--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me that women are freed from…" description: "\"It seems to me that women are freed from their responsibilities only when they are merry widows or eccentric old spinsters.\" — Tobsha Learner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg" --- # It seems to me that women are freed from their… ![“It seems to me that women are freed from their responsibilities only when they are merry widows or eccentric old spinsters.” quote by Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg) > “It seems to me that women are freed from their responsibilities only when they are merry widows or eccentric old spinsters.” [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women often become socially acceptable only when they are widowed or seen as eccentric, implying a loss of conventional duties. **In simple terms:** Society accepts women more when they are widows or eccentric. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge limiting stereotypes. Themes gender roles social expectations ageism Mood reflective critical Type analytical observational When to use this quote - career advancement - family dynamics - elder care - media representation Key Concepts feminism social norms identity Questions to Reflect On - How do these labels affect women's self‑perception? - What can shift societal views on women's roles? A Different Perspective Stereotypes can be deeply entrenched and resist change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eccentric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eccentric/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Merry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Spinsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinsters/) [Widows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widows/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“My father had coats the way old spinsters have cats.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-wizenberg/my-father-had-coats-the-way-old-spinsters-have-cats/) [Molly Wizenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-wizenberg/) > [Women were freed from positive duties when they could not perform them, but not when they could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrietta-szold/women-were-freed-from-positive-duties-when-they-could-not-perform/) [Henrietta Szold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrietta-szold/) > [Women must be freed from the idea that they always have to stay young and that they must disfigure themselves at a certain age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lindbergh/women-must-be-freed-from-the-idea-that-they-always-have-to-stay-young/) [Peter Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lindbergh/) > [Always be civil to the girls, you never know who they may marry' is a aphorism which has saved many an English spinster from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/always-be-civil-to-the-girls-you-never-know-who-they-may-marry-is-a/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [Widows are more skillful anglers for husbands than spinsters, and many marry several times. This is a social injustice to spinsters. "One man one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-celeste-claflin/widows-are-more-skillful-anglers-for-husbands-than-spinsters-and-many/) [Tennessee Celeste Claflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-celeste-claflin/) > [No, what Great Aunt Winifred was suffering from was the persecution every happily single woman suffers: the predictable social condemnation of her independence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/no-what-great-aunt-winifred-was-suffering-from-was-the-persecution/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [“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/) > [Could one count such dilettantes and old spinsters as that mawkish apostle of virginity, Mainlander, as a genuine German? In the last analysis he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/could-one-count-such-dilettantes-and-old-spinsters-as-that-mawkish/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Jem was safe from her, and he would ride away with a song on his lips and a laugh at her expense, forgetful of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/jem-was-safe-from-her-and-he-would-ride-away-with-a-song-on-his-lips/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“He is a young man with a future of power and opportunity and we are young women destined to be either wives and mothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/he-is-a-young-man-with-a-future-of-power-and-opportunity-and-we-are/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Sex ages us. Priests are boyish, spinsters stay black-haired until after fifty. We others, the demon rots us out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/sex-ages-us-priests-are-boyish-spinsters-stay-black-haired-until/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [All sorts of articles and letters appear in the papers about women. Profound questions are raised concerning them. Should they smoke? Should they work?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/all-sorts-of-articles-and-letters-appear-in-the-papers-about-women/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [I'm not going to accept your challenge. There will be no duel." "Why not? Because I'm a woman?" "No, because I've seen the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/i-m-not-going-to-accept-your-challenge-there-will-be-no-duel-why-not/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [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/) > [I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren't prepared to occupy a position. I've seen such pitiful cases in the South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/i-know-so-well-what-becomes-of-unmarried-women-who-aren-t-prepared-to/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) ## More by Tobsha Learner > [Intelligence is power; it is the flame behind the spark of intrigue. Find out all the facts and stamp out the fire. Demystify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/intelligence-is-power-it-is-the-flame-behind-the-spark-of-intrigue/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Everything flows from God, but we are limited by imposing our human perceptions upon him. Man designs God according to his own image and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/everything-flows-from-god-but-we-are-limited-by-imposing-our-human/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [“...I vow that nothing- no law, no army, no faith- will keep me from your side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/i-vow-that-nothing-no-law-no-army-no-faith-will-keep-me-from-your-side/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Humiliation scars deeper than the lash.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/humiliation-scars-deeper-than-the-lash/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Indeed, you become what you eat. In which case I am an onion. Layered, slightly sour and guaranteed to bring tears to the eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/indeed-you-become-what-you-eat-in-which-case-i-am-an-onion-layered/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [“I think the nature of faith is love an love of the goodness in man.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/i-think-the-nature-of-faith-is-love-an-love-of-the-goodness-in-man/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Two bones fell down my chimney and into the bedroom this morning. Hysterical thing to happen to a thriller writer. Murderous ravens perhaps?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/two-bones-fell-down-my-chimney-and-into-the-bedroom-this-morning/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [To be desired by those who are themselves highly desirable is in itself an aphrodisiac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/to-be-desired-by-those-who-are-themselves-highly-desirable-is-in/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [“A man who denies his past is a man who truly denies himself a future, for he refuses to know himself, and to deny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/a-man-who-denies-his-past-is-a-man-who-truly-denies-himself-a-future/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [As a reader I like both great characterization and fast moving plots. The challenge is to balance the both and not compromise one for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/as-a-reader-i-like-both-great-characterization-and-fast-moving-plots/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Starting a new novel is a little like starting a new relationship - you have to be prepared to commit for at least three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/starting-a-new-novel-is-a-little-like-starting-a-new-relationship-you/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Living is a hazardous profession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/living-is-a-hazardous-profession/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [So many of man's actions appear to have no immediate consequence but, concealed, do their work until finally all catches up and forms a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/so-many-of-man-s-actions-appear-to-have-no-immediate-consequence-but/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [“Believe, my child. Faith is the food of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/believe-my-child-faith-is-the-food-of-survival/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) > [Death strips all men of dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/death-strips-all-men-of-dignity/) [Tobsha Learner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) [Explore all 35 Tobsha Learner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/) ## More Eccentric quotes > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [What am I in most people's eyes? A nonentity or an eccentric and disagreeable man... I should want my work to show what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/what-am-i-in-most-people-s-eyes-a-nonentity-or-an-eccentric-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“You can drink your soup ice-cold, but it's no longer soup; you can do eccentric things in life, but if you haven't been able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-can-drink-your-soup-ice-cold-but-it-s-no-longer-soup-you-can-do/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [There is all the difference in the world between departure from recognised rules by one who has learned to obey them, and neglect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-terry/there-is-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-departure-from/) [Ellen Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-terry/) > [I know I'm funny, because I'm eccentric, I'm odd. I'm not what you expect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-seldes/i-know-i-m-funny-because-i-m-eccentric-i-m-odd-i-m-not-what-you-expect/) [Marian Seldes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-seldes/) > [I was watching Monster's Ball, which is a fabulous movie. It's just a little gem: beautifully shot, and shot in a way I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-lyne/i-was-watching-monster-s-ball-which-is-a-fabulous-movie-it-s-just-a/) [Adrian Lyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-lyne/) > [May the state fence in the harmless mentally ill solely to save its citizens from exposure to those whose ways are different? One might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/potter-stewart/may-the-state-fence-in-the-harmless-mentally-ill-solely-to-save-its/) [Potter Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/potter-stewart/) > [Eccentric is a difficult word because it's come to mean crazy. Avant-garde would be better. Eccentric is not "centric" in terms of having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-guinness/eccentric-is-a-difficult-word-because-it-s-come-to-mean-crazy-avant/) [Daphne Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-guinness/) > [This twenty-year-old boy was distinguished from childhood by strange qualities, a dreamer and an eccentric. A girl fell in love with him, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bulgakov/this-twenty-year-old-boy-was-distinguished-from-childhood-by-strange/) [Mikhail Bulgakov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bulgakov/) > [Dean's California--wild, sweaty, important, the land of lonely and exiled and eccentric lovers come to forgather like birds, and the land where everybody somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/dean-s-california-wild-sweaty-important-the-land-of-lonely-and-exiled/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [It's thought of as an eccentric thing for an actor to really try to maintain quality control through the whole career. Most people think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-reilly/it-s-thought-of-as-an-eccentric-thing-for-an-actor-to-really-try-to/) [John C. Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-reilly/) > [“Weirdism is definitely the cornerstone of many an artist's career.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/weirdism-is-definitely-the-cornerstone-of-many-an-artist-s-career/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't listen to the news. I don't read the newspaper unless it's eccentric information - and the obituaries, of course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maira-kalman/i-don-t-listen-to-the-news-i-don-t-read-the-newspaper-unless-it-s/) [Maira Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maira-kalman/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The man that found the 726-carat diamond in Africa, received $350,000 for it and wants to buy a farm and silk hat. Well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-man-that-found-the-726-carat-diamond-in-africa-received-350-000/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) [Browse all 427 Eccentric quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eccentric/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seems to me that women are freed from their responsibilities only when they are merry widows or eccentric old spinsters.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tobsha Learner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from-their-responsibilities-only/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eccentric" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from-their-responsibilities-only/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c3/tobsha-learner-18271_eccentric_it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from_1463317.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seems to me that women are freed from their responsibilities only when they are merry widows or eccentric…” — Tobsha Learner", "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": "Tobsha Learner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobsha-learner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It seems to me that women...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from-their-responsibilities-only/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobsha-learner/it-seems-to-me-that-women-are-freed-from-their-responsibilities-only/#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 } } ] } ```