Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.
Mary WollstonecraftRead
No man chooses evil because it's evil. He only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that people often choose harmful actions thinking they will lead to happiness, rather than recognizing their true nature as evil.
Mary Wollstonecraft's quote reflects the complex nature of human decision-making, highlighting that individuals may engage in actions that are ultimately detrimental, not because they desire harm, but because they misinterpret these choices as pathways to happiness or fulfillment. It underscores the idea that many people are driven by the pursuit of what they believe to be good, even if their actions lead to negative outcomes.
Themes
ChoicesHappinessEvilPhilosophyDecision-Making
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion on morality, one might invoke this quote to emphasize the misguided nature of certain choices.
More from Mary Wollstonecraft
All quotes βMake women rational creatures, and free citizens, and they will quickly become good wives; - that is, if men do not neglect the duties of husbands and fathers.
Mary WollstonecraftRead
But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!
Mary WollstonecraftRead
The divine right of husbands, like the divine right of kings, may, it is hoped, in this enlightened age, be contested without danger.
Mary WollstonecraftRead
Women are degraded by the propensity to enjoy the present moment, and, at last, despise the freedom which they have not sufficient virtue to struggle to attain.
Mary WollstonecraftRead
Perhaps the seeds of false-refinement, immorality, and vanity, have ever been shed by the great. Weak, artificial beings, raised above the common wants and defections of their race, in a premature and unnatural manner, undermine the very foundation of virtue, and spread corruption through the whole mass of society!
Mary WollstonecraftRead
Similar quotes
I believe in reincarnation,β [Bjorn] said. I KNOW. βI tried to live a good life. Does that help?β THATβS NOT UP TO ME. Death coughed. OF COURSE... SINCE YOU BELIEVE IN REINCARNATION... YOUβLL BE BJORN AGAIN.
Terry PratchettRead
If our goal is to understand the world, to seek a deeper understanding of the world, our general lack of moral diversity here is going to make it harder. Because when people all share values, when people all share morals, they become a team.
Jonathan HaidtRead
We believe deep down that we've lost something precious and are seeking it outside ourselves, never realizing that we are carrying it within us wherever we go.
Tsoknyi RinpocheRead
This overcoming of all the usual barriers between the individual and the Absolute is the great mystic achievement. In mystic states we both become one with the Absolute and we become aware of our oneness. This is the everlasting and triumphant mystical tradition, hardly altered by differences of clime or creed.
William JamesRead
Laws to protect 'public health' are potentially infinite, especially once they no longer have to be supported by any research whatsoever.
Lionel ShriverRead
I think that there is a problem with rewards and consequences because in the long run, they rarely work in the ways we hope. In fact, they are likely to backfire.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead