To-day there is hardly a woman of intelligence in all America ... who is not definitely and actively concerned in some social interest, who does not recognize some duty besides those incident to her own blood relationship. Charlotte Perkins Gilman More Quotes by Charlotte Perkins Gilman More Quotes From Charlotte Perkins Gilman Life is a verb, not a noun. Charlotte Perkins Gilman nounsverbslove The labor of women in the house, certainly, enables men to produce more wealth than they otherwise could; and in this way women are economic factors in society. But so are horses. Charlotte Perkins Gilman horsehousemen What would have been the effect upon religion if it had come to us through the minds of women? Charlotte Perkins Gilman effectsatheismmind To swallow and follow, whether old doctrine or new propaganda, is a weakness still dominating the human mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman weaknessmindpeace Love grows by service. Charlotte Perkins Gilman love-growsgrowslove We all need one another; much and often. Just as every human creature needs a place to be alone in, a sacred, private "home" of his own, so all human creatures need a place to be together in, from the two who can show each other their souls uninterruptedly, to the largest throng that can throb and stir in unison. Charlotte Perkins Gilman soulhometwo [Warfare is] maleness in its absurdest extremes. Here is to be studied the whole gamut of basic masculinity, from the initial instinct of combat, through every form of glorious ostentation, with the loudest accompaniment of noise. Charlotte Perkins Gilman warfarenoisemen Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. Charlotte Perkins Gilman eternity-of-lifepeacedeath What we do modifies us more than what is done to us. Charlotte Perkins Gilman done A man's honor always seems to want to kill a woman to satisfy it. Charlotte Perkins Gilman honorwantmen We grovel and "worship" and pray to God to do what we ourselves ought to have done a thousand years ago, and can do now, as soon as we choose. Charlotte Perkins Gilman atheismdoneyears The peculiarity of all death-based religions is that their subject-matter is entirely outside of facts. Men could think and think, talk and argue, advance, deny, assert, and controversy, and write innumerable books, without being hampered at any time by any fact. Charlotte Perkins Gilman writingmenbook 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. Charlotte Perkins Gilman best-effortskychildren The one predominant duty is to find one's work and do it. Charlotte Perkins Gilman dutywisdom Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil. Charlotte Perkins Gilman memorialessentialsevil Audiences are always better pleased with a smart retort, some joke or epigram, than with any amount of reasoning. Charlotte Perkins Gilman retortsaudiencesmart When all usefulness is over, when one is assured of an unavoidable and imminent death, it is the simplest of human rights to choose a quick and easy death in place of a slow and horrible one. Charlotte Perkins Gilman suiciderightseasy In our steady insistence on proclaiming sex-distinction we have grown to consider most human attributes as masculine attributes, for the simple reason that they were allowed to men and forbidden to women. Charlotte Perkins Gilman simplemensex The most familiar facts are often hardest to understand. Charlotte Perkins Gilman hardestfamiliarfacts It is the duty of youth to bring fresh new powers to bear on Social progress. Each generation of young people should be to the world like a vast reserve force to a tired army. They should life the world forward. That is what they are for. Charlotte Perkins Gilman tiredarmypeace
