Skip to content
quotesby

About this quote

What does it mean?
The speaker contrasts the incarnation of God as man with the devil becoming woman.
In plain terms
God became a man, but the devil became a woman.
What can you take from it?
This reflects gendered bias in religious symbolism.

Where it applies

  • religious criticism
  • gender studies
  • philosophy

Putting it to work

  • critiquing religious imagery
  • exploring symbolism

Questions to consider

  • How does gender shape religious stories?
  • Why is evil often female?

Another view

It reinforces sexist stereotypes about evil.

More from Victor Hugo

  1. Ces deux moities de Dieu, le pape et l'empereur!

    Permalink to quote #1

  2. Vous avez des ennemis? Mais c'est l'histoire de tout homme qui a fait une action grande ou cree une idee neuve. C'est la nuee qui bruit autour de tout ce qui b…

    Permalink to quote #3

  3. Vous tenez a l'exemple [de la peine de mort]. Pourquoi? Pour ce qu'il enseigne. Que voulez-vous enseigner avec votre exemple? Qu'il ne faut pas tuer. Et commen…

    Permalink to quote #4

Related quotes

  1. I don't mind praying to the eternal Father, but I must be the only man in the country afflicted with an eternal mother.

    King of England Edward VIIKing of England Edward VII quote #1

  2. Don't you know there ain't no devil, there's just God when he's drunk.

    Tom WaitsTom Waits quote #2

  3. Both before and after a meal, a pious Jew ritually washes his hands, uttering a special blessing. On one of these two occasions he is worshiping God, by promot…

    Israel ShahakIsrael Shahak quote #6