--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather be a spinster than sold…" description: "\"“I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in, whatever they may call it.”\" — Sara Sheridan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png" --- # I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in… ![“I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in, whatever they may call it.” quote by Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png) > ““I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in, whatever they may call it.”” [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Preferring independence over being treated as property. **In simple terms:** Choose freedom over being owned. Key Takeaway Value autonomy, reject objectification. Themes freedom gender agency Mood defiant empowering Type feminist inspirational When to use this quote - marriage decisions - career negotiations - social expectations - legal rights Key Concepts feminist theory personal autonomy Questions to Reflect On - How do you define personal autonomy? - What risks accompany choosing independence? A Different Perspective Societal pressure may complicate choices. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Sold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sold/) [Sold Traded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sold-traded-5890240/) [Spinster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinster/) [Spinster Sold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinster-sold-5890239/) [Traded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traded/) ## Related quotes > [Vast databases of names and personal information, sold to thieves by large publicly traded companies, have put almost anyone within reach of fraudulent telemarketers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/vast-databases-of-names-and-personal-information-sold-to-thieves-by/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“I mean what else is there for a woman to do if she doesn't want to go from the parental to the marital home…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/i-mean-what-else-is-there-for-a-woman-to-do-if-she-doesn-t-want-to-go/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“Isn't that how falling in love so often works? Some stranger appears out of nowhere and becomes a fixed star in your universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bolick/isn-t-that-how-falling-in-love-so-often-works-some-stranger-appears/) [Kate Bolick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bolick/) > [“All this time she’d thought it God’s will that she be a spinster. She had grown content with that expectation, taking satisfaction in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-witemeyer/all-this-time-she-d-thought-it-god-s-will-that-she-be-a-spinster-she/) [Karen Witemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-witemeyer/) > [Was this some new level of depravity? Had he developed a spinster fetish?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/was-this-some-new-level-of-depravity-had-he-developed-a-spinster/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“Blast. This day had not gone as planned. By this time, he was supposed to be well on his way to the Brighton Barracks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/blast-this-day-had-not-gone-as-planned-by-this-time-he-was-supposed/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [“She could see the headlines now. ‘Spinster dies alone in her condo. No one discovered her corpse for three days.’ She had been so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-merrill-wigginton/she-could-see-the-headlines-now-spinster-dies-alone-in-her-condo-no/) [Diane Merrill Wigginton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-merrill-wigginton/) > [“...but now, driving past the billboard I realized that losing everything is death. A death that I crave and I don't want anyone to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bolick/but-now-driving-past-the-billboard-i-realized-that-losing-everything/) [Kate Bolick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bolick/) > [“Sympathy for the spinster. I'm perfectly content, thank you. And I refuse to be defined by my boyfriend. Or lack of. Once you decide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sympathy-for-the-spinster-i-m-perfectly-content-thank-you-and-i/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“And heart's frosty discipline Exact as a snowflake. But here–a burgeoning Unruly enough to pitch her five queenly wits Into vulgar motley– A treason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/and-heart-s-frosty-discipline-exact-as-a-snowflake-but-here-a/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“The virgins are certain there's a circle of hell dedicated to that fear you'll never find anyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/analicia-sotelo/the-virgins-are-certain-there-s-a-circle-of-hell-dedicated-to-that/) [Analicia Sotelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/analicia-sotelo/) > [There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/there-is-no-detective-in-england-equal-to-a-spinster-lady-of/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“If I was an eccentric old spinster in a Merchant Ivory movie, I'd want to share my lovely cottage with Holly and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-samson/if-i-was-an-eccentric-old-spinster-in-a-merchant-ivory-movie-i-d-want/) [Lisa Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-samson/) > [“As for Headmistress Crouch, I pegged her as the type who wouldn't have a mate, either because of her exacting standards, or because she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-lee/as-for-headmistress-crouch-i-pegged-her-as-the-type-who-wouldn-t-have/) [Stacey Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-lee/) > [“She had told the truth: she did not like to dance. Men assumed that a spinster wanted for excitement. Dried-up. They made a point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/she-had-told-the-truth-she-did-not-like-to-dance-men-assumed-that-a/) [Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/) ## More by Sara Sheridan > [Everyone assumes writers spend their time lounging around, writing and occasionally striking a pose whilst having a think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/everyone-assumes-writers-spend-their-time-lounging-around-writing-and/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“Kissing her is like drinking salted water, he thinks. His thirst only increases.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/kissing-her-is-like-drinking-salted-water-he-thinks-his-thirst-only/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Those who have not been stung will hardly fear a bee the same as those who have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/those-who-have-not-been-stung-will-hardly-fear-a-bee-the-same-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“We are in the middle of the biggest revolution in reading and writing since the advent of the Gutenberg press.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/we-are-in-the-middle-of-the-biggest-revolution-in-reading-and-writing/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [The sky was a sparkling succession of black diamonds on black velvet made crystal clear by the blackout.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-sky-was-a-sparkling-succession-of-black-diamonds-on-black-velvet/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“The bonds between a family are strange indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-bonds-between-a-family-are-strange-indeed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/history-is-full-of-blank-spaces-but-good-stories-invariably-are-not/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“The mass communications that could enable our politics for good have instead turned it into a bland conglomeration of stinted opinion cloaked in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-mass-communications-that-could-enable-our-politics-for-good-have/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [I've found myself moved by letters and diaries in archives as well as trashy, summer blockbusters. It's possible to make a connection with any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-ve-found-myself-moved-by-letters-and-diaries-in-archives-as-well-as/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [Grabbing readers by the imagination is a writer's job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/grabbing-readers-by-the-imagination-is-a-writer-s-job/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [As an historical novelist - there are few jobs more retrospective. I dumped science at an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/as-an-historical-novelist-there-are-few-jobs-more-retrospective-i/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“Crime writers, I've noticed, can be jumpy. They live in a world where there are murderers on the loose and they haven't been caught…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/crime-writers-i-ve-noticed-can-be-jumpy-they-live-in-a-world-where/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“The writing talent of Edinburgh is textured - we have poets, novelists, non-fiction writers, dramatists and more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-writing-talent-of-edinburgh-is-textured-we-have-poets-novelists/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“Communism,” I observed, “is a pile of wank.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/communism-i-observed-is-a-pile-of-wank/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [A word out of place or an interesting choice of vocabulary can spawn a whole character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/a-word-out-of-place-or-an-interesting-choice-of-vocabulary-can-spawn/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) [Explore all 305 Sara Sheridan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) ## More Marriage quotes > [Unmarried couples should get married - that's an excellent tax avoidance measure, if a bit drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whiting/unmarried-couples-should-get-married-that-s-an-excellent-tax/) [John Whiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whiting/) > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [“Take an interest in his appearance. Keeping his clothes in order is your job; encouraging him to look his best, and admiring him when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-baker/take-an-interest-in-his-appearance-keeping-his-clothes-in-order-is/) [Ellen Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-baker/) > [Females always say, you can't turn a hoe into a house wife, but steady be trying to turn a dog into a faithful man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/females-always-say-you-can-t-turn-a-hoe-into-a-house-wife-but-steady/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Alimony - the ransom that the happy pay to the devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/alimony-the-ransom-that-the-happy-pay-to-the-devil/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“His own parents, the estimable Gilchrists, a couple who had taken the 'till death' part of their own wedding vows so seriously he wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-blake/his-own-parents-the-estimable-gilchrists-a-couple-who-had-taken-the/) [Ally Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-blake/) [Browse all 31,920 Marriage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in, whatever they may call it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Sheridan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-off-traded-in-whatever-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Marriage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-off-traded-in-whatever-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ccf/sara-sheridan-1032_marriage_i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-o_3191849.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would rather be a spinster than sold off, traded in, whatever they may call it.” — Sara Sheridan", "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": "Sara Sheridan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I would rather be a spinster...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-off-traded-in-whatever-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-would-rather-be-a-spinster-than-sold-off-traded-in-whatever-they/#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 } } ] } ```