--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought I had been a suffragist before…" description: "\"I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor Law Guardian, but now I began to think about the vote in women's hands not only as a right but..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg" --- # I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor… ![“I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor Law Guardian, but now I began to think about the vote in women's hands not only as a right but as a desperate necessity.” quote by Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg) > “I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor Law Guardian, but now I began to think about the vote in women's hands not only as a right but as a desperate necessity.” [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She realized that women's voting power is essential, not merely a privilege, because it can address urgent social needs. **In simple terms:** Voting is a vital necessity for women. Key Takeaway Advocate for women's political participation. Themes suffrage rights social justice Mood determined urgent Type activist historical When to use this quote - community organizing - legislative reform - public policy - grassroots campaigns Key Concepts democracy gender equality political empowerment Questions to Reflect On - How can women’s votes translate into concrete reforms? - What barriers still limit women’s political influence? A Different Perspective The quote may overlook that rights alone don't guarantee effective policy change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Guardian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guardian/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Suffragist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffragist-1589590/) [Suffragist Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffragist-poor-2147146/) [Suffragists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffragists/) [Think Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-vote-355143/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought Suffragist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-suffragist-2147145/) [Vote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote/) [Vote Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vote-women-1465664/) ## Related quotes > [I suppose I had always been an unconscious suffragist. With my temperament and my surroundings, I could scarcely have been otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-suppose-i-had-always-been-an-unconscious-suffragist-with-my/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Often I have heard the taunt that suffragists are women who have failed to find any normal outlet for their emotions, and are therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/often-i-have-heard-the-taunt-that-suffragists-are-women-who-have/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [\[Asked, upon the death of her fast friend and sister suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1816-1902), which period of their association she had enjoyed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/asked-upon-the-death-of-her-fast-friend-and-sister-suffragist/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [During the first suffragist wave in this nation, women were possessions, like a table or a chair. So violence toward them was quite condoned.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/during-the-first-suffragist-wave-in-this-nation-women-were/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We woman suffragists have a great mission - the greatest mission the world has ever known. It is to free half the human race,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/we-woman-suffragists-have-a-great-mission-the-greatest-mission-the/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [The whole argument with the anti-suffragists, or even the critical suffragist man, is this: that you can govern human beings without their consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-whole-argument-with-the-anti-suffragists-or-even-the-critical/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [I would rather be a rebel than a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-would-rather-be-a-rebel-than-a-slave/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [ I think \[women\] should be armed but should not vote ... women have no capacity to understand how money is earned. They have a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/i-think-women-should-be-armed-but-should-not-vote-women-have-no/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [In the suffragist and abolitionist era, there were a lot of white women and some black men and women who argued for the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/in-the-suffragist-and-abolitionist-era-there-were-a-lot-of-white/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We had early on women having the right to vote, then women in the workforce during WWII, just going back in history, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-had-early-on-women-having-the-right-to-vote-then-women-in-the/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) > [Can you imagine telling a woman she can't vote!? The women I hang out with would be going home with parts of your anatomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/can-you-imagine-telling-a-woman-she-can-t-vote-the-women-i-hang-out/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [We reasoned that the men would find it difficult to vote against the women in their home states when a woman was sitting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-rankin/we-reasoned-that-the-men-would-find-it-difficult-to-vote-against-the/) [Jeannette Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-rankin/) > [It's not the vote women need, we should be armed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-o-brien/it-s-not-the-vote-women-need-we-should-be-armed/) [Edna O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-o-brien/) > [I think I might vote for Barack Obama. Because I live in New York City and have been giving black guys change for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-think-i-might-vote-for-barack-obama-because-i-live-in-new-york-city/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I try to tell people to do, or advise them, anyway, is adopt conservative philosophies like hard work, preparation, perseverance, love of God, love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-clarke-jr/i-try-to-tell-people-to-do-or-advise-them-anyway-is-adopt/) [David A. Clarke, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-clarke-jr/) ## More by Emmeline Pankhurst > [...the Government must not think that they can stop this agitation. It will go on...We are here not because we are law-breakers; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-government-must-not-think-that-they-can-stop-this-agitation-it/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [If it is right for men to fight for their freedom, and God knows what the human race would be like today if men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/if-it-is-right-for-men-to-fight-for-their-freedom-and-god-knows-what/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Governments have always tried to crush reform movements, to destroy ideas, to kill the thing that cannot die. Without regard to history, which shows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/governments-have-always-tried-to-crush-reform-movements-to-destroy/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [I have made speeches urging women to adopt methods of rebellion such as have been adopted by men in every revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-have-made-speeches-urging-women-to-adopt-methods-of-rebellion-such/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [What is the use of fighting for the vote if we do not have a country to vote in? With that patriotism that has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/what-is-the-use-of-fighting-for-the-vote-if-we-do-not-have-a-country/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [I had to get a close-hand view of the misery and unhappiness of a man made world, before I reached the point where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-had-to-get-a-close-hand-view-of-the-misery-and-unhappiness-of-a-man/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Men make the moral code and they expect women to accept it. They have decided that it is entirely right and proper for men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/men-make-the-moral-code-and-they-expect-women-to-accept-it-they-have/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [The English prison system is altogether mediaeval and outworn. In some of its details, the system has improved since they began to send the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/the-english-prison-system-is-altogether-mediaeval-and-outworn-in-some/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [When you have warfare, things happen; people suffer; the noncombatants suffer as well as the combatants. And so it happens in civil war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/when-you-have-warfare-things-happen-people-suffer-the-noncombatants/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [I would rather be a rebel than a slave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-would-rather-be-a-rebel-than-a-slave/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [There is something that Governments care for far more than human life, and that is the security of property, and so it is through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/there-is-something-that-governments-care-for-far-more-than-human-life/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [You have to make more noise than anybody else, you have to make yourself more obtrusive than anybody else, you have to fill all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/you-have-to-make-more-noise-than-anybody-else-you-have-to-make/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Those men and women are fortunate who are born at a time when a great struggle for human freedom is in progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/those-men-and-women-are-fortunate-who-are-born-at-a-time-when-a-great/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Often I have heard the taunt that suffragists are women who have failed to find any normal outlet for their emotions, and are therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/often-i-have-heard-the-taunt-that-suffragists-are-women-who-have/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) > [Those men and women are fortunate who are born at a time when a great struggle for human freedom is in progress. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/those-men-and-women-are-fortunate-who-are-born-at-a-time-when-a-great-2/) [Emmeline Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) [Explore all 59 Emmeline Pankhurst quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/) ## More Desperate quotes > [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [“I am a desperate romantic. I love the idea of random collisions of the heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-thompson/i-am-a-desperate-romantic-i-love-the-idea-of-random-collisions-of-the/) [Jessica Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-thompson/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [“Really? I'm trying to place you. It seems like we've met before." Did I just issue him a pick up line? Fantastic, I've now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/really-i-m-trying-to-place-you-it-seems-like-we-ve-met-before-did-i/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [Never be desperate. Get rid of your insecurities. Know your worth. Believe in yourself and go get what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-be-desperate-get-rid-of-your-insecurities-know-your-worth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She was stupid and lonely. So desperate to be touched and loved with a good love. I need you, don't leave me, you're all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian-bane/she-was-stupid-and-lonely-so-desperate-to-be-touched-and-loved-with-a/) [Lucian Bane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian-bane/) > [You mostly know that you want to be funny, know that you have the desire. It's not like people who grow up beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/you-mostly-know-that-you-want-to-be-funny-know-that-you-have-the/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [I had to smile when stories emerged questioning whether I was gay. Obviously I knew I wasn't but people were curiously desperate to suggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/i-had-to-smile-when-stories-emerged-questioning-whether-i-was-gay/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [The World Health Organisation has a lot of its medical experts sitting in Geneva while hospitals in Africa have no drugs and desperate patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/the-world-health-organisation-has-a-lot-of-its-medical-experts/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I know it's a film and all of that, and it's a Hollywood film, but it kind of feels like this sometimes, when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-marber/i-know-it-s-a-film-and-all-of-that-and-it-s-a-hollywood-film-but-it/) [Patrick Marber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-marber/) > [“you think I"m that desperate?" "The raging hard-on jabbing at me says yes." ~Creed/Annika”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-croft/you-think-i-m-that-desperate-the-raging-hard-on-jabbing-at-me-says/) [Sydney Croft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-croft/) > [Along with a livable wage, many parents are desperate for quality affordable child care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gillibrand/along-with-a-livable-wage-many-parents-are-desperate-for-quality/) [Kirsten Gillibrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gillibrand/) > [As a player, if a club is desperate to sign you, then you can benefit from that. Desperate clubs are prepared to pay more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-forlan/as-a-player-if-a-club-is-desperate-to-sign-you-then-you-can-benefit/) [Diego Forlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-forlan/) [Browse all 1,618 Desperate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor Law Guardian, but now I began to think about the vote in women's hands not only as a right but as a desperate necessity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emmeline Pankhurst" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before-i-became-a-poor-law-guardian/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desperate" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before-i-became-a-poor-law-guardian/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c3/emmeline-pankhurst-11541_desperate_i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before_1814995.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I thought I had been a suffragist before I became a Poor Law Guardian, but now I began to think about the…” — Emmeline Pankhurst", "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": "Emmeline Pankhurst", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmeline-pankhurst/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I thought I had been a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before-i-became-a-poor-law-guardian/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmeline-pankhurst/i-thought-i-had-been-a-suffragist-before-i-became-a-poor-law-guardian/#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 } } ] } ```