---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think now that this is the great…"
description: "\"“I think now that this is the great division between people. There are people who find life hard and those who find it easy. There are those who have a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg"
---

#  I think now that this is the great division between…

![“I think now that this is the great division between people. There are people who find life hard and those who find it easy. There are those who have a natural, in-built, expectation of happiness, and there are those who feel that happiness is not to be expected: that it is not, in fact, one of the…” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg)

> ““I think now that this is the great division between people. There are people who find life hard and those who find it easy. There are those who have a natural, in-built, expectation of happiness, and there are those who feel that happiness is not to be expected: that it is not, in fact, one of the rights of man. Nor, God knows, one of the rights of women.””

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote contrasts people who expect happiness as a right with those who view it as unattainable, highlighting social and gender disparities in perceived entitlement to joy.

**In simple terms:** Some expect happiness, some don’t; it varies by gender and class.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge assumptions about happiness rights.

Themes

inequality expect gender social class expectations

Mood

thoughtful critical

Type

philosophical social commentary

When to use this quote

- Personal reflection
- policy discussion
- mental health advocacy
- education
- community building

Key Concepts

Entitlement philosophical outlook social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you think happiness is a universal right?
- How do gender expectations shape our view of joy?

A Different Perspective

It may oversimplify complex socioeconomic factors influencing happiness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Division People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/division-people-755053/) [Expectation Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectation-happiness-1003602/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [God knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-knows/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Expected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-expected-1418910/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-life/)

## Related quotes

> [The negation of severe suffering was the nearest approach to happiness I expected to know. Besides, I seemed to hold two lives - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/the-negation-of-severe-suffering-was-the-nearest-approach-to/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [The expectation of happiness creates a lot of unhappiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/the-expectation-of-happiness-creates-a-lot-of-unhappiness/)

[Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/)

> [An ethical act is one which does not harm others' experience or expectation of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/an-ethical-act-is-one-which-does-not-harm-others-experience-or/)

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

> [“I have found that the less expectation you put on others, the more happiness you will find with them and yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-toth/i-have-found-that-the-less-expectation-you-put-on-others-the-more/)

[K.L. Toth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-toth/)

> [You're not going to be different ... you're going to be the same as you've always been; with doubts, everlasting dissatisfaction with yourself, vain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/you-re-not-going-to-be-different-you-re-going-to-be-the-same-as-you/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [..that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/that-sanguine-expectation-of-happiness-which-is-happiness-itself/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [It's easy to find reasons for division between people finding common ground is harder but a step towards happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-easy-to-find-reasons-for-division-between-people-finding-common/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“But that is who we are, that is where we come from. We are the offspring of metropolitan annihilation and destruction, of the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/but-that-is-who-we-are-that-is-where-we-come-from-we-are-the/)

[Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/)

> [Separation happens in so many different dimensions. We see it everywhere. I believe we are all part of the spiritual heart. We all come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agapi-stassinopoulos/separation-happens-in-so-many-different-dimensions-we-see-it/)

[Agapi Stassinopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agapi-stassinopoulos/)

> [The world is a complicated place, and there's a lot of division between people. The performing arts tend to unify people in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rubenstein/the-world-is-a-complicated-place-and-there-s-a-lot-of-division/)

[David Rubenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rubenstein/)

> [“If we are to put an end to division, people from all political persuasions will have to stop fighting one another and seek true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-carson/if-we-are-to-put-an-end-to-division-people-from-all-political/)

[Ben Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-carson/)

> [“It is easy for us to accept that the division of people into ‘superiors’ and ‘commoners’ is a figment of the imagination. Yet the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/it-is-easy-for-us-to-accept-that-the-division-of-people-into/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [“God knows what risks we take, God knows all that Danton has done. God and Camille. God will keep his mouth shut.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/god-knows-what-risks-we-take-god-knows-all-that-danton-has-done-god/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [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/)

> [“Women are odd. I really mean that. A woman doesn't know the effect she has on a man. Any woman affects every man with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gash/women-are-odd-i-really-mean-that-a-woman-doesn-t-know-the-effect-she/)

[Jonathan Gash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gash/)

## More by Hilary Mantel

> [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

[Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

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

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I think now that this is the great division between people. There are people who find life hard and those who find it easy. There are those who have a natural, in-built, expectation of happiness, and there are those who feel that happiness is not to be expected: that it is not, in fact, one of the rights of man. Nor, God knows, one of the rights of women.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hilary Mantel"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-division-between-people-there-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feminism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-division-between-people-there-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/hilary-mantel-440_feminism_i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-divis_1729642.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think now that this is the great division between people. There are people who find life hard and those…” — Hilary Mantel",
                "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": "Hilary Mantel",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I think now that this is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-division-between-people-there-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-think-now-that-this-is-the-great-division-between-people-there-are/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
