But, alas! what poor Woman is ever taught that she should have a higher Design than to get her a Husband?
Mary AstellRead
How can a Man respect his Wife when he has a contemptible Opinion of her and her Sex?
Interpretation
Respect in marriage is fundamental and cannot coexist with negative views.
Mary Astell's quote emphasizes the importance of respect within a marriage, suggesting that a man cannot truly respect his wife if he holds a low opinion of her or women in general. It highlights the detrimental effects of misogyny on relationships, pointing out that mutual respect is essential for a healthy partnership.
In practice
This quote could serve as a poignant reminder during a discussion on gender equality.
But, alas! what poor Woman is ever taught that she should have a higher Design than to get her a Husband?
Hitherto I have courted Truth with a kind of Romantick Passion, in spite of all Difficulties and Discouragements: for knowledge is thought so unnecessary an Accomplishment for a Woman, that few will give themselves the Trouble to assist us in the Attainment of it.
Although it has been said by men of more wit than wisdom, and perhaps more malice than either, that women are naturally incapable of acting prudently, or that they are necessarily determined to folly, I must by no means grant it.
If God had not intended that Women shou'd use their Reason, He wou'd not have given them any, 'for He does nothing in vain.
Dating is pressure and tension. What is a date, really, but a job interview that lasts all night?
This last night we tear into each other, as if to wound, as if to find the key to everything before morning.
Personally, I think if a women hasn't met the right man by the time she's 24, she may be lucky.
If women believed in their husbands they would be a good deal happier and also a good deal more foolish.
Sex is difficult, yes. But they are difficult things with which we have been charged...If you only recognize this and manage out of yourself, out of your own nature and ways, out of your own experience and childhood and strength to achieve a relation to sex wholly your own (not influenced by convention and custom) then you need no longer be afraid of losing yourself and becoming unworthy of your best possession.
Self-interest is the enemy of all true affection.
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