Born Quote by Moderata Fonte
“Men were created before women. ... But that doesn't prove their superiority – rather, it proves ours, for they were born out of the lifeless earth in order that we could be born out of living flesh. And what's so important about this priority in creation, anyway? When we are building, we lay foundations on the ground first, things of no intrinsic merit or beauty, before subsequently raising up sumptuous buildings and ornate palaces. Lowly seeds are nourished in the earth, and then later the ravishing blooms appear; lovely roses blossom forth and scented narcissi.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: The Worth of Women, 1600
Women are foundational to humanity, yet their value is often overlooked; they are the essential base that enables later achievements.
In simple terms: Women are the essential groundwork for later beauty and achievement.
Key Takeaway
Value foundational contributions, not just visible results.
Themes
gender equality
foundations
value
creation
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
analytical
Type
sociological
feminist
When to use this quote
- family structures
- education systems
- workplace dynamics
- historical analysis
Key Concepts
matriarchal theory
social hierarchy
human development
Questions to Reflect On
- What unseen foundations support your successes?
- How can societies better recognize foundational roles?
A Different Perspective
Societal focus on visible outcomes can obscure essential underlying contributions.
![“This pre-eminence is something [men] have unjustly arrogated to themselves. And when it's said that women must be subject to men, the phrase should be understood in the same sense as when we say we are subject to natural disasters, diseases, and all the other accidents of this life: it's not a…” quote by Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/027/moderata-fonte-42110_accidents_this-pre-eminence-is-something-men-have_491835.jpg)
![“[M]en, though they know full well how much women are worth and how great the benefits we bring them, nonetheless seek to destroy us out of envy for our merits. It's just like the crow, when it produces white nestlings: it is so stricken by envy, knowing how black it is itself, that it kills its…” quote by Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/18f/moderata-fonte-42110_benefits_m-en-though-they-know-full-well-how-much_1290337.jpg)
![“[I]t was with a good end in mind – that of acquiring the knowledge of good and evil – that Eve allowed herself to be carried away and eat the forbidden fruit. But Adam was not moved by this desire for knowledge, but simply by greed: he ate it because he heard Eve say it tasted good.” quote by Moderata Fonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/580/moderata-fonte-42110_adam_i-t-was-with-a-good-end-in-mind-that-of_2691016.jpg)
