Chastity is a monkish and evangelical superstition, a greater foe to natural temperance even than unintellectual sensuality; it strikes at the root of all domestic happiness, and consigns more than half the human race to misery.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Shelley calls chastity a superstition that harms domestic happiness and misuses half of humanity. He critiques its religious roots.
- In plain terms
- Chastity is a harmful superstition that ruins happiness and hurts many people.
- What can you take from it?
- Question religious restrictions on natural human temperance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do moral rules harm happiness?
- What is natural temperance?
Another view
The view may conflict with personal or cultural religious values.
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