A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts

by Therese Anne Fowler

“Magic is ever a trick, and yet the beholder believes.”

It’s a kind of magic, being able to read, don’t you think so?

“Cobras dance before our eyes, hypnotizing us so that we’re not watching for the strike.”

“Well, we were speaking about President Cleveland and the problems with having an administration that’s lent so much power to men in families like the Belmonts and Vanderbilts. An oligarchy is not a representational government.”

“Confession aids only the sinner.”

“This is important: no person’s good opinion of you matters more than your own.”

“May the burning of my bridges—if indeed any more are burned—light the way for others!”

“We do restrict ourselves with so many stringent social rules. Men restrict us further, and will, for as long as we allow it.”

“My entire life, Consuelo. That’s how long women have been patiently speaking on this subject to one another and to the men in charge—who take advantage of our habits of being polite and cooperative while censuring every opposite behavior. Men only respect power. So we must be powerful.”

“Deeds, not words!”

The Alva Belmont House, now the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, is a museum and the first national monument to women’s history in the United States.