-cordially-and-yet-i-alw_2491347.jpg)

> ““shook hands very cordially; and yet I always feel him shrinking sensitively from me, as a woman, a clever woman, an up to date woman. Feeling this I commanded him to read Defoe, and left him, and went and got some more Defoe, having bought one volume at Bickers on the””

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator observes a man's uneasy reaction to a confident, modern woman, prompting her to assert intellectual dominance through literature.

**In simple terms:** A man recoils from a self-assured woman; she counters by offering him a book.

Key Takeaway

Use knowledge to challenge social discomfort.

Themes

gender dynamics social perception literature confidence

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

observational critical

When to use this quote

- social gatherings
- professional settings
- personal relationships
- educational encounters

Key Concepts

feminism psychology power relations

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you respond when someone feels threatened by your confidence?
- What role does literature play in navigating social tension?

A Different Perspective

The reaction may stem from deeper insecurities, not just gender bias.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clever woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever-woman/) [Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defoe-710616/) [Defoe Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defoe-left-967754/) [Got Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-defoe-967753/) [Read Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-defoe-967752/) [Shook Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shook-hands-409304/)

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> [Jermaine Defoe was from my area. Rio Ferdinand used to come into my barbershop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kano/jermaine-defoe-was-from-my-area-rio-ferdinand-used-to-come-into-my/)

[Kano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kano/)

> [Defoe was level and anyone who says otherwise is picking hairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-motson/defoe-was-level-and-anyone-who-says-otherwise-is-picking-hairs/)

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> [“You'll be happy if you'll remember that men don't change much. Women do. Women adapt themselves, and if you think that means they lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cadell/you-ll-be-happy-if-you-ll-remember-that-men-don-t-change-much-women/)

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## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

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## More Clever woman quotes

> [“Remember: a clever woman never lets a man know how cleaver she is”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-downer/remember-a-clever-woman-never-lets-a-man-know-how-cleaver-she-is/)

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