"He who hesitates is a damned fool"
About this Quote
Mae West takes a dusty piece of moral advice and flips it into a dare. The original proverb - "He who hesitates is lost" - belongs to a culture of cautionary lessons, the kind meant to keep people in line. West swaps "lost" for "a damned fool" and suddenly the stakes aren’t tragic, they’re erotic, social, and proudly self-inflicted. Being "lost" implies fate did it to you. Being a "damned fool" means you chose timidity, and you deserve the punchline.
The intent is pure West: urgency as seduction, confidence as self-defense. In her world, hesitation isn’t prudence; it’s a failure to claim pleasure, money, attention, the room. The profanity matters. "Damned" is small scandal, a wink that signals she’s willing to break polite rules to tell a more honest truth about desire and power. It also frames inaction as a kind of comedy - the worst sin isn’t immorality, it’s missing your moment.
Context sharpens the edge. West built her persona in an era that policed female sexuality onstage and onscreen, then made innuendo into an art form while censors tried to sand it down. Read that way, the line isn’t just motivational; it’s tactical. Hesitation is what society trains women to perform: wait, defer, be chosen. West’s punchy reversal insists on the opposite: choose yourself fast, before someone else writes your script.
The intent is pure West: urgency as seduction, confidence as self-defense. In her world, hesitation isn’t prudence; it’s a failure to claim pleasure, money, attention, the room. The profanity matters. "Damned" is small scandal, a wink that signals she’s willing to break polite rules to tell a more honest truth about desire and power. It also frames inaction as a kind of comedy - the worst sin isn’t immorality, it’s missing your moment.
Context sharpens the edge. West built her persona in an era that policed female sexuality onstage and onscreen, then made innuendo into an art form while censors tried to sand it down. Read that way, the line isn’t just motivational; it’s tactical. Hesitation is what society trains women to perform: wait, defer, be chosen. West’s punchy reversal insists on the opposite: choose yourself fast, before someone else writes your script.
Quote Details
| Topic | Witty One-Liners |
|---|---|
| Source | Quote attributed to Mae West — "He who hesitates is a damned fool". Listed on the Mae West page of Wikiquote (attribution noted; no definitive primary-source citation provided). |
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