Women have been charged with deviousness and duplicity since the dawn of civilization so they have never been able to pretend that their masks were anything but masks. It is a slender case but perhaps it does mean that women have always been in closer contact with reality than men: it would seem to be the just recompense for being deprived of idealism.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Women have long been forced to wear social masks due to suspicion, making them more aware of reality than men who can afford idealism. This closeness to reality is a compensation for lacking idealistic freedom.
- In plain terms
- Women's forced pragmatism keeps them closer to reality than men.
- What can you take from it?
- Survival teaches realism better than privilege.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Does hardship build better character?
- Who benefits from idealism?
Another view
It generalizes all men and women uniformly.
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