---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When women understand that governments…"
description: "\"When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books, catechisms, and encyclical letters are all emanat..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png"
---

#  When women understand that governments and religions are…

![“When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books, catechisms, and encyclical letters are all emanations from the brains of man, they will no longer be oppressed by the injunctions that come to them with the divine authority of &#42;Thus sayeth the…” quote by Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png)

> “When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books, catechisms, and encyclical letters are all emanations from the brains of man, they will no longer be oppressed by the injunctions that come to them with the divine authority of \*Thus sayeth the Lord.\*”

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

## About This Quote

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

Recognizing religious and governmental rules as human constructs frees women from oppressive authority.

**In simple terms:** Seeing rules as human‑made empowers women.

Key Takeaway

Question authority and claim personal agency.

Themes

women's rights religion government human constructs empowerment

Mood

determined inspirational

Type

activist historical

When to use this quote

- legal reform
- education
- activism
- personal belief systems

Key Concepts

Feminist theory secularism

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you challenge inherited doctrines?
- What steps empower women to reinterpret authority?

A Different Perspective

Changing deep‑seated beliefs can be difficult and may meet resistance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Atheism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/) [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Catechism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/catechism/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lord/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Oppressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppressed/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/)

## Related quotes

> [We may be different races and religions but we are all part of the same human family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/we-may-be-different-races-and-religions-but-we-are-all-part-of-the/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [Because you look at it, you know, and there's basically one set of rules that protect that industrial ruling class. That's what the governments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/because-you-look-at-it-you-know-and-there-s-basically-one-set-of/)

[John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/)

> [Did I not feel that the time has come for the questions of women's wrongs to be laid before the public? Did I not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/did-i-not-feel-that-the-time-has-come-for-the-questions-of-women-s/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [“It is intrinsically impossible for the pope, as pope, to speak with authority on the details of climate science. Nor is he better suited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zmirak/it-is-intrinsically-impossible-for-the-pope-as-pope-to-speak-with/)

John Zmirak

> [Our founders understood that divine authority was necessary in order to establish a ground on which the weak, the defenseless, the powerless, the poor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/our-founders-understood-that-divine-authority-was-necessary-in-order/)

[Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/)

> [Wherever morality is based on theology, wherever the right is made dependent on divine authority, the most immoral, unjust, infamous things can be justified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-feuerbach/wherever-morality-is-based-on-theology-wherever-the-right-is-made/)

[Ludwig Feuerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-feuerbach/)

> [Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. One of the defining features of the Church of Jesus Christ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/priesthood-is-the-means-whereby-the-lord-acts-through-men-to-save/)

[David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/)

> [Our claim is that God has revealed Himself by speaking; that this divine (or God-breathed) speech has been written down and preserved in Scripture;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stott/our-claim-is-that-god-has-revealed-himself-by-speaking-that-this/)

[John Stott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stott/)

> [ “This \[divine authority\] must be our great and singular message to the world. We do not offer it with boasting. We testify in humility… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/this-divine-authority-must-be-our-great-and-singular-message-to-the/)

[Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/)

> [“Jesus viewed the OT as a divinely inspired authority that was under, not alongside, his own divine authority.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gergory-a-boyd/jesus-viewed-the-ot-as-a-divinely-inspired-authority-that-was-under/)

[Gergory A. Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gergory-a-boyd/)

> [In truth, there never was any remarkable lawgiver amongst any people who did not resort to divine authority, as otherwise his laws would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/in-truth-there-never-was-any-remarkable-lawgiver-amongst-any-people/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [“In the best case, notions of God’s love and grace provide some relief—but the central message of these faiths is that each of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/in-the-best-case-notions-of-god-s-love-and-grace-provide-some-relief/)

[Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/)

> [The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divine authority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/the-kingdom-of-god-is-an-order-of-government-established-by-divine/)

[Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/)

> [The Bible rose to the place it now occupies because it deserved to rise to that place, and not because God sent anybody with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barton/the-bible-rose-to-the-place-it-now-occupies-because-it-deserved-to/)

[Bruce Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barton/)

> [ \[Religion\] attacks us in our deepest integrity - the core of our self-respect. Religion says that we would not know right from wrong, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/religion-attacks-us-in-our-deepest-integrity-the-core-of-our-self/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

## More by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

> [The point I wish plainly to bring before you on this occasion is the individuality of each human soul--our Protestant idea, the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-point-i-wish-plainly-to-bring-before-you-on-this-occasion-is-the/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities of higher education, for the full development of her faculties, forces of mind and body;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-strongest-reason-for-giving-woman-all-the-opportunities-of-higher/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Accepting the view that man was prior in the creation, some Scriptural writers say that as the woman was of the man, therefore, her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/accepting-the-view-that-man-was-prior-in-the-creation-some-scriptural/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [I thought that the chief thing to be done in order to equal boys was to be learned and courageous. So I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/i-thought-that-the-chief-thing-to-be-done-in-order-to-equal-boys-was/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Nothing strengthens the judgment and quickens the conscience like individual responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/nothing-strengthens-the-judgment-and-quickens-the-conscience-like/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [A government is just only when the whole people share equally in its protection and advantages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/a-government-is-just-only-when-the-whole-people-share-equally-in-its/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The prolonged slavery of women is the darkest page in human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-prolonged-slavery-of-women-is-the-darkest-page-in-human-history/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-and-women-are/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Woman has been the great unpaid laborer of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/woman-has-been-the-great-unpaid-laborer-of-the-world/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Well, another female child is born into the world! Last Sunday afternoon, Harriot Eaton Stanton - oh! the little heretic thus to desecrate that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/well-another-female-child-is-born-into-the-world-last-sunday/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world, that she precipitated the fall of the race, that she was arraigned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/the-bible-teaches-that-woman-brought-sin-and-death-into-the-world/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [... our scholarships should be bestowed on those whose ability and earnestness in the primary department have been proved, and whose capacity for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/our-scholarships-should-be-bestowed-on-those-whose-ability-and/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Because man and woman are the complement of one another, we need woman's thought in national affairs to make a safe and stable government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/because-man-and-woman-are-the-complement-of-one-another-we-need-woman/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [It would be ridiculous to talk of male and female atmospheres, male and female springs or rains, male and female sunshine…How much more ridiculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/it-would-be-ridiculous-to-talk-of-male-and-female-atmospheres-male/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Woman's degradation is in mans idea of his sexual rights. Our religion, laws, customs, are all founded on the belief that woman was made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/woman-s-degradation-is-in-mans-idea-of-his-sexual-rights-our-religion/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

[Explore all 226 Elizabeth Cady Stanton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

## More Atheism quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/)

[Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/)

> [God speaks through me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/god-speaks-through-me/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/)

[Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/)

> [Many humanists have argued that happiness involves a combination of hedonism and creative moral development; that an exuberant life fuses excellence and enjoyment, meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/many-humanists-have-argued-that-happiness-involves-a-combination-of/)

[Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/)

> [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

> [Do you think that was kind? Do you think it was godlike? What would you think of a physician, if a woman came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-h-gardener/do-you-think-that-was-kind-do-you-think-it-was-godlike-what-would-you/)

[Helen H. Gardener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-h-gardener/)

> [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/)

[Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/)

> [Honest investigation is utterly impossible within the pale of any church, for the reason, that if you think the church is right you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/honest-investigation-is-utterly-impossible-within-the-pale-of-any/)

[Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/)

[Browse all 4,769 Atheism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books, catechisms, and encyclical letters are all emanations from the brains of man, they will no longer be oppressed by the injunctions that come to them with the divine authority of *Thus sayeth the Lord.*",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Cady Stanton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/when-women-understand-that-governments-and-religions-are-human/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Atheism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/when-women-understand-that-governments-and-religions-are-human/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/elizabeth-cady-stanton-1574_atheism_when-women-understand-that-governments-a_649304.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When women understand that governments and religions are human inventions; that Bibles, prayer-books…” — Elizabeth Cady Stanton",
                "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": "Elizabeth Cady Stanton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When women understand that governments and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/when-women-understand-that-governments-and-religions-are-human/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/when-women-understand-that-governments-and-religions-are-human/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
