Desire Quote by Virginia Woolf
““She remembered how, as a young man, she had insisted that women must be obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely apparelled. "Now I shall have to pay in my own person for those desires," she reflected; "for women are not (judging by my own short experience of the sex) obedient, chaste, scented, and exquisitely apparelled by nature. They can only attain these graces, without which they may enjoy none of the delights of life, by the most tedious discipline. There's the hairdressing," she thought, "that alone will take an hour of my morning, there's looking in the looking-glass, another hour; there's staying and lacing; there's washing and powdering; there's changing from silk to lace and from lace to paduasoy; there's being chaste year in and year out...””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, 1925
The narrator reflects on societal expectations of women to be obedient, chaste, and aesthetically perfect, realizing these ideals are unattainable without exhaustive daily rituals.
In simple terms: Women are pressured to maintain impossible standards of behavior and appearance.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and challenge unrealistic gender expectations.
Themes
gender expectations
societal pressure
self-discipline
appearance
feminism
Mood
reflective
critical
thoughtful
Type
observational
philosophical
feminist
When to use this quote
- personal grooming routines
- social interactions
- career advancement
- self-care practices
- public speaking
Key Concepts
Patriarchal norms
self-identity
performance
beauty standards
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you resist imposed standards?
- What daily habits reflect your authentic self?
A Different Perspective
The quote assumes all women share the same desire for conformity, ignoring individual agency.
![“Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three [great teachers] did not tell - they catalyzed a burning desire to know. Under their influence, the horizons sprung wide and fear went away and the unknown became knowable. But most important of…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/84c/john-steinbeck-71_art_teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-t_1738.jpg)
