Dignity Quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero
“We ought to regard amiability as the quality of woman, dignity that of man.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: On the Nature of Friendship, Cicero, 45 BC
Amiability is a feminine virtue, dignity a masculine one, highlighting gendered ideals of kindness and honor.
In simple terms: Kindness is for women, honor for men.
Key Takeaway
Recognize gendered expectations of virtue.
Themes
gender roles
virtue
honor
Mood
thoughtful
reflective
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- leadership
- cultural analysis
Key Concepts
philosophy
ethics
Questions to Reflect On
- Do gendered virtues still hold?
- How can we foster shared virtues?
A Different Perspective
Modern views see virtue as gender-neutral.
![“[A] woman should have every honorable motive to exertion which is enjoyed by man, to the full extent of her capacities and endowments. The case is too plain for argument. Nature has given woman the same powers, and subjected her to the same earth, breathes the same air, subsists on the same food…” quote by Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/926/frederick-douglass-859_air_a-woman-should-have-every-honorable-moti_2109951.jpg)
![“I wish to show that elegance is inferior to virtue, that the first object of laudable ambition is to obtain a character as a human being, regardless of the distinction of sex [...]” quote by Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/445/mary-wollstonecraft-1568_beauty_i-wish-to-show-that-elegance-is-inferior_130145.jpg)
![“Things sacred should not only be touched with the hands, but unviolated in thought. [Lat., Res sacros non modo manibus attingi, sed ne cogitatione quidem violari fas fuit.]” quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/deb/marcus-tullius-cicero-157_hands_things-sacred-should-not-only-be-touched_11960.jpg)
