>>> class MyClass(): ... def __init__(self): ... self.__superprivate = "Hello" ... self._semiprivate = ", world!" ... >>> mc = MyClass() >>> print mc.__superprivate Traceback (most recent call last): File "", line 1, in AttributeError: myClass instance has no attribute '__superprivate' >>> print mc._semiprivate , world! >>> print mc.__dict__ {'_MyClass__superprivate': 'Hello', '_semiprivate': ', world!'}