Give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you.

Mae West’s line is a wry warning about boundaries and power in relationships. “A free hand” suggests unchecked freedom or permissiveness; the punchline—“he’ll run it all over you”—turns the metaphor physical, implying that if you allow someone too much latitude, they may exploit it and dominate you. In West’s persona, the remark also reads as sexual innuendo and social satire: she often used double meanings to critique male entitlement while projecting a self-possessed, streetwise femininity. The quote’s lasting appeal lies in its concise, comic articulation of a serious point: autonomy and respect require limits, not limitless concession.