Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.”
- Source
- An Ideal Husband
- Date
- 1895
- Local voice
- Fictional character · Mrs. Cheveley
Meaning of “To be natural is such a very difficult…”
The paradox mocks social performance: even “being natural” can become a carefully maintained pose when people are conscious of appearances.
Where does it come from?
An Ideal Husband, Act I; Mrs. Cheveley—not Lord Goring—answers Sir Robert Chiltern’s question “You prefer to be natural?” with “Sometimes. But it is such a very difficult pose to keep up.” Verified against the public-domain Wikisource Act I transcription and Project Gutenberg #885.
Why the local voice matters
An Ideal Husband, Act I; Mrs. Cheveley answers Sir Robert Chiltern’s question about preferring to be natural with the pose epigram.
