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
It is the preservation of the species, not of individuals, which appears to be the design of Deity throughout the whole of nature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes that nature focuses on the survival of species rather than individual lives.
Mary Wollstonecraft's quote suggests that the overarching intention of nature, and by extension the Deity, is to ensure the continuation and survival of species rather than prioritizing the lives of individual organisms. This reflects a broader perspective on existence, highlighting the interconnectedness of all life and the evolutionary processes that favor species survival over individual survival.
Themes
NatureSpeciesSurvivalDeityEvolution
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion on environmental conservation, this quote can illustrate the importance of protecting ecosystems for the sake of species.
More from Mary Wollstonecraft
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But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!
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The divine right of husbands, like the divine right of kings, may, it is hoped, in this enlightened age, be contested without danger.
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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.
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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
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