---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a woman possesses manly virtues one…"
description: "\"If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away from her; and if she does not possess them she runs away from herself.\" — Friedrich Nietzsche"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg"
---

#  If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away…

![“If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away from her; and if she does not possess them she runs away from herself.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg)

> “If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away from her; and if she does not possess them she runs away from herself.”

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## About This Quote

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

Critiques gender expectations, suggesting that traditional masculine traits in women are unsettling, while lack of them leads to self‑alienation.

**In simple terms:** Gender norms can cause conflict.

Key Takeaway

Question societal expectations.

Themes

gender identity philosophy psychology

Mood

thought‑provoking critical

Type

philosophical analytical

When to use this quote

- relationship counseling
- gender studies seminars
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

masculinity femininity self‑perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How do gender expectations affect you?
- Can traits be fluid without conflict?

A Different Perspective

Views may oversimplify complex identities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Manly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manly/) [Virtues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtues/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/)

## Related quotes

> [If a woman possesses manly virtues, she is to be run away from; and if she does not possess them, she runs away herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-she-is-to-be-run-away-from-and-if/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [ \[All\] the manly virtues were oppressed by the servile and pusillanimous reign of the monks. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/all-the-manly-virtues-were-oppressed-by-the-servile-and-pusillanimous/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [For centuries, the question of men needing to comprehend women simply didn't arise. Men were valued according to how they measured up to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/for-centuries-the-question-of-men-needing-to-comprehend-women-simply/)

[Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/)

> [Though they may not always be handsome men doomed to evil posses the manly virtues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-genet/though-they-may-not-always-be-handsome-men-doomed-to-evil-posses-the/)

[Jean Genet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-genet/)

> [Fashion was the only law, pleasure the only pursuit, and the splendour of dress and furniture was the only distinction of the citizens of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/fashion-was-the-only-law-pleasure-the-only-pursuit-and-the-splendour/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [Love runs away from those chasing her, and those who run away, she throws herself on his neck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-runs-away-from-those-chasing-her-and-those-who-run-away-she/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I welcome all the signs indicating that a more manly and warlike age is commencing, which will, above all, bring heroism again into honour!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-welcome-all-the-signs-indicating-that-a-more-manly-and-warlike-age/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Don’t chase what runs away from you. Even shadows leave when the light fades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/don-t-chase-what-runs-away-from-you-even-shadows-leave-when-the-light/)

[Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/)

> [Help is nothing more to take, God will strike his guilty way, We came so far now runs away. Help is nothing more... to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/all-that-remains/help-is-nothing-more-to-take-god-will-strike-his-guilty-way-we-came/)

[All That Remains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/all-that-remains/)

> [He who fights and runs away May live to fight another day...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/he-who-fights-and-runs-away-may-live-to-fight-another-day/)

[Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/)

> [“He looks like a faerie lover stepped out of a ballad, the kind where no good comes to the girl who runs away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/he-looks-like-a-faerie-lover-stepped-out-of-a-ballad-the-kind-where/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

> [He who runs away from a fearful calamity, a foreign invasion, a terrible famine, and the companionship of wicked men is safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/he-who-runs-away-from-a-fearful-calamity-a-foreign-invasion-a/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [I am not the sort of player who runs away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mousa-dembele/i-am-not-the-sort-of-player-who-runs-away/)

[Mousa Dembele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mousa-dembele/)

> [A man may say, "From now on I'm going to speak the truth." But the truth hears him and runs away and hides before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-man-may-say-from-now-on-i-m-going-to-speak-the-truth-but-the-truth/)

[Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/)

> [“It is said, in a fire, everyone runs away from it save for the fireman who run towards it. When dealing with students, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-sequeira-belvel/it-is-said-in-a-fire-everyone-runs-away-from-it-save-for-the-fireman/)

Patricia Sequeira Belvel

## More by Friedrich Nietzsche

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

[Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

## More Feminism quotes

> [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/)

[Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/)

> [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/)

[Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/)

> [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/)

Joseph Joffre

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/)

[Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/)

> [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

[Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away from her; and if she does not possess them she runs away from herself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-should-run-away-from-her-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feminism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-should-run-away-from-her-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/friedrich-nietzsche-15_feminism_if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-s_2270191.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If a woman possesses manly virtues one should run away from her; and if she does not possess them she runs…” — Friedrich Nietzsche",
                "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If a woman possesses manly virtues...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-should-run-away-from-her-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-a-woman-possesses-manly-virtues-one-should-run-away-from-her-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
