--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When virtue was spoken of in the…" description: "\"When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or being an adventurer and going out into the w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg" --- # When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men… ![“When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or being an adventurer and going out into the world - whereas a woman's virtue meant keeping her legs closed.” quote by Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg) > “When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or being an adventurer and going out into the world - whereas a woman's virtue meant keeping her legs closed.” [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical gender norms linked virtue to male bravery and female chastity, limiting women's roles. **In simple terms:** Past definitions of virtue restricted women to modesty while praising men’s heroism. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge outdated gender expectations. Themes gender equality historical bias virtue Mood critical thought‑provoking Type analytical cultural When to use this quote - education curricula - media representation - workplace policies - family upbringing Key Concepts feminist critique social construct Questions to Reflect On - How do modern definitions of virtue differ by gender? - What can be done to broaden virtue for all? A Different Perspective May overlook progress made since then. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventurer/) [Bravery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bravery/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [What drew me to conservatism years ago was the fact that it gave discipline a slightly higher status than virtue. This meant it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/what-drew-me-to-conservatism-years-ago-was-the-fact-that-it-gave/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [“When a man does good work out of all proportion to his pay, in seven cases out of nine there is a woman at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/when-a-man-does-good-work-out-of-all-proportion-to-his-pay-in-seven/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“You may not see bravery written on her face but through her life, you can notice bravery. She conquers big battles. A warrior in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/you-may-not-see-bravery-written-on-her-face-but-through-her-life-you/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [Every woman whether rich or poor, married or single, has a circle of influence within which, according to her character, she is exerting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-angell-james/every-woman-whether-rich-or-poor-married-or-single-has-a-circle-of/) [John Angell James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-angell-james/) > [To be slow in words is a woman's only virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/to-be-slow-in-words-is-a-woman-s-only-virtue/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Woman's virtue is man's greatest invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-otis-skinner/woman-s-virtue-is-man-s-greatest-invention/) [Cornelia Otis Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-otis-skinner/) > [In a self-respecting India, is not every woman's virtue as much every man's concern as his own sister's?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/in-a-self-respecting-india-is-not-every-woman-s-virtue-as-much-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“Consider, that no jewel upon earth is comparable to a woman of virtue and honor; and, that the honor of the sex consists in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/consider-that-no-jewel-upon-earth-is-comparable-to-a-woman-of-virtue/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) > [“A woman desires to be a man's last romance, her baby's first love and a person who can live with dignity all her life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/purba-chakraborty/a-woman-desires-to-be-a-man-s-last-romance-her-baby-s-first-love-and/) [Purba Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/purba-chakraborty/) > [A true woman of virtue is one who will socialize with every man on earth, and doesn't share her body with any of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-true-woman-of-virtue-is-one-who-will-socialize-with-every-man-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man should never boast of his courage, nor a woman of her virtue, lest their doing so should be the cause of calling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/a-man-should-never-boast-of-his-courage-nor-a-woman-of-her-virtue/) [Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-gardiner-countess-of-blessington/) > [Some handsome and ambitious men believe they are above all morality, and a woman's virtue becomes a mere challenge to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/some-handsome-and-ambitious-men-believe-they-are-above-all-morality/) [William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/) > [Modesty in woman is a virtue most deserving, since we do all we can to cure her of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/modesty-in-woman-is-a-virtue-most-deserving-since-we-do-all-we-can-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) ## More by Molly Crabapple > [“Girls like me used the Web in all the ways our parents feared. We read anarchist manifestos and exchanged lurid porn with grown men.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/girls-like-me-used-the-web-in-all-the-ways-our-parents-feared-we-read/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I didn't want to be beholden to one person. So I did something where I had hundreds of people who backed the work. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-didn-t-want-to-be-beholden-to-one-person-so-i-did-something-where-i/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I love comics, but I'd rather cut off my thumbs than do nothing but.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-love-comics-but-i-d-rather-cut-off-my-thumbs-than-do-nothing-but/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [When I started my own business, I funded it as a naked model. I still think that the sex industry can, for some men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-i-started-my-own-business-i-funded-it-as-a-naked-model-i-still/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I feel like the traditional patron system meant that you would kiss the ass of one rich person and then hide all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-feel-like-the-traditional-patron-system-meant-that-you-would-kiss/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I had difficulty being friends with women who hadn't worked in either the sex or beauty industries. I felt like other women sometimes overvalued…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-had-difficulty-being-friends-with-women-who-hadn-t-worked-in-either/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [The thing is, Guantánamo is also a naval base, and they're under the delusion - especially the people on the naval side who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/the-thing-is-guant-namo-is-also-a-naval-base-and-they-re-under-the/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I can't reasonably pretend to be a transparent and omniscient narrator who brings no personal perspective. That person doesn't exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-can-t-reasonably-pretend-to-be-a-transparent-and-omniscient/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [Rohini Mohan read. While she did, I sketched her. She writes with such beauty and violence, and it seemed like the best way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/rohini-mohan-read-while-she-did-i-sketched-her-she-writes-with-such/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [Mainstream feminism might remember that the war on women always starts with the war on whores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/mainstream-feminism-might-remember-that-the-war-on-women-always/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [Innocence is always the state of being untouched. Sometimes it's synonymous with virginity, so sometimes it's quite literal, but sometimes it's more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/innocence-is-always-the-state-of-being-untouched-sometimes-it-s/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [I absorbed the lie that any smart woman would use birth control and be responsible for her body. Obviously that's not true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/i-absorbed-the-lie-that-any-smart-woman-would-use-birth-control-and/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [Working a model liberated me from ever having to hold a day job. I transitioned from doing that to working full-time as an artist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/working-a-model-liberated-me-from-ever-having-to-hold-a-day-job-i/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [When you hold a graphic novel in your hands, you're holding artist blood made ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-you-hold-a-graphic-novel-in-your-hands-you-re-holding-artist/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) > [Maybe you shouldn't be working as a jailer in Guantánamo. Maybe that's why you feel spiritually unhealthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/maybe-you-shouldn-t-be-working-as-a-jailer-in-guant-namo-maybe-that-s/) [Molly Crabapple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) [Explore all 38 Molly Crabapple quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/) ## More Adventurer quotes > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“I know I am planning to visit a "land" that is not entirely foreign, only foreign to me. As an adventurer, I am on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-barnicke-belleghem/i-know-i-am-planning-to-visit-a-land-that-is-not-entirely-foreign/) [Marilyn Barnicke Belleghem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-barnicke-belleghem/) > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a/) Jean Batten > [Some gifted adventurer is always sailing round the world of art and science, to bring home costly merchandise from every port.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/some-gifted-adventurer-is-always-sailing-round-the-world-of-art-and/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [If we are going to make the change from community to communitas, and not just end up with an unsustainable adrenaline-junkie culture, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-we-are-going-to-make-the-change-from-community-to-communitas-and/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [A man's interest in the world is only the overflow from his interest in himself. When you are a child your vessel is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-s-interest-in-the-world-is-only-the-overflow-from-his-interest/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“The mind is a wild thing. An adventurer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-spencer/the-mind-is-a-wild-thing-an-adventurer/) [A. Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-spencer/) > [Oh, children, growing up to be Adventurers into sophistry, Forbear, forbear to be of those That read the rood to learn the rose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/oh-children-growing-up-to-be-adventurers-into-sophistry-forbear/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [Today we see the steady stream from the countryside to the city, deadly for the Volk. The cities swell ever larger, unnerving the Volk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-rosenberg/today-we-see-the-steady-stream-from-the-countryside-to-the-city/) [Alfred Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-rosenberg/) > [“One man can go where a group cannot, and manage on very little, particularly a rough adventurer such as he. More the point, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/one-man-can-go-where-a-group-cannot-and-manage-on-very-little/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [Adventurer: he that goes to meet whatever may come. Well, that is what we all do in the world one way or another...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/adventurer-he-that-goes-to-meet-whatever-may-come-well-that-is-what/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [“This is what it means to be an adventurer in our day: to give up creature comforts of the mind, to realize the possibilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hib-chickena/this-is-what-it-means-to-be-an-adventurer-in-our-day-to-give-up/) Hib Chickena > [The division of the spoils between the victors will also provide employment for a powerful office, whose doorsteps the greedy adventurers and jealous concession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/the-division-of-the-spoils-between-the-victors-will-also-provide/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) [Browse all 184 Adventurer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventurer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or being an adventurer and going out into the world - whereas a woman's virtue meant keeping her legs closed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Molly Crabapple" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classical-sense-for-men-it-always/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventurer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classical-sense-for-men-it-always/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/765/molly-crabapple-17140_adventurer_when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classic_2395304.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When virtue was spoken of in the classical sense, for men, it always meant bravery or protecting others or…” — Molly Crabapple", "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": "Molly Crabapple", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-crabapple/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When virtue was spoken of in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classical-sense-for-men-it-always/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-crabapple/when-virtue-was-spoken-of-in-the-classical-sense-for-men-it-always/#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 } } ] } ```