--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not that women are really…" description: "\"It is not that women are really smaller-minded, weaker-minded, more timid and vacillating, but that whosoever, man or woman, lives always in a small, d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_dark_it-is-not-that-women-are-really-smaller_3060452.jpg" --- # It is not that women are really smaller-minded… ![“It is not that women are really smaller-minded, weaker-minded, more timid and vacillating, but that whosoever, man or woman, lives always in a small, dark place, is always guarded, protected, directed and restrained, will become inevitably narrowed and weakened by it.” quote by Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_dark_it-is-not-that-women-are-really-smaller_3060452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_dark_it-is-not-that-women-are-really-smaller_3060452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e73/charlotte-perkins-gilman-2420_dark_it-is-not-that-women-are-really-smaller_3060452.jpg) > “It is not that women are really smaller-minded, weaker-minded, more timid and vacillating, but that whosoever, man or woman, lives always in a small, dark place, is always guarded, protected, directed and restrained, will become inevitably narrowed and weakened by it.” [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. Living in a restricted, fear‑filled environment narrows anyone’s mind, making them weaker and less confident regardless of gender. **In simple terms:** Small, dark places limit growth for all. Key Takeaway Seek open, supportive environments to stay strong. Themes gender environment psychology empowerment Mood thoughtful empowering Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - education - family life - community spaces Key Concepts social conditioning mental health gender equality Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment shape your confidence? - What steps can you take to broaden your mental space? A Different Perspective Even supportive spaces can become limiting if they’re over‑protective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-places/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [Man lives in only one small room of the enormous house of his consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/man-lives-in-only-one-small-room-of-the-enormous-house-of-his/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I have no regrets of fighting for four years to get 'Sordid Lives' on the small screen. It was a fantasy. I mean, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/del-shores/i-have-no-regrets-of-fighting-for-four-years-to-get-sordid-lives-on/) [Del Shores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/del-shores/) > [I like to give pennies to children, but unfortunately, a man cannot do these things if he lives in a small village or town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-davies/i-like-to-give-pennies-to-children-but-unfortunately-a-man-cannot-do/) [W. H. Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-davies/) > [“... we hardly ever know the decisions we make that change our lives, mostly because they are the small ones”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/we-hardly-ever-know-the-decisions-we-make-that-change-our-lives/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [Would you not like to try all sorts of lives - one is so very small - but that is the satisfaction of writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/would-you-not-like-to-try-all-sorts-of-lives-one-is-so-very-small-but/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [The man who lives in a small community lives in a much larger world... The reason is obvious. In a large community we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-man-who-lives-in-a-small-community-lives-in-a-much-larger-world/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [“Easily found, easily gathered, lives were the small change of this world, and if you lost a few, it didn't matter; there were always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/easily-found-easily-gathered-lives-were-the-small-change-of-this/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Many of us have lived desert lives: very small on the surface, and enormous under the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/many-of-us-have-lived-desert-lives-very-small-on-the-surface-and/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estés](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [“It’s age. It makes misers of us,” he said dolefully. “Counting out our lives in small change from a thinning purse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maughan/it-s-age-it-makes-misers-of-us-he-said-dolefully-counting-out-our/) [Peter Maughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maughan/) > [“This is what they have in place of freedom—time and gossip. Their lives are small and careful. I do not wish to live this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/this-is-what-they-have-in-place-of-freedom-time-and-gossip-their/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“Don’t be afraid of your dark places,” Mom told her. “If you can shine a light on them, you’ll find treasure there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-dark-places-mom-told-her-if-you-can-shine-a/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [When you're writing in first person, like I do, you can't give a fluffy version of someone's thoughts because even the most prudish woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-o-porter/when-you-re-writing-in-first-person-like-i-do-you-can-t-give-a-fluffy/) [Dawn O'Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-o-porter/) > [“Sometimes your destiny takes you to dark places where you'd rather not be, but destiny, as they say, is destiny.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-your-destiny-takes-you-to-dark-places-where-you-d-rather/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [“Hope brings light into dark places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/hope-brings-light-into-dark-places/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/) [Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/) ## 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/) > [A house does not need a wife any more than it needs a husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/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/) > [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/) [Explore all 167 Charlotte Perkins Gilman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) ## More Dark quotes > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“I could see her will leaving and death seeping through her skin to skewer her soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-stroube/i-could-see-her-will-leaving-and-death-seeping-through-her-skin-to/) [J.D. 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