If I said I was madly in love with you, I'd be lying and what's more, you'd know it.
Margaret MitchellRead
It was this feminine conspiracy which made Southern society so pleasant. Women knew that a land where men were contented, uncontradicted ans safe in possession of unpunctured vanity was likely to be a very pleasant place for women to live. So, from the cradle to the grave, women strove to make men pleased with themselves, and the satisfied men repaid lavishly with gallantry and adoration. In fact, men willingly gave ladies everything in the world except credit for having intelligence.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on how women in Southern society supported men's egos for a harmonious living, yet were denied acknowledgment for their intelligence.
Margaret Mitchell's quote highlights a social dynamic in Southern society where women worked strategically to keep men content and secure in their self-esteem. This 'feminine conspiracy' ensured that men felt appreciated and valued, which in turn created a pleasant environment for women. However, this social structure came with the downside that men withheld recognition of women's intelligence, limiting their true worth and contributions. This speaks to the complexities of gender roles and societal expectations in relationships.
Themes
SocietyGender RolesIntelligenceRelationshipsWomenMenContentment
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about gender dynamics, one could use this quote to illustrate the historical roles of women in relationships.
More from Margaret Mitchell
All quotes →You're like the thief who isn't the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly sorry he's going to jail. - Rhett Butler
Margaret MitchellRead
It's a curse - this not wanting to look on naked realities. Until the war, life was never more real to me than a shadow show on a curtain. And I preferred it so. I do not like the outlines of things to be too sharp. I like them gently blurred, a little hazy.
Margaret MitchellRead
Well, my dear, take heart. Some day, I will kiss you and you will like it. But not now, so I beg you not to be too impatient.
Margaret MitchellRead
men are so conceited they’ll believe anything that flatters them
Margaret MitchellRead
Oh, why was he so handsomely blond, so courteously aloof, so maddeningly boring with his talk about Europe and books and music and poetry and things that interested her not at all - and yet so desirable?
Margaret MitchellRead
Similar quotes
Wai Lin is the first Bond Girl who is on a par with Bond, someone who can match up with him mentally and physically. From the moment our characters see each other, there is a wariness and a recognition that this person is not who she or he seems to be.
Michelle YeohRead
Not that we were incompatible: we just had nothing to talk about.
Haruki MurakamiRead
Help one another is part of the religion of our sisterhood.
Louisa May AlcottRead
Relationships matter: the currency for systemic change was trust, and trust comes through forming healthy working relationships. People, not programs, change people.
Bruce D. PerryRead
I was reminded that it is my obligation not only as an elected official in a pluralistic society, but also as a Christian, to remain open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided.
Barack ObamaRead
How many of us have conflicts with someone else- and how many of us pray for that person? We have individuals with whom we are competitive, or whom we dislike or have a quarrel with; but very few of us have true enemies in the martial sense. And yet if Lincoln could pray fervently- and contemporary reports indicate he did- for the people who were opposing him, how much more can we do for someone we just find a little irritating?
John WoodenRead