Quotessence
Home / Authors / Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Quotes

Novelist

Filter quotes by topic

AllFeminismMenRadical FeminismGender Critical FeminismGenderSexismHumansWorldLawSocietyIfsAtheismGovernmentCrimeMotherPunishmentChildrenHomePeoplePositive Atheism

Famous Charlotte Perkins Gilman Quotes

“If we once admit that our life is here for the purpose of race-improvement, then we question any religion which does not improve the race, or the main force of which evaporates, as it were, directing our best efforts toward the sky.... Improvement in the human race is not accomplished by extracting any number of souls and placing them in heaven, or elsewhere. It must be established on earth, either through achievement in social service, or through better children.”

IfsHumansChildrenDoeSoulEarthLife IsPurposeForceHeavenSocialNumbersEffortRaceOur LivesSkyAtheismAchievementPositive AtheismImprovementHuman RaceAccomplishedElsewhereBest EffortSocial Service
Author:Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Create image

“It cannot be too strongly asserted that the insistence on blind, unreasoning faith is due mainly to the maintenance of a subject-matter upon which there was no knowledge, namely the 'other world'; and that this basis was assumed because of early man's preoccupation with death. It is, unfortunately, quite possible to believe a thing which is contradicted by facts, especially if the facts are not generally known; but if the whole position on which we rested our religions had been visibly opposed by what we did know, even the unthinking masses would, in time, have noticed it.”

IfsKnowsMenWorldBelieveMatterWholeFactsFaithKnownSubjectsPositionMassBasesBlindDuesOther WorldsSubject MatterMaintenancePreoccupationInsistence
Book:His Religion and Hers: A Study of the Faith of Our Fathers and the Work of Our Mothers
Create image

“If only religion could be brought to take an interest in this earthly future, what a help it would be! ... Think of the appeal to the less spiritual of us, to those who never did get enthusiastic about eternity, or care so tenderly about their own souls, yet who could rise to the thought of improving this world for the children they love, and their children after them.”

IfsThinkingWorldChildrenSoulHelpingWould BeCareSpiritualInterestThis WorldEternityAppealsImprovingEnthusiastic
Book:His Religion and Hers: A Study of the Faith of Our Fathers and the Work of Our Mothers
Create image

“No matter what the belief, if it had modestly said, 'This is our best thought, go on, think farther!' then we could have smoothly outgrown our early errors and long since have developed a religion such as would have kept pace with an advancing world. But we were made to believe and not allowed to think. We were told to obey, rather than to experiment and investigate.”

IfsThinkingWorldBelieveLongMadeSaidMatterBeliefGoes OnNo Matter WhatErrorsExperimentsPaceAdvancing
Book:His Religion and Hers: A Study of the Faith of Our Fathers and the Work of Our Mothers
Create image

“Architecture might be more sportive and varied if every man built his own house, but it would not be the art and science that we have made it; and while every woman prepares food for her own family, cooking can never rise beyond the level of the amateur's work.”

IfsMenArtMadeMightHouseLevelsBuiltCookingArchitectureEvery ManMade ItArt And ScienceCookerySportive
Book:Women and Economics - A Study of the Economic Relation Between Men and Women as a Factor in Social Evolution: From the famous American writer, feminist, social reformer and a respected sociologist who holds an important place in feminist fiction, well-known for her stories The Yellow Wallpaper and Herland
Create image

“Its time we woke up,” pursued Gerald, still inwardly urged to unfamiliar speech. “Women are pretty much people, seems to me. I know they dress like fools - but who’s to blame for that? We invent all those idiotic hats of theirs, and design their crazy fashions, and what’s more, if a woman is courageous enough to wear common-sense clothes - and shoes - which of us wants to dance with her?”

PeopleIfsKnowsWantStillsEnoughSeemsCommonCrazyFashionDesignFoolSpeechClothesDressesBlameShoesCommon SenseHatsCourageousPursuedUnfamiliarIdioticClothes And Shoes
Book:The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Writings
Create image