"He was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. He thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument, but my instrument needed tuning, and we had to split"
About this Quote
The subtext is twofold. First, it's a quiet indictment of a certain kind of male vanity: the belief that artistic greatness requires women to be sidelined, erotic life to be sterilized, and relationships to serve the Work. Second, it's a reclamation of agency. Rogers doesn't argue theology or psychoanalyze; she asserts need and incompatibility. The punchline isn't just sexual; it's about maintenance, attention, reciprocity. If your partner is investing in purity, who is investing in you?
Context matters because it's a celebrity anecdote that doubles as cultural commentary. When public figures talk about breakups, they often hide behind "irreconcilable differences". Rogers gives a story with edges, and the comedy is the edge: she refuses to romanticize abstinence as nobility when it functions as neglect. The line also reads like a preemptive defense against gossip: if people are going to mythologize him as disciplined, she shows the cost of that discipline.
It's sharp, unshowy, and memorable because it treats intimacy as real life, not collateral damage for someone's self-made legend.
Quote Details
| Topic | Heartbreak |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Rogers, Mimi. (2026, January 16). He was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. He thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument, but my instrument needed tuning, and we had to split. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-was-seriously-thinking-of-becoming-a-monk-he-82623/
Chicago Style
Rogers, Mimi. "He was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. He thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument, but my instrument needed tuning, and we had to split." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-was-seriously-thinking-of-becoming-a-monk-he-82623/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"He was seriously thinking of becoming a monk. He thought he had to be celibate to maintain the purity of his instrument, but my instrument needed tuning, and we had to split." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-was-seriously-thinking-of-becoming-a-monk-he-82623/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.


