'I'm not speaking to you. I wouldn't speak to you if your shirt were on fire.'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- This expresses extreme rudeness by stating the speaker would refuse communication even in a dire emergency.
- In plain terms
- I am not talking to you and I would not help you even if you were in danger.
- What can you take from it?
- Harsh words often signal deep disapproval or anger.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When is it okay to refuse to speak?
- How do you respond to harsh rejection?
Another view
Such extreme language is usually hyperbolic and not literal.
More from P. G. Wodehouse
I don't suppose she would recognize a deep, beautiful thought if you handed it to her on a skewer with tartar sauce.
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Permalink to quote #193
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