--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a woman as for a man, marriage might…" description: "\"For a woman as for a man, marriage might enormously help or devastatingly hinder the growth of her power to contribute something impersonally valuable ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/vera-brittain-12183_accomplishment_for-a-woman-as-for-a-man-marriage-might_3109145.png" --- # For a woman as for a man, marriage might enormously help… ![“For a woman as for a man, marriage might enormously help or devastatingly hinder the growth of her power to contribute something impersonally valuable to the community in which she lived, but it was not that power, and could not be regarded as an end in itself. Nor, even, were children ends in…” quote by Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/vera-brittain-12183_accomplishment_for-a-woman-as-for-a-man-marriage-might_3109145.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/vera-brittain-12183_accomplishment_for-a-woman-as-for-a-man-marriage-might_3109145.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/207/vera-brittain-12183_accomplishment_for-a-woman-as-for-a-man-marriage-might_3109145.png) > “For a woman as for a man, marriage might enormously help or devastatingly hinder the growth of her power to contribute something impersonally valuable to the community in which she lived, but it was not that power, and could not be regarded as an end in itself. Nor, even, were children ends in themselves; it was useless to go on producing human beings merely in order that they, in their sequence, might produce others, and never turn from this business of continuous procreation to the accomplishment of some definite and lasting piece of work.” [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Marriage can either empower or restrict a woman's ability to contribute meaningfully beyond just bearing children. **In simple terms:** Marriage's impact on women's societal contribution. Key Takeaway Seek personal purpose beyond traditional roles. Themes gender marriage purpose societal contribution Mood thoughtful critical Type sociological feminist When to use this quote - career development - family planning - community involvement Key Concepts feminism social structure Questions to Reflect On - How does marriage affect your personal goals? - Can societal contribution be achieved outside marriage? A Different Perspective Assumes all marriages are similar, ignoring individual agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Being me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-me/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Procreation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procreation/) ## Related quotes > [To a man, marriage means giving up four out of five of the chiffonier drawers; to a woman, giving up four out of five…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/to-a-man-marriage-means-giving-up-four-out-of-five-of-the-chiffonier/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [Man is less interested in marriage, very much less interested. In fact not interested at all. If he agrees, he agrees only reluctantly -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/man-is-less-interested-in-marriage-very-much-less-interested-in-fact/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A man who is free and unmarried, if he has some intelligence, can rise above his fortune, mingle in society and meet the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/a-man-who-is-free-and-unmarried-if-he-has-some-intelligence-can-rise/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [I'm not the marrying kind -" St. Vincent snorted. "No man is. Marriage is a female invention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/i-m-not-the-marrying-kind-st-vincent-snorted-no-man-is-marriage-is-a/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [I see by the papers that they are going to do away with all the nuisance taxes. That means that a man can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/i-see-by-the-papers-that-they-are-going-to-do-away-with-all-the/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [I'm the only man who has a marriage license made out To Whom It My Concern .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/i-m-the-only-man-who-has-a-marriage-license-made-out-to-whom-it-my/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Going to bed with every man that comes across your way is not the best way to entice a man for marriage coz no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/going-to-bed-with-every-man-that-comes-across-your-way-is-not-the/) [Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/) > [Surely going to bed with a man before marriage was the most courageous act of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-trilling/surely-going-to-bed-with-a-man-before-marriage-was-the-most/) [Diana Trilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-trilling/) > [Scoring high in procreation, got an A studying female anatomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/scoring-high-in-procreation-got-an-a-studying-female-anatomy/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [Christianity has ever been the enemy of human love; it has forever cursed and expelled and crucified the one passion which sweetens and smiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/christianity-has-ever-been-the-enemy-of-human-love-it-has-forever/) [Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/) > [Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-paul-vi/marriage-and-conjugal-love-are-by-their-nature-ordained-toward-the/) [Pope Paul VI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-paul-vi/) > [“There is one kind of exception: those who believe that the world is too horrible a place into which to bring children. Such people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benatar/there-is-one-kind-of-exception-those-who-believe-that-the-world-is/) [David Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benatar/) > [Creating new people, by having babies, is so much a part of human life that it is rarely thought even to require a justification.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benatar/creating-new-people-by-having-babies-is-so-much-a-part-of-human-life/) [David Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benatar/) > [There is a divine moment in our lives when we all become one. It's called procreation, and it is reborn, continually and forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/there-is-a-divine-moment-in-our-lives-when-we-all-become-one-it-s/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [“For their never-ending endeavours to obtain or retain wealth, countries desperately need companies, because they—unlike most human beings—have the means of production, and human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/for-their-never-ending-endeavours-to-obtain-or-retain-wealth/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) ## More by Vera Brittain > [“At this time of the year it seems that everything ought to be creative, not destructive, and that we should encourage things to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/at-this-time-of-the-year-it-seems-that-everything-ought-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Mother says that people like me just become intellectual old maids,' I told him. 'I don't see why,' he protested. 'Oh, well, it's probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/mother-says-that-people-like-me-just-become-intellectual-old-maids-i/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“It is quite impossible to understand,’ I commented afterwards, ‘how we can be such strong individualists, so insistent on the rights and claims of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/it-is-quite-impossible-to-understand-i-commented-afterwards-how-we/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [Babies are a nuisance, of course. 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Can one make a book out of the very essence of one's self? Perhaps so, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/could-i-write-an-autobiographical-novel-i-wonder-can-one-make-a-book/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [most of us have to be self-righteous before we can be righteous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/most-of-us-have-to-be-self-righteous-before-we-can-be-righteous/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) [Explore all 56 Vera Brittain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. 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The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. 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No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For a woman as for a man, marriage might enormously help or devastatingly hinder the growth of her power to contribute something impersonally valuable to the community in which she lived, but it was not that power, and could not be regarded as an end in itself. 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