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
The power of generalizing ideas, of drawing comprehensive conclusions from individual observations, is the only acquirement, for an immortal being, that really deserves the name of knowledge.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True knowledge lies in the ability to form broad conclusions from specific experiences and observations.
Mary Wollstonecraft emphasizes that the essence of knowledge is not merely accumulating facts but rather the ability to generalize from specific observations to draw meaningful and comprehensive conclusions. This skill reflects a deeper understanding of the world, allowing an individual to connect various pieces of information and insights, which are vital for growth and enlightenment.
Themes
KnowledgeGeneralizationObservationUnderstandingWisdom
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on philosophy, this quote could illustrate the importance of critical thinking.
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.
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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.
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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