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
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