Civil to Strangers (1987; posthumously published), chapter 12
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'Every man should have a wife,' declared the rector firmly. 'A single clergyman is the prey of every spinster in the parish. He should marry for safety, if for no other reason.'

— Barbara Pym

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "'Every man should have a wife,' declared the rector firmly. 'A single clergyman is the prey of every spinster in the parish. He should marry for safety, if for no other reason.'" in the context of "Civil to Strangers (1987; posthumously published), chapter 12" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Barbara Pym" (Quotes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app

About Barbara Pym

Barbara Pym (2 June 1913 – 11 January 1980) was an English novelist. Most of her novels are known for their intertextuality.