Desire Quote by Christine de Pizan
“Once a man criticized my desire for knowledge by saying that it was not fitting for a woman to possess learning because there was so little of it. I replied that it was even less fitting for a man to possess ignorance because there was so much of it.”
About This Quote
Source Manuscript: *The Book of the City of Ladies*, 1405
She counters gender bias by highlighting that ignorance is far more prevalent among men than the lack of learning among women.
In simple terms: Ignorance is more common than lack of learning.
Key Takeaway
Challenge stereotypes with evidence.
Themes
gender
education
bias
Mood
critical
empowering
Type
feminist
philosophical
When to use this quote
- teaching
- advocacy
- policy making
- personal growth
Key Concepts
feminist thought
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- What assumptions about gender do you hold?
- How can education reduce bias?
A Different Perspective
May be dismissed as anecdotal.
![“Wonder is defined by Thomas [Aquinas] in the Summa Theologiae [I-II, Q. 32, a. 8], as the desiderium sciendi, the desire for knowledge, active longing to know.” quote by Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ffe/josef-pieper-11414_active_wonder-is-defined-by-thomas-aquinas-in-t_3069488.jpg)
![“Does a rake deserve to possess anything of worth, since he chases everything in skirts and then imagines he can successfully hide his shame by slandering [women in general]?” quote by Christine de Pizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6ff/christine-de-pizan-13257_deserve_does-a-rake-deserve-to-possess-anything_259776.jpg)
![“Oh! What honour for the female sex! It is perfectly obvious that God has special regard for it when all these wretched people who destroyed the whole Kingdom – now recovered and made safe by a woman, something that 5000 men could not have done – and the traitors [have been] exterminated. Before…” quote by Christine de Pizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6c1/christine-de-pizan-13257_courage_oh-what-honour-for-the-female-sex-it-is_503425.jpg)
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
