--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and…" description: "\"“Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile. 'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we can have no secrets, it means we can't, afte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg" --- # Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny… ![“Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile. 'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we can have no secrets, it means we can't, after all, go so far afield as we might,' he hesitated, 'yes, as we might.' Eastman looked at him sourly. 'Cavenaugh, when you've practiced law in New…” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg) > ““Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile. 'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we can have no secrets, it means we can't, after all, go so far afield as we might,' he hesitated, 'yes, as we might.' Eastman looked at him sourly. 'Cavenaugh, when you've practiced law in New York for twelve years, you find that people can't go far in any direction, except-' He thrust his forefinger sharply at the floor.'Even in that direction, few people can do anything out of the ordinary. Our range is limited. Skip a few baths, and we become personally objectionable. The slightest carelessness can rot a man's integrity or give him ptomaine poisoning. We keep up only be incessant cleansing operations, of mind and body. What we call character, is held together by all sorts of tacks and strings and glue. ("Consequences")”” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage suggests that personal integrity is fragile, maintained by constant self‑scrutiny, and that ambition is limited by ethical constraints. **In simple terms:** Integrity needs constant care; ambition is bounded by ethics. Key Takeaway Maintain vigilance over actions and motives. Themes integrity ambition ethics self‑discipline Mood reflective serious Type philosophical literary dialogue When to use this quote - legal practice - personal relationships - career decisions - ethical dilemmas Key Concepts fragility of character constant cleansing social constraints Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance ambition with ethical limits? - What habits protect your integrity? A Different Perspective Even with vigilance, external pressures can still corrupt character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Corruption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corruption/) [Decadence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decadence/) [Decline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decline/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Mind and body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-body/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) ## Related quotes > [Our country is fortunate to have Bill Barr, a man of integrity who has served two U.S. Presidents, as our Attorney General.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-braun/our-country-is-fortunate-to-have-bill-barr-a-man-of-integrity-who-has/) [Mike Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-braun/) > [Good men sometimes make mistakes. A man of integrity will honestly face and correct his mistakes, and that is an example we can respect.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-todd-christofferson/good-men-sometimes-make-mistakes-a-man-of-integrity-will-honestly/) [D. Todd Christofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-todd-christofferson/) > [The number one thing I look for in a man is integrity. A man who does what he says he's going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-glau/the-number-one-thing-i-look-for-in-a-man-is-integrity-a-man-who-does/) [Summer Glau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-glau/) > [There is no better test of a man's integrity than his behavior when he is wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-williams/there-is-no-better-test-of-a-man-s-integrity-than-his-behavior-when/) Marvin Williams > [If you want to take the meaning of the word integrity and reduce it to its simplest terms, you'd conclude that a man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mccartney/if-you-want-to-take-the-meaning-of-the-word-integrity-and-reduce-it/) [Bill McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mccartney/) > [“Joe is a man of integrity, incapable of hiding what he really thinks, and one of those rare people you know you could turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/joe-is-a-man-of-integrity-incapable-of-hiding-what-he-really-thinks/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [“For to Ade,...the holy man was the whole mad, the man of integrity, who not only tried to change the world, but to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/for-to-ade-the-holy-man-was-the-whole-mad-the-man-of-integrity-who/) [Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/) > [A man has integrity if his interest in the good of the service is at all times greater than his personal pride, and when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/a-man-has-integrity-if-his-interest-in-the-good-of-the-service-is-at/) [Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-lyman-atwood-marshall/) > [“I’m a man of integrity. My heart is locked and I have given you the only key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delano-johnson/i-m-a-man-of-integrity-my-heart-is-locked-and-i-have-given-you-the/) [Delano Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delano-johnson/) > [A man should never pretend to be someone he's not to impress a woman. There is nothing sexier than an authentic man with integrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikaela-hoover/a-man-should-never-pretend-to-be-someone-he-s-not-to-impress-a-woman/) [Mikaela Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikaela-hoover/) > [Looking back, when I was fourteen, I aspired to... be the best believer, husband, father, businessman, and man of integrity that I can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/looking-back-when-i-was-fourteen-i-aspired-to-be-the-best-believer/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [Whatever you think of Romney and his politics, as a human being there's none better. As a man of integrity, man of character, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/whatever-you-think-of-romney-and-his-politics-as-a-human-being-there/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I know Eric Engerbretson to be a man of integrity who is firmly committed to the artful balance of music and ministry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-keaggy/i-know-eric-engerbretson-to-be-a-man-of-integrity-who-is-firmly/) Phil Keaggy > [I've always considered myself a man of integrity as a leader of the American Indian Movement and of Indian people. I will stand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/i-ve-always-considered-myself-a-man-of-integrity-as-a-leader-of-the/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [“A man of integrity speaks the truth with love rather than worrying about being nice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-johnson/a-man-of-integrity-speaks-the-truth-with-love-rather-than-worrying/) [Rick Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-johnson/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More Character quotes > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/) [Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I'm often moved by the circumstances around some of my characters, but I don't think I've actually cried watching myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-m-often-moved-by-the-circumstances-around-some-of-my-characters-but/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [When you're on a daytime drama you get one page, you better damn well know your character. You better know what she would do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hudgins/when-you-re-on-a-daytime-drama-you-get-one-page-you-better-damn-well/) David Hudgins > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [In the fight between biology and morality, biology has commonly won in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/semir-zeki/in-the-fight-between-biology-and-morality-biology-has-commonly-won-in/) [Semir Zeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/semir-zeki/) > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) [Browse all 32,707 Character quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile. 'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we can have no secrets, it means we can't, after all, go so far afield as we might,' he hesitated, 'yes, as we might.' Eastman looked at him sourly. 'Cavenaugh, when you've practiced law in New York for twelve years, you find that people can't go far in any direction, except-' He thrust his forefinger sharply at the floor.'Even in that direction, few people can do anything out of the ordinary. Our range is limited. Skip a few baths, and we become personally objectionable. The slightest carelessness can rot a man's integrity or give him ptomaine poisoning. We keep up only be incessant cleansing operations, of mind and body. What we call character, is held together by all sorts of tacks and strings and glue. (\"Consequences\")”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and-smiled-his-sunny-smile-i-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Character" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and-smiled-his-sunny-smile-i-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc8/willa-cather-634_character_cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and_2710833.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and smiled his sunny smile. 'I like that idea. It's reassuring. If we…” — Willa Cather", "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": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Cavenaugh rubbed his hands together and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and-smiled-his-sunny-smile-i-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/cavenaugh-rubbed-his-hands-together-and-smiled-his-sunny-smile-i-like/#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 } } ] } ```