“The history of men's opposition to women's emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself.”

“Emancipated' women found out that the honesty, generosity, and camaraderie of men was a lie.”

“In his diabolic solitude, only the possibility of love could awake the libertine to perfect, immaculate terror. It is in this holy terror of love that we find, in both men and women themselves, the source of all opposition to the emancipation of women.”

“A study of the history of opinion is a necessary preliminary to the emancipation of the mind.”

“Even today, regardless of the quarrels women may pick in the cause of emancipation, the reality is that, in the present world order, it's the men who eventually grant emancipation, not we women. ... it's the masters who freed the slave of the world, people belonging to the masterclass who fought for the cause. The slaves didn't earn their freedom by wrangling or arguing. That's the way things are. It's the law of the world: the strong emancipate the weak from the bondage of the strong. So also, men alone can liberate women. The responsibility lies with them.”

“Women with pasts interest men because they hope history will repeat itself.”