Women's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations

by Susan L. Rattiner

"Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving us wordy evidence of the fact," said Mary Ann Evans, a.k.a. George Eliot. "In nine cases out of ten, a woman had better show more affection than she feels," opined Jane Austen. "When a girl marries, she exchanges the attentions of many men for the inattention of one," observed Helen Rowland. These are just a few of more than 400 memorable quotes in this volume, expressed over the past 2,500 years by female poets, novelists, historical figures, celebrities, entertainers, and others.
Covering a broad range of topics — men, women, love and romance, marriage, family, human nature, aging, the quest for gender equality, work and occupations, joy and sorrow, nature, the environment, and more — the quotations are divided into subject categories and arranged chronologically by the author's date of birth. Where possible, sources and dates are cited for each quote.
Browse through these pages and immerse yourself in snippets of worldly wisdom from the poignant ("The loneliest woman in the world is a woman without a close woman friend" — Toni Morrison) to the despairing ("Old age is woman's hell" — Ninon de Lenclos) to the politically astute ("Do not tell secrets to those whose faith and silence you have not already tested" — Queen Elizabeth I) to the humorous ("Flops are a part of life's menu, and I've never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses" — Rosalind Russell).
You'll also find food for thought from Sappho, Madame de Stael, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Sanger, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Erma Bombeck, Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, among others. Brimming with timeless observations, humor, and wisdom, this practical and entertaining little volume will be indispensable to public speakers and a delight to general readers.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published August 24, 2000

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly quotes out of context are already not great.

But this felt (for the most part, some amazing quotes ) a kinda flashy feminist prance that didn’t resonate nor feel authentic. A lot of - “men are underdeveloped and women feel shit deeply content” - that honestly just fosters and reinforces the social constructs that early feminism tried to kill off.

[Sabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book of quotes. Very quick read. I liked some of the quotes although most of them are very old, written in old English and don’t relate to current times as much. Nice to see that there have always been strong women. 😊

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well. That was disappointing. I was really looking forward to this book because I love quotes, but these quotes are the worst of every genre. I found then discouraging and pessimistic.

[Kelly Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here are the quotations that stood out to me and will likely make it to my Official List of Favorite Quotations:

"The basis of world peace is the teaching which runs through almost all the great religions of the world. 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.' Christ, some of the other great Jewish teachers, Buddha, all preached it. Their followers forgot it. What is the trouble between capital and labor, what is the trouble in many of our communities, but rather a universal forgetting that this teaching is one of our first obligations." -- Eleanor Roosevelt in 1925

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist." -- Indira Gandhi

"Every evil, harm, and suffering in this life or in the next comes from the love of riches." -- St. Catherine of Siena

[Lesley Looper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of quotations is divided into subject categories, which helps put things in context a bit. Some favorites:

*"The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." (Lucille Ball)

*"Personality is more important than beauty, but imagination is more important than both of them." (Laurette Taylor, on actors)

*"If you rest, you rust." (Helen Hayes)

*"Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work." (Bette Davis)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid collection of quotes from Dover. The quotes are divided well enough into sections and, if you are like me, you will find them of merit in that they will have you scrambling to find more works by some of the speakers or authors of the line. I tend to collect quotes as a matter of interest and many of these are fitting right alongside the quips and wit of Twain, Wilde, and the rest that have been popular with Dover's "Wit and Wisdom of..." series.