Source identified1
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Read & copy
“A gentleman has no right to hurt a woman under any circumstances.”
Meaning & context
Sergius recognizes that his claim to gentlemanly honor is incompatible with having physically hurt Louka, even though the scene also exposes his unstable chivalric self-image.
Source details
Arms and the Man, Act II, Project Gutenberg #3618. Sergius says “A gentleman has no right to hurt a woman under any circumstances” while apologizing after gripping Louka hard enough to bruise her; Louka immediately challenges the adequacy of his apology. The line is fictional dramatic dialogue that exposes contradictions in Sergius’s chivalric self-image rather than a complete legal or relationship rule.