And a woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Kipling reduces a woman to her gender while elevating a cigar to a simple pleasure, reflecting a dismissive view of women.
- In plain terms
- A woman is just a woman, but a cigar is a simple pleasure.
- What can you take from it?
- People sometimes value simple pleasures more than human connection.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do we value objects more than people sometimes?
- How do we avoid reducing others to categories?
Another view
It is widely criticized for being sexist and reductive.
More from Rudyard Kipling
The toad beneath the harrow knows Exactly where each tooth point goes; The butterfly upon the road Preaches contentment to that toad.
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