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About this quote

What does it mean?
She breaks convention by celebrating the death of a rival.
In plain terms
She refuses to speak well of the dead when she disliked them.
What can you take from it?
Honesty can override politeness.

Where it applies

  • funerals
  • public disputes
  • personal feuds

Putting it to work

  • speaking truth
  • rejecting norms

Questions to consider

  • Must we respect the dead?
  • When is honesty cruel?

Another view

It prioritizes spite over dignity.

More from Bette Davis

  1. You should know me well enough by now to know I don't ask for things I don't think I can get.

    Permalink to quote #72
  2. You know what I'm going to have on my gravestone? 'She did it the hard way.'

    Permalink to quote #71
  3. You can't say I didn't fall for you.

    Permalink to quote #70

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