“The only way to make men speak well of us is to do it.”

“Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.”

“Love makes men foolish. I speak as a victim myself. We are taken out of our own care and then it remains to be seen only if fate will show to us some share of mercy. Or little. Or none.”

“Faith is the only way we're going to make it. None of us are smart enough to do it on our own.”

“Men who believe that they are accomplishing something by speaking speak in a different way from men who believe that speaking is a waste of time.”

“When you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. ... And I don't quite know how they managed to make this law in their favour, or who exactly it was who gave them a greater license to sin than is allowed to us; and if the fault is common to both sexes (as they can hardly deny), why should the blame not be as well? What makes them think they can boast of the same thing that in women brings only shame?”