---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A house does not need a wife any more…"
description: "\"A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.\" — Charlotte Perkins Gilman"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png"
---

#  A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a…

![“A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.” quote by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png)

> “A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.”

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A house functions without a spouse, highlighting gender role independence.

**In simple terms:** A home doesn’t need a husband or wife.

Key Takeaway

Recognize self-sufficiency in domestic life.

Themes

independence gender roles domestic life

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

essay philosophical

When to use this quote

- single living
- shared responsibilities
- housing policy

Key Concepts

feminism social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What would a truly gender‑neutral home look like?
- How can we support diverse household structures?

A Different Perspective

Societal expectations may still pressure traditional roles.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you have people who treat you badly in your life, they will be a human shield against people who will treat you well.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/if-you-have-people-who-treat-you-badly-in-your-life-they-will-be-a/)

[Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/)

> [“Our sister needs a man, Sinclair." Rider's head shot up at that. Nick gave his brother a dirty look. "What Gavin means to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/our-sister-needs-a-man-sinclair-rider-s-head-shot-up-at-that-nick/)

[Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/)

> [There's so much more work for a man in his mid-30s: a lot of female-driven shows, where everybody needs a husband or partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-gonzalez/there-s-so-much-more-work-for-a-man-in-his-mid-30s-a-lot-of-female/)

[Nicholas Gonzalez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-gonzalez/)

> [“The Bible encourages us to “serve one another in love.” One of the ways you can work this out in your marriage is first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-farrel/the-bible-encourages-us-to-serve-one-another-in-love-one-of-the-ways/)

[Bill Farrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-farrel/)

> [My wife needs her freedom just like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-owen/my-wife-needs-her-freedom-just-like-me/)

[Clive Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-owen/)

> [Somehow we've even developed the notion that a woman who seeks to meet her husband's needs is subservient (but a husband who fails to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/somehow-we-ve-even-developed-the-notion-that-a-woman-who-seeks-to/)

[Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/)

> [“He gives me one of those my-wife-needs-sex-addiction-therapy looks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-stamps/he-gives-me-one-of-those-my-wife-needs-sex-addiction-therapy-looks/)

Laura Stamps

> [Men Does Not Expect A Perfect Wife .. All He Needs Is A Proper Woman Whom Behaves &amp; Worths Being A Woman That His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/men-does-not-expect-a-perfect-wife-all-he-needs-is-a-proper-woman/)

[KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/)

> [The trouble is you almost have to marry a man before you can find out the sort of wife he needs; and usually it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-trouble-is-you-almost-have-to-marry-a-man-before-you-can-find-out/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [If someone gets a bigger house, does that automatically make them happy? Maybe for a second. But then they worry about the bigger house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/if-someone-gets-a-bigger-house-does-that-automatically-make-them/)

[Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/)

> [“The house does not always win when it is run by a nice guy instead of a wiseguy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustus-cileone/the-house-does-not-always-win-when-it-is-run-by-a-nice-guy-instead-of/)

Augustus Cileone

> [There is almost nothing in your house that does not tell something about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/there-is-almost-nothing-in-your-house-that-does-not-tell-something/)

[Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/)

> [If someone comes into your house and does fked-up things to your kids and your wife, you're going to be capable of things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-perelman/if-someone-comes-into-your-house-and-does-fked-up-things-to-your-kids/)

[Ronald Perelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-perelman/)

> [To recongnize that the treachery of one member of a house does not taint all born within it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/to-recongnize-that-the-treachery-of-one-member-of-a-house-does-not/)

[Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/)

> [Leinster House does not inspire the brightest ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/leinster-house-does-not-inspire-the-brightest-ideas/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

> [“They were inconveniently reasonable, these women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/they-were-inconveniently-reasonable-these-women/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Architecture might be more sportive and varied if every man built his own house, but it would not be the art and science that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/architecture-might-be-more-sportive-and-varied-if-every-man-built-his/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [To-day there is hardly a woman of intelligence in all America ... who is not definitely and actively concerned in some social interest, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/to-day-there-is-hardly-a-woman-of-intelligence-in-all-america-who-is/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [“Here she comes, running, out of prison and off the pedestal: chains off, crown off, halo off, just a live woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/here-she-comes-running-out-of-prison-and-off-the-pedestal-chains-off/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [“I never saw so much expression in an inanimate thing before, and we all know how much expression they have! I used to lie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/i-never-saw-so-much-expression-in-an-inanimate-thing-before-and-we/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [In New York City, everyone is an exile, none more so than the Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/in-new-york-city-everyone-is-an-exile-none-more-so-than-the-americans/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The fact that women in the home have shut themselves away from the thought and life of the world has done much to retard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-fact-that-women-in-the-home-have-shut-themselves-away-from-the/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/eternity-is-not-something-that-begins-after-you-are-dead-it-is-going/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Now why should that man have fainted? But he did,and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/now-why-should-that-man-have-fainted-but-he-did-and-right-across-my/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The best proof of man's dissatisfaction with the home is found in his universal absence from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-best-proof-of-man-s-dissatisfaction-with-the-home-is-found-in-his/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The home is the centre and circumference, the start and the finish, of most of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-home-is-the-centre-and-circumference-the-start-and-the-finish-of/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [Audiences are always better pleased with a smart retort, some joke or epigram, than with any amount of reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/audiences-are-always-better-pleased-with-a-smart-retort-some-joke-or/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [No matter what the belief, if it had modestly said, 'This is our best thought, go on, think farther!' then we could have smoothly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/no-matter-what-the-belief-if-it-had-modestly-said-this-is-our-best/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [The home is a human institution. All human institutions are open to improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-home-is-a-human-institution-all-human-institutions-are-open-to/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

> [It would have saved trouble had I remained Perkins from the first, this changing of women's names is a nuisance we are now happily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/it-would-have-saved-trouble-had-i-remained-perkins-from-the-first/)

[Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

[Explore all 167 Charlotte Perkins Gilman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charlotte Perkins Gilman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-than-it-needs-a-husband/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-than-it-needs-a-husband/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/735/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_doe_a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-th_305910.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.” — Charlotte Perkins Gilman",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charlotte Perkins Gilman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "A house does not need a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-than-it-needs-a-husband/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/a-house-does-not-need-a-wife-any-more-than-it-needs-a-husband/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
