I was able to compare the sexual equipment of the various men I made love with and there were amazing differences, in both length and massiveness. One handsome married man, who used to arrive with two Danishes from a very good bakery, had a penis about the size and shape of a lead pencil; he shall remain nameless. In my experience there was usually a relation to height, as Philip Rahv and Bill Mangold, both tall men, bore out. There may be dwarfish men with monstrously large organs, but I have never known one. It was not until later, after my second divorce, that I met an impotent man or a pervert (two of the latter)... None of my partners, the reader will be relieved to hear, had a venereal disease.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The narrator compares physical traits of past partners without judgment.
- In plain terms
- She noticed physical differences between men she slept with.
- What can you take from it?
- Physical traits vary widely among individuals.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What matters most in intimacy?
- How do you compare partners?
Another view
Focusing on physical traits can be superficial.
More from Mary McCarthy
It was getting rather alarming. I realised one day that in twenty four hours I had slept with three different men. And one morning I was in bed with somebody w…
Permalink to quote #33 In science, all facts, no matter how trivial or banal, enjoy democratic equality.
Permalink to quote #35 Of all the men I slept with in my studio-bed on Gay Street (and there were a lot: I stopped counting) I liked Bill Mangold the best. Until I began to see Phili…
Permalink to quote #32
Related quotes
Continental people have sex lives; the English have hot-water bottles.
George MikesGeorge Mikes quote #2 Casanova! My dear man, Casanova is not worthy to untie my bootstrings!
Frank HarrisFrank Harris quote #5 There is no intimacy; it's not live. [he said of online games] It's being translated through a computer, and your imagination is not there the same way it is w…
Gary GygaxGary Gygax quote #12