That man and woman have an equality of duties and rights is accepted by woman even less than by man. Behind his destiny woman must annihilate herself, must be only his complement. A woman dedicates herself to the vocation of her husband; she fills up and performs the subordinate parts in it. But if she has any destiny, any vocation of her own, she must renounce it, in nine cases out of ten.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Women are expected to suppress their own ambitions to support their husbands, with society rarely recognizing their independent destinies.
- In plain terms
- Women must give up their own goals to support their husbands.
- What can you take from it?
- Women should have equal opportunities to pursue their own callings.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What duties should women have?
- How do you balance career and marriage?
Another view
It overlooks women who choose to prioritize family.
More from Florence Nightingale
We set the treatment of bodies so high above the treatment of souls, that the physician occupies a higher place in society than the school-master. The governes…
Permalink to quote #38 To have no food for our heads no food for our hearts, no food for our activity, is that nothing? If we have no food for the body, how do we cry out, how all th…
Permalink to quote #40 At present we live to impede each other's satisfactions; competition, domestic life, society, what is it all but this? We go somewhere where we are not wanted …
Permalink to quote #37
Related quotes
Equal rights for men and women!
Louis MountbattenLouis Mountbatten quote #2 I support gay marriage because I believe they have the right to be just as miserable as the rest of us.
Kinky FriedmanKinky Friedman quote #3 I opposed DOMA in 1996. It should be repealed and I will vote for its repeal on the Senate floor. I will also oppose any proposal to amend the U.S. Constitutio…
Barack ObamaBarack Obama quote #4