--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jessie rummaged through her purse for the…" description: "\"“Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary equipment. If there were one thing, Baley had once said solemnly, that had resisted mechanical imp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg" --- # Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary… ![“Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary equipment. If there were one thing, Baley had once said solemnly, that had resisted mechanical improvement since medieval times, it was a woman's purse.” quote by Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg) > ““Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary equipment. If there were one thing, Baley had once said solemnly, that had resisted mechanical improvement since medieval times, it was a woman's purse.”” [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## 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 humorously highlights gender stereotypes by comparing a woman's purse to an ancient, unchanging technology. **In simple terms:** It jokes that a purse is an old, unchanging tool. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about gendered objects. Themes humor gender technology Mood witty critical Type satirical educational When to use this quote - writing fiction - teaching gender studies - designing products - advertising campaigns Key Concepts Stereotype critique social commentary Questions to Reflect On - Why does the author compare a purse to medieval tech? - How can we subvert such stereotypes in modern design? A Different Perspective Humor may reinforce stereotypes if not contextualized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jessie Rummaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jessie-rummaged-5562981/) [Medieval times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medieval-times/) [Purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purse/) [Purse Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purse-necessary-5562983/) [Rummaged Purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rummaged-purse-5562982/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Woman Purse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman-purse-917669/) ## Related quotes > [A well dressed woman, even though her purse is painfully empty, can conquer the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-brooks/a-well-dressed-woman-even-though-her-purse-is-painfully-empty-can/) [Louise Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-brooks/) > [Woman must have a purse of her own, and how can this be so long as the law denies to the wife all right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/woman-must-have-a-purse-of-her-own-and-how-can-this-be-so-long-as-the/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [If you keep a gun in your purse, you get killed, because no woman can find anything in her purse in under twelve minutes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-keep-a-gun-in-your-purse-you-get-killed-because-no-woman-can/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [Every woman should have a purse of her own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/every-woman-should-have-a-purse-of-her-own/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [“...we forget to appreciate what it meant for people to escape from the wages of medieval times to incomes two or three times the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-s-phelps/we-forget-to-appreciate-what-it-meant-for-people-to-escape-from-the/) [Edmund S Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-s-phelps/) > [Thank goodness we don't live in medieval times, when people fought wars over ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wojciech-jaruzelski/thank-goodness-we-don-t-live-in-medieval-times-when-people-fought/) [Wojciech Jaruzelski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wojciech-jaruzelski/) > [“Think about medieval times, Danny, like when this castle was built. People were constantly seeing ghosts, having visions—they thought Christ was sitting with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/think-about-medieval-times-danny-like-when-this-castle-was-built/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Adolescence has been recognised as a stage of human development since medieval times--long, long before the industrial revolution--and, as it is now, has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescence-has-been-recognised-as-a-stage-of-human-development-since/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [When they're shooting, when they're chopping off the heads of our people and other people, when they are chopping off the heads of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/when-they-re-shooting-when-they-re-chopping-off-the-heads-of-our/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Close your mouth Lily, you look like a codfish." "I can't help it. This place looks like something out of medieval times. I'm surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-morea/close-your-mouth-lily-you-look-like-a-codfish-i-can-t-help-it-this/) [Marianne Morea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-morea/) > [“When twilight fell, first upon knickers and then upon surcoats, there came the dawn of Japanese skirted-trousers. These were designed by monsters peeved by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soseki-natsume/when-twilight-fell-first-upon-knickers-and-then-upon-surcoats-there/) [Sōseki Natsume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soseki-natsume/) > [“Included in the Presqueville is the Cathedrale St.-Jean, a church built during medieval times, including both Romanesque and Gothic styles; its nave, with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-thompson/included-in-the-presqueville-is-the-cathedrale-st-jean-a-church-built/) [Jane Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-thompson/) > [“In medieval times, contrary to popular belief, most knights were bandits, mercenaries, lawless brigands, skinners, highwaymen, and thieves. The supposed chivalry of Charlemagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/in-medieval-times-contrary-to-popular-belief-most-knights-were/) [Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/) > [In medieval times, if someone displayed the symptoms we now identify as boredom, that person was thought to be committing something called acedia, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/in-medieval-times-if-someone-displayed-the-symptoms-we-now-identify/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) ## More by Isaac Asimov > [The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/the-strain-of-anti-intellectualism-has-been-a-constant-thread-winding/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know-and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/suppose-that-we-are-wise-enough-to-learn-and-know-and-yet-not-wise/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [Uncertainty that comes from knowledge (knowing what you don't know) is different from uncertainty coming from ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/uncertainty-that-comes-from-knowledge-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-is/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Don't you see? It's Galaxy-wide. It's a worship of the past. It's a deterioration - a stagnation!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/don-t-you-see-it-s-galaxy-wide-it-s-a-worship-of-the-past-it-s-a/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/so-the-universe-is-not-quite-as-you-thought-it-was-you-d-better/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It is in meeting the great tests that mankind can most successfully rise to great heights. Out of danger and restless insecurity comes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-is-in-meeting-the-great-tests-that-mankind-can-most-successfully/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“It might seem to you, Peter, that a truck driver, one step above an ape in your view, can't remember. But truck drivers can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/it-might-seem-to-you-peter-that-a-truck-driver-one-step-above-an-ape/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [When life is so harsh that a man loses all hope in himself, then he raises his eyes to a shining rock, worshipping it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/when-life-is-so-harsh-that-a-man-loses-all-hope-in-himself-then-he/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“You are a military man and should know better. If there is one science into which man has probed continuously and successfully, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-are-a-military-man-and-should-know-better-if-there-is-one-science/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“temperatura constante de mais ou menos 21 graus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/temperatura-constante-de-mais-ou-menos-21-graus/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“Human beings can tolerate an immortal robot, for it doesn't matter how long a machine lasts, but they cannot tolerate an immortal human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/human-beings-can-tolerate-an-immortal-robot-for-it-doesn-t-matter-how/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“if people believe this, they would act on that belief. Many a prophecy, by the mere force of its being believed, is transmuted”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/if-people-believe-this-they-would-act-on-that-belief-many-a-prophecy/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [There are many aspects of the universe that still cannot be explained satisfactorily by science; but ignorance implies only ignorance that may someday be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/there-are-many-aspects-of-the-universe-that-still-cannot-be-explained/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. \[The Second Law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-robot-must-obey-the-orders-given-it-by-human-beings-except-where/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) [Explore all 671 Isaac Asimov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) ## More Medieval times quotes > [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [In medieval times, if someone displayed the symptoms we now identify as boredom, that person was thought to be committing something called acedia, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-louv/in-medieval-times-if-someone-displayed-the-symptoms-we-now-identify/) [Richard Louv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-louv/) > [“In medieval times, contrary to popular belief, most knights were bandits, mercenaries, lawless brigands, skinners, highwaymen, and thieves. The supposed chivalry of Charlemagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-wodicka/in-medieval-times-contrary-to-popular-belief-most-knights-were/) [Tod Wodicka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-wodicka/) > [“Included in the Presqueville is the Cathedrale St.-Jean, a church built during medieval times, including both Romanesque and Gothic styles; its nave, with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-thompson/included-in-the-presqueville-is-the-cathedrale-st-jean-a-church-built/) [Jane Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-thompson/) > [“When twilight fell, first upon knickers and then upon surcoats, there came the dawn of Japanese skirted-trousers. These were designed by monsters peeved by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soseki-natsume/when-twilight-fell-first-upon-knickers-and-then-upon-surcoats-there/) [Sōseki Natsume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soseki-natsume/) > [“Close your mouth Lily, you look like a codfish." "I can't help it. This place looks like something out of medieval times. I'm surprised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-morea/close-your-mouth-lily-you-look-like-a-codfish-i-can-t-help-it-this/) [Marianne Morea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-morea/) > [When they're shooting, when they're chopping off the heads of our people and other people, when they are chopping off the heads of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/when-they-re-shooting-when-they-re-chopping-off-the-heads-of-our/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Adolescence has been recognised as a stage of human development since medieval times--long, long before the industrial revolution--and, as it is now, has long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-e-apter/adolescence-has-been-recognised-as-a-stage-of-human-development-since/) [Terri E Apter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-e-apter/) > [“Think about medieval times, Danny, like when this castle was built. People were constantly seeing ghosts, having visions—they thought Christ was sitting with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/think-about-medieval-times-danny-like-when-this-castle-was-built/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Thank goodness we don't live in medieval times, when people fought wars over ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wojciech-jaruzelski/thank-goodness-we-don-t-live-in-medieval-times-when-people-fought/) [Wojciech Jaruzelski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wojciech-jaruzelski/) > [“...we forget to appreciate what it meant for people to escape from the wages of medieval times to incomes two or three times the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-s-phelps/we-forget-to-appreciate-what-it-meant-for-people-to-escape-from-the/) [Edmund S Phelps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-s-phelps/) > [ These are barbaric people \[at ISIS\]. These are people that - you know, I used to study medieval times, and you know, they chopped… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/these-are-barbaric-people-at-isis-these-are-people-that-you-know-i/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“Most of the tools from medieval times were extensions of the physical self. Tools are now extensions of the mental self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotoya-peterson/most-of-the-tools-from-medieval-times-were-extensions-of-the-physical/) [Lotoya Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotoya-peterson/) > [Can I get a fork?; There were no utensils in medieval times, hence there ARE no utensils AT Medieval Times- would you like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-broderick/can-i-get-a-fork-there-were-no-utensils-in-medieval-times-hence-there/) [Matthew Broderick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-broderick/) > [“The means of production being the collective work of humanity, the product should be the collective property of the race. Individual appropriation is neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pyotr-kropotkin/the-means-of-production-being-the-collective-work-of-humanity-the/) [Pyotr Kropotkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pyotr-kropotkin/) [Browse all 50 Medieval times quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medieval-times/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary equipment. If there were one thing, Baley had once said solemnly, that had resisted mechanical improvement since medieval times, it was a woman's purse.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isaac Asimov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-the-necessary-equipment-if/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Medieval times" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-the-necessary-equipment-if/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02d/isaac-asimov-309_medieval-times_jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-th_3135405.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Jessie rummaged through her purse for the necessary equipment. If there were one thing, Baley had once said…” — Isaac Asimov", "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": "Isaac Asimov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Jessie rummaged through her purse for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-the-necessary-equipment-if/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/jessie-rummaged-through-her-purse-for-the-necessary-equipment-if/#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 } } ] } ```