Mary Wollstonecraft

Early feminist philosopher

Early Modern influential 141 sayings

Sayings by Mary Wollstonecraft

The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand shivering on the bank, thinking of the cold and the danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.

1792 — Letter to Joseph Johnson
Humorous Unverifiable

The great art of pleasing is to appear pleased.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

I may be an enthusiast, but I am not a visionary.

1793 — Letter to Gilbert Imlay
Humorous Unverifiable

Security is the very first characteristic of happiness.

1796 — Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark
Humorous Unverifiable

It is a happy thing for women, that there is a kind of fashion in their ideas, as well as in their dress.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

The mind has been too long an orphan in the world.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

I am not a slave to the fashion of the day, nor to the prejudice of any age.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

The heart of man is not so much depraved by nature, as warped by custom.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

It is a melancholy truth that among the higher classes, the only system of education adopted is calculated to make women more dependent and helpless.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

Few have been taught to think, and fewer still to reason.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

I have ever found that the women who have most power over me are those who have the least ambition.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

A woman who has been taught to think will always be a formidable opponent.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

It is a waste of time to be always thinking of what you are to say.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

I am not afraid to own that I am a woman.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

The conduct of a woman, as well as that of a man, ought to be regulated by her reason.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

The greatest characters have always been the most amiable.

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

It is a great misfortune to be born a woman.

1792 — Letter to Joseph Johnson
Humorous Unverifiable

I have been so much accustomed to hear of the rights of men, that I begin to ask, what are the rights of women?

1792 — A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Humorous Unverifiable

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.

1792 (approx.) — Attributed, though exact source and specific phrasing vary. Often associated with Plutarch, but Woll…
Humorous Unverifiable

I am not fond of thinking, I like to feel.

1793 — Letter to Gilbert Imlay
Humorous Unverifiable