"I know I will never have an affair with a married man again"
About this Quote
The subtext is about agency reclaimed after years of having her agency denied. In the 1990s scandal economy, Lewinsky was flattened into a symbol - temptation, naivete, tabloid fodder - while the more institutionally protected figure could be recoded as merely flawed, even charming. Saying “I know” signals earned certainty, not youthful guesswork. Saying “never” is less a fantasy of purity than a survival tactic: the clearest possible rule after living through how quickly “complex” becomes “disposable” when a woman’s sexuality is the story.
Context is the quiet engine here: she’s speaking from the afterlife of a scandal that permanently redefined her name. The sentence doubles as a cultural critique. It implies that the cost of such an affair is not evenly distributed, and that “consent” and “choice” can still operate inside a reality where prestige, age, and institutional power tilt the field. The intent isn’t just repentance; it’s a refusal to be cast in that role ever again.
Quote Details
| Topic | Learning from Mistakes |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Lewinsky, Monica. (2026, January 17). I know I will never have an affair with a married man again. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-know-i-will-never-have-an-affair-with-a-married-76646/
Chicago Style
Lewinsky, Monica. "I know I will never have an affair with a married man again." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-know-i-will-never-have-an-affair-with-a-married-76646/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I know I will never have an affair with a married man again." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-know-i-will-never-have-an-affair-with-a-married-76646/. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.




