WIST Quotations

Greenwood, Kerry -- Phryne Fisher, Book 14, Queen of the Flowers, ch. 15 [Phryne to Dot] (2004)

Dave — Thu, 14 May 2026 22:23:33 +0000

“Boys like obvious,” Phryne told her. “Men prefer subtle but boys only stop thinking about sex when they are thinking about food. Or football. The adolescent male is a strange and horrible creature unless, of course, one’s tastes run the same way.”

Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher, Book 14, Queen of the Flowers, ch. 15 [Phryne to Dot] (2004)
(Source)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 9, Eric (1990)

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:02:27 +0000

In the jungles of central Klatch there are, indeed, lost kingdoms of mysterious Amazonian princesses who capture male explorers for specifically masculine duties. These are indeed rigorous and exhausting and the luckless victims do not last long.*

^{* This is because wiring plugs, putting up shelves, sorting out the funny noises in attics, and mowing lawns can eventually reduce even the strongest constitution.}

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 9, Eric (1990)
(Source)

Carlin, George -- Book (2004), When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, “Guys & Dolls: Part 1”

Dave — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 19:04:22 +0000

Here’s all you need to know about men and women: Women are crazy and men are stupid. And the main reason women are crazy is that men are stupid. It’s not the only reason, but it’s a big one. And by the way, if you don’t think men are stupid, check the newspaper. […] And if you don’t think women are crazy, ask a man. That’s the one thing men aren’t stupid about: they know for sure, way deep down in their hearts, that women are straight-out fucking nuts.

George Carlin (1937-2008) American comedian
Book (2004), When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, “Guys & Dolls: Part 1”
(Source)

(Source (Audio))

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 2214 (1727)

Dave — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:47:03 +0000

When thou art in the Company of Ladies behave civilly, and shew good Breeding. They will easily pardon a Man’s Want of Sense, but rarely his Want of Manners.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 2, # 2214 (1727)
(Source)

Jong, Erica -- Fear of Flying (1973)

Dave — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 22:01:49 +0000

Men have always detested women’s gossip because they suspect the truth: their measurements are being taken and compared.

Erica Jong (b. 1942) American writer, poet
Fear of Flying (1973)
(Source)

Martin, Judith -- Interview (1997-03), “She Says: Miss Manners,” by Sandy Fernández, Ms magazine, Vol. 7, No. 5 (1997-03/04)

Dave — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 19:06:01 +0000

A lot of men got upset at the feminist movement because they had all the toys and we wanted some.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
Interview (1997-03), “She Says: Miss Manners,” by Sandy Fernández, Ms magazine, Vol. 7, No. 5 (1997-03/04)
(Source)

Euripides -- Hecuba [Hekabe; Ἑκάβη], l. 883ff (c. 424 BC) [tr. Arrowsmith (1958)]

Dave — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:58:23 +0000

AGAMEMNON:But women?
Women overpower men?

HECUBA:There is power
in numbers, and cunning makes us strong.

ἈΓΑΜΈΜΝΩΝ: καὶ πῶς γυναιξὶν ἀρσένων ἔσται κράτος;

ἙΚΆΒΗ: δεινὸν τὸ πλῆθος σὺν δόλῳ τε δύσμαχον.

Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Hecuba [Hekabe; Ἑκάβη], l. 883ff (c. 424 BC) [tr. Arrowsmith (1958)]
(Source)

Hecuba telling Agamemnon that she will rely on her fellow captive Trojan women to help exact her revenge on Polymestor.

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

AGAMΕΜΝΟΝ. How shall weak women; over men prevail?
HECUBA. Numbers are strong; add stratagem, resistless.
[tr. Potter (1781)]

AGAMEMNON:How can the female sex
O'er men obtain a conquest?
HECUBA:Numbers strike
A foe with terror, and the wiles of women
Are hard to be withstood.
[tr. Wodhull (1809)]

AGAMEMNON: And how shall the victory over men be to women?
HECUBA: Numbers are powerful, with stratagem invincible.
[tr. Edwards (1826)]

AGAMEMNON: How? -- women gain the mastery over men?
HECUBA: Mighty are numbers: joined with craft, resistless.
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]

AGAMEMNON: How are women to master men?
HECUBA: Numbers are a fearful thing, and joined to craft a desperate foe.
[tr. Coleridge (1938)]

AGAMEMNON: How can women win against men?
HECUBA: Who can stand against a tribe
A wild tribe of wise women?
[tr. McGuinness (2004)]

AGAMEMNON: How can you women overpower a man?
HECUBA: Enough of them would scare you soon enough and with cunning they're a force hard to resist.
[tr. Harrison (2005)]

AGAMEMNON: But how will the women be able to overcome the strength of men?
HEKABE: Numbers, when joined with treachery, can cause great terror.
[tr. Theodoridis (2007)]

AGAMEMNON:But how?
You are women. How will women defeat men?
HECUBA: There is unnerving strength in numbers, especially when
you add deceit.
[tr. Karden/Street (2011)]

Moffat, Steven -- Coupling, 03×02 “Faithless” (2002-09-30)

Dave — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 17:37:05 +0000

STEVE: (to Susan) It is not scientifically possible for a man to know what a woman wants. And that’s not fair, because you always know what we want.

PATRICK: We always have the decency to only want one thing.

STEVE: And do you ever thank us for making it so simple?

PATRICK: Never!

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Coupling, 03×02 “Faithless” (2002-09-30)
(Source)

(Source (Video) at 24:03; dialog verified)

Moffat, Steven -- Coupling, 02×09 “Naked” (2001-10-22)

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:07:42 +0000

SALLY: It’s a scientific fact that if you say “naked” three or more times, to any man, he has to cross his legs.

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Coupling, 02×09 “Naked” (2001-10-22)
(Source)

(Source (Video))

Hugo, Victor -- Les Misérables, Part 4 “Saint Denis,” Book 3 “The House in the Rue Plumet,” ch. 6 (4.3.6) (1862) [tr. Hapgood (1887)]

Dave — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 22:40:03 +0000

Strange to say, the first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity; in a young girl it is boldness. This is surprising, and yet nothing is more simple. It is the two sexes tending to approach each other and assuming each the other’s qualities.

[Et puis, chose bizarre, le premier symptôme de l’amour vrai chez un jeune homme, c’est la timidité, chez une jeune fille, c’est la hardiesse. Ceci étonne, et rien n’est plus simple pourtant. Ce sont les deux sexes qui tendent à se rapprocher et qui prennent les qualités l’un de l’autre.]

Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Part 4 “Saint Denis,” Book 3 “The House in the Rue Plumet,” ch. 6 (4.3.6) (1862) [tr. Hapgood (1887)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Oddly enough, the first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity, in a young woman, boldness. This is surprising, and yet nothing is more natural. It is the two sexes tending to unite, and each acquiring the qualities of the other.
[tr. Wilbour (1862)]

Strange it is, the first symptom of true love in a young man is timidity; in a girl it is boldness. This will surprise, and yet nothing is more simple; the two sexes have a tendency to approach, and each assumes the qualities of the other.
[tr. Wraxall (1862)]

And besides, although shyness is the first sign of true love in a youth, boldness is its token in a maid. This may seem strange, but nothing could be more simple. The sexes are drawing close, and in doing so each assumes the qualities of the other.
[tr. Denny (1976)]

And then, oddly enough, the first symptom of true love in a man is timidity, in a young woman, boldness. This is surprising, and yet nothing is more natural. It is the two sexes tending to unite, and each acquiring the qualities of the other.
[tr. Wilbour/Fahnestock/MacAfee (1987)]

Moffat, Steven -- Coupling, 01×05 “The Girl with Two Breasts” (2000-06-09)

Dave — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 22:13:47 +0000

JEFF: See, women think we’re normal, like them, ’cause we talk to them like normal people, you know, we say, “Hello. How are you? Haven’t seen you in this place before. What kind of music do you like?” But all the time in our brains, we’ve got the word “breasts” on a loop. If we ever lost control for a second, we’d all start shouting “Breasts! Breasts! Breasts! Breasts!”

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Coupling, 01×05 “The Girl with Two Breasts” (2000-06-09)
(Source)

(Source (Video), at 3:08)

Sayers, Dorothy -- “Are Women Human?” speech to a Women’s Society (1938)

Dave — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 18:27:36 +0000

I have admitted that there are very few women who would put their job before every earthly consideration. I will go further and assert that there are very few men who would do it either. In fact, there is perhaps only one human being in a thousand who is passionately interested in his job for the job’s sake. The difference is that if that one person in a thousand is a man, we say, simply, that he is passionately keen on his job; if she is a woman, we say she is a freak.

Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957) English author, translator
“Are Women Human?” speech to a Women’s Society (1938)
(Source)

Collected in Unpopular Opinions (1946).

Peters, Ellis -- A Morbid Taste for Bones, ch. 9 [Cadfael] (1977)

Dave — Tue, 26 Nov 2024 15:08:57 +0000

Both men and women partake of the same human nature, Huw. We both bleed when we’re wounded. That’s a poor, silly woman, true, but we can show plenty of poor, silly men. There are women as strong as any of us, and as able.

Ellis Peters (1913-1995) English writer, translator [pseud. of Edith Mary Pargeter, who also wrote under the names John Redfern, Jolyon Carr, Peter Benedict]
A Morbid Taste for Bones, ch. 9 [Cadfael] (1977)
(Source)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Lap,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 15:38:53 +0000

LAP, n. One of the most important organs of the female system — an admirable provision of nature for the repose of infancy, but chiefly useful in rural festivities to support plates of cold chicken and heads of adult males. The male of our species has a rudimentary lap, imperfectly developed and in no way contributing to the animal’s substantial welfare.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Lap,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1886-03-06).

Catullus -- Carmina # 64 “The Nuptuals of Peleus and Thetis,” ll. 144-149 [tr. Lamb (1821)]

Dave — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 21:24:53 +0000

Then let no woman hence in man believe,
Or think a lover speaks but to deceive.
He, while ungratified desire is high,
Shrinks from no oath, no promise will deny;
Soon as his lust is satiate with its prize,
He spurns his vows and perjury’s curse defies.

[Nunc iam nulla viro iuranti femina credat,
nulla viri speret sermones esse fideles;
quis dum aliquid cupiens animus praegestit apisci,
nil metuunt iurare, nihil promittere parcunt:
sed simul ac cupidae mentis satiata libido est,
dicta nihil metuere, nihil periuria curant.]

Catullus (c. 84 BC – c. 54 BC) Latin poet [Gaius Valerius Catullus]
Carmina # 64 “The Nuptuals of Peleus and Thetis,” ll. 144-149 [tr. Lamb (1821)]
(Source)

Ariadne lamenting Theseus' faithlessness.

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

Hear this, and wisdom learn, ye witless fair!
Ne'er let false man with empty oaths deceive,
No protestations of the sex believe!
Is there a wish their ardent souls would gain;
they swear, they promise, and at length obtain;
The wish obtain'd, they fearless break their word,
Nor plighted faith, nor solemn vows regard.
[tr. Nott (1795), # 61; ll. 173ff.]

Henceforth let woman; never trust the oaths that man shall make,
Nor ever more his honeyed speech within her bosom take!
While yet the fire of his desire is hot within his breast,
What will he not to woman swear, to heav'n what not protest?
But let her in an evil hour resign her maiden trust,
And yield the blossom of her youth to sate his selfish lust,
Then what recks he of lavish oath, or vow, or whisper'd pray'r?
He triumphs in his perjuries, and spurns at her despair.
[tr. T. Martin (1861)]

Henceforth let never woman trust an oath than man shall swear,
Nor count the tender speeches true his lying lips declare:
For when with lusting soul he yearns some object to enjoy,
No oath, no promise then he deems too sacred to employ;
But when his soul is sated, and his burning passion dies,
He fears to break no plighted vows, cares nought for perjuries.
[tr. Cranstoun (1867)]

Let not a woman trust, since that first treason, a lover's
Desperate oath, none hope true lover's promise is earnest.
They, while fondly to win their amorous humour essayeth,
Fear no covetous oath, all false free promises heed not;
They if once lewd pleasure attain unruly possession,
Lo they fear not promise, of oath or perjury reck not.
[tr. Ellis (1871)]

Now, let woman no more trust her to man when he sweareth,
Ne'er let her hope to find or truth or faith in his pleadings,
Who when lustful thought forelooks to somewhat attaining,
Never an oath they fear, shall spare no promise to promise.
Yet no sooner they sate all lewdness and lecherous fancy,
Nothing remember of words and reck they naught of fore-swearing.
[tr. Burton (1893)]

Now, now, let no woman give credence to man's oath, let none hope for faithful vows from mankind; for while their eager desire strives for its end, nothing fear they to swear, nothing of promises forbear they: but instantly their lusting thoughts are satiate with lewdness, nothing of speech they remember, nothing of perjuries care.
[tr. Smithers (1894)]

Henceforth let no woman believe a man's oath, let none believe that a man's speeches can be trustworthy. They, while their mind desires something and longs eagerly to gain it, nothing fear to swear, nothing spare to promise; but as soon as the lust of their greedy mind is satisfied, they fear not then their words, they heed not their perjuries.
[tr. Warre Cornish (1904)]

Hereafter let; no woman trust man's promises, or hope for faithful words; for when they wish to attain their desires, there is nothing they will not swear, no promise do they scruple to make: but once their desires have been satisfied, they fear no broken words and care nothing for their perjuries.
[tr. Stuttaford (1912)]

Never let maid believe a lover's oath;
Nor hope a man be faithful to his troth;
Long as men's hearts are spurred by keen desire,
No oath they shrink from and no promise spare;
Soon as their sated lust begins to tire
No oath they heed and nought for falsehood care.
[tr. Symons-Jeune (1923)]

Henceforth, no woman trust the oath of man,
No woman dream the word of man is true:
They, whensoe'er they lust for anything,
Swear every oath and every promise make,
But, when their eager lust is satisfied,
Nor reck of oaths nor promises regard.
[tr. MacNaghten (1925)]

Henceforth let never listening maid believe
Protesting man! When their false hearts conceive
The selfish wish, to all but pleasure blind,
No words they spare, no oaths unuttered leave.
But when possession cloys their pampered mind,
No care have they for oaths, no words their honour bind.
[tr. Wright (1926)]

From this hour
may no woman believe what men say, for men (minds set upon a single end) will promise everything,
but once the shrewd mind satisfies its passion, it plunges forward (the broken promise merely words that trail behind tall bravery).
[tr. Gregory (1931)]

Let no woman ever believe any oath that a man swears,
or ever expect him to keep faith with his fine speeches!
When they want something, when they are anxious to get it,
they take oaths without fear, and pour out promises freely;
but just as soon as their hot desire is sated,
none of their lies & deceptions ever disturb them.
[tr. C. Martin (1979)]

From now on let no woman believe a man's sworn promises.
From now on let no woman hope a man's talk is true.
So long as their desiring minds are eager to get something,
they swear to anything. No promise do they spare.
But as soon as the lust in their desirous intent is gratified,
they remember nothing they said, they care nothing for their lies.
[tr. Banks (1997)]

Now, no woman should believe a man’s pledges,
or believe there’s any truth in a man’s words:
when their minds are intent on their desire,
they have no fear of oaths, don’t spare their promises:
but as soon as the lust of their eager mind is slaked
they fear no words, they care nothing for perjury.
[tr. Kline (2001)]

Henceforth let no woman trust a man's sworn promise,
or hope that he'll ever be true to his given word,
for as long as his lustful heart is bent on possession
he'll shrink from no oath, stop short at no promises,
but the moment hte urge of his ardent mind is sated
he forgets all he's said, breaks oaths without a tremor.
[tr. Green (2005)]

Now already let no woman trust a man swearing,
let none hope that the speeches of man are faithful,
for whom while the desiring mind is eager to grasp something,
They fear to swear nothing, they spare to promise nothing.
But as soon as the lust of the desiring mind has been satisfied,
They feared the words as nothing, they care for the false oaths not at all.
[tr. Wikisource (2018)]

Shakespeare, William -- Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, sc. 1, l. 19ff (4.1.19-20) (1598)

Dave — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 22:11:36 +0000

CLAUDIO: O, what men dare do! What men may do!
What men daily do, not knowing what they do!

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, sc. 1, l. 19ff (4.1.19-20) (1598)
(Source)

Mencken, H. L. -- A Little Book in C Major, ch. 6, § 1 (1916)

Dave — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 16:11:12 +0000

A man always blames the woman who fools him. In the same way he blames the door he walks into in the dark.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
A Little Book in C Major, ch. 6, § 1 (1916)
(Source)

Repeated in A Book of Burlesques, ch. 12 "The Old Subject," § 6 (1924)] and Chrestomathy, ch. 30 "Sententiae" (1949).

Shakespeare, William -- Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2, sc. 3, l. 64ff (2.3.64-71) (1598)

Dave — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 17:18:44 +0000

BALTHAZAR: Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more,
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
And be you blithe and bonny,
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into Hey, nonny nonny.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2, sc. 3, l. 64ff (2.3.64-71) (1598)

"Hey, nonny nonny" was a nonsense refrain popular in English music during the Elizabethan era; in context here, it means stop grieving over the guy that dumped you and put that effort instead into some merry-making and song. Music historian Ross Duffin believes the form of Balthazar's tune fits a popular song of the Tudor period, "The Lusty Gallant."

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)

Dave — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 15:10:42 +0000

The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, especially if you tell him how flat it is.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)

Dave — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:06:04 +0000

Men are convinced that women have it easy, but they haven’t convinced many women.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)
(Source)

Austen, Jane -- Emma, Vol. 1, ch. 8 [Emma] (1816)

Dave — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:31:53 +0000

It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. A man always imagines a woman to be ready for any body who asks her.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) English author
Emma, Vol. 1, ch. 8 [Emma] (1816)
(Source)

Holland, Barbara -- One’s Company: Reflections on Living Alone, ch. 1 (1992)

Dave — Mon, 09 May 2022 18:38:53 +0000

For ages past, women were defined only in relation to other people, and the definition lingers: a woman may be called a wife and mother for most of her life, while a man is called a husband and father only at his funeral.

Barbara Holland (1933-2010) American author
One’s Company: Reflections on Living Alone, ch. 1 (1992)
(Source)

Martial -- Epigrams [Epigrammata], Book 9, epigram 33 (9.33) (AD 94) [tr. Juster (2016)]

Dave — Fri, 15 Apr 2022 18:37:02 +0000

When the bathhouse breaks into loud applause,
you will know that well-hung Mario is the cause.

[Audieris in quo, Flacce, balneo plausum,
Maronis illic esse mentulam scito.]

Martial (AD c.39-c.103) Spanish Roman poet, satirist, epigrammatist [Marcus Valerius Martialis]
Epigrams [Epigrammata], Book 9, epigram 33 (9.33) (AD 94) [tr. Juster (2016)]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

In whatever bath, Flaccus, you hear sounds resembling applause, know that there Maron's yard is to be found.
[tr. Bohn's Classical (1897); in earlier editions, just the Latin and an Italian translation were given.]

In the baths what is now the most pleasing diversion
Is to go and see Maro displaying his person.
[tr. Pott & Wright (1921), "The Wonder"]

If you’re passing the baths and you hear,
From within, an uproarious cheer,
You may safely conclude
Maron’s there, in the nude,
With that tool which has nowhere a peer.
[tr. Humphries (1963)]

It's easy to tell
by the roar of applause
in which of the baths
Maron is bathing.
[tr. Goertz (1971)]

If from the baths you hear a round of applause,
Maron's giant prick is bound to be the cause.
[tr. Michie (1972)]

When you hear applause in a bath, Flaccus, you may be sure that Maro's cock is there.
[tr. Shackleton Bailey (1993)]

The bath house applauds, with widening eyes,
When Maron reveals his astonishing size.
[tr. Ericsson (1995)]

The critics in the Baths rain bravos thick
For Marcus' coup de théâtre, his dick.
[tr. Wills (2007)]

If from the baths you hear a round of applause,
The giant prick of Maron is surely the cause.
[tr. Cooper]

Friedan, Betty -- Interview by David Sheff, Playboy (Sep 1992)

Dave — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:16:45 +0000

FRIEDAN: There was a masculine mystique, too.

PLAYBOY: What was it?

FRIEDAN: Men had to be supermen: stoic, responsible meal tickets. Dominance is a burden. Most men who are honest will admit that.

Betty Friedan (1921-2006) American writer, feminist, activist
Interview by David Sheff, Playboy (Sep 1992)
(Source)

Reprinted in Janann Sherman, Interviews with Betty Friedan (2002).

Friedan, Betty -- The Feminine Mystique, Epilogue (1974 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 10 Mar 2022 20:56:10 +0000

Men weren’t really the enemy — they were fellow victims suffering from an outmoded masculine mystique that made them feel unnecessarily inadequate when there were no bears to kill.

Betty Friedan (1921-2006) American writer, feminist, activist
The Feminine Mystique, Epilogue (1974 ed.)
(Source)

Sometimes paraphrased: "Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim."

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:33:51 +0000

Women are good listeners, but it’s a waste of time telling your troubles to a man unless there is something specific you want him to do.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1963)
(Source)

Antrim, Minna -- Phases, Mazes, and Crazes of Love (1904)

Dave — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 19:10:30 +0000

At twenty, men love women; at forty, girls; at fifty, themselves.

Minna Antrim (1861-1950) American epigrammatist, writer
Phases, Mazes, and Crazes of Love (1904)
(Source)

Housman, Laurence -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 14:48:58 +0000

If Nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternately, there would never be more than three in a family.

Laurence Housman (1865-1959) English playwright, writer, illustrator
(Attributed)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)

Dave — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:33:14 +0000

Men who don’t like girls with brains don’t like girls.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 3 (1966)
(Source)

Originally published in McLaughlin's "The Neurotic's Notebook" column in The Atlantic, some time in 1965.

Pinker, Steven -- The Blank Slate, Part 5, ch. 18 (2002)

Dave — Wed, 30 Jun 2021 15:32:42 +0000

There is, in fact, no incompatibility between the principles of feminism and the possibility that men and women are not psychologically identical. To repeat: equality is not the empirical claim that all groups of humans are interchangeable; it is the moral principle that individuals should not be judged or constrained by the average properties of their group. In the case of gender, the barely defeated Equal Rights Amendment put it succinctly: “Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” If we recognize this principle, no one has to spin myths about the indistinguishability of the sexes to justify equality. Nor should anyone invoke sex differences to justify discriminatory policies or to hector women into doing what they don’t want to do.

Steven Pinker (b. 1954) Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, author
The Blank Slate, Part 5, ch. 18 (2002)
(Source)

Shear, Marie -- “Media Watch: Celebrating Women’s Words,” New Directions for Women (May/Jun 1986)

Dave — Thu, 07 May 2020 22:58:35 +0000

Male supremacy: Doctrine built upon three forms of superiority: the ability to grow a handlebar mustache, the ability to answer most of Nature’s calls efficiently, and the possession of pockets.

Marie Shear (1940-2017) American writer and feminist activist
“Media Watch: Celebrating Women’s Words,” New Directions for Women (May/Jun 1986)
(Source)

Mencken, H. L. -- “The Incomparable Buzz-Saw,” The Smart Set (May 1919)

Dave — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 22:45:39 +0000

The allurement that women hold out to men is precisely the allurement that Cape Hatteras holds out to sailors: they are enormously dangerous and hence enormously fascinating.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
“The Incomparable Buzz-Saw,” The Smart Set (May 1919)
(Source)

Wright, Fanny -- Views of Society and Manners in America, Letter 23, Mar. 1820 (1821)

Dave — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 00:57:54 +0000

Perhaps the condition of women affords, in all countries, the best criterion by which to judge the character of men.

Frances "Fanny" Wright (1795-1852) Scottish-American writer, lecturer, social reformer
Views of Society and Manners in America, Letter 23, Mar. 1820 (1821)
(Source)

Crabbe, George -- Tales of the Hall, “The Maid’s Story” (1819)

Dave — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 15:45:34 +0000

Secrets with girls, like loaded guns with boys,
Are never valued till they make a noise.

George Crabbe (1754-1832) English poet, writer, surgeon, clergyman
Tales of the Hall, “The Maid’s Story” (1819)
(Source)

Welles, Orson -- Interview with David Frost, David Frost Show (12 May 1970)

Dave — Tue, 20 Jun 2017 01:22:12 +0000

If there hadn’t been women we’d still be squatting in a cave eating raw meat, because we made civilization in order to impress our girlfriends.

Orson Welles (1915-1985) American writer, director, actor
Interview with David Frost, David Frost Show (12 May 1970)
(Source)

Bronte, Charlotte -- Jane Eyre, ch. 12 [Jane] (1847)

Dave — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 21:22:35 +0000

Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855) British novelist [pseud. Currer Bell]
Jane Eyre, ch. 12 [Jane] (1847)
(Source)

Ellis, Havelock -- The Task of Social Hygiene (1912)

Dave — Tue, 02 Aug 2016 02:09:10 +0000

“Charm” — which means the power to effect work without employing brute force — is indispensable to women. Charm is a woman’s strength just as strength is a man’s charm.

Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British sexologist, physician, social reformer [Henry Havelock Ellis]
The Task of Social Hygiene (1912)

Kasdan, Lawrence -- The Big Chill (1983) [written with Barbara Benedek]

Dave — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:28:24 +0000

MEG: They’re either married or gay. And if they’re not gay, they’ve just broken up with the most wonderful woman in the world, or they’ve just broken up with a bitch who looks exactly like me. They’re in transition from a monogamous relationship and they need more space. Or they’re tired of space, but they just can’t commit. Or they want to commit, but they’re afraid to get close. They want to get close, you don’t want to get near them.

Lawrence Kasdan (b. 1949) American screenwriter, director, producer
The Big Chill (1983) [written with Barbara Benedek]

Regarding men.

Lewis, Sinclair -- Babbitt, ch. 8 (1922)

Dave — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 13:56:14 +0000

The men leaned back on their heels, put their hands in their trouser-pockets, and proclaimed their views with the booming profundity of a prosperous male repeating a thoroughly hackneyed statement about a matter of which he knows nothing whatever.

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) American novelist, playwright
Babbitt, ch. 8 (1922)

Heinlein, Robert A. -- Friday [Friday Jones] (1982)

Dave — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 13:41:04 +0000

Unless you intend to kill him immediately thereafter, never kick a man in the balls. Not even symbolically. Or perhaps especially not symbolically.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) American writer
Friday [Friday Jones] (1982)

Kerr, Jean -- “The Ten Worst Things about a Man,” The Snake Has All the Lines (1960)

Dave — Mon, 07 Sep 2015 16:36:23 +0000

Marrying a man is like buying something you’ve been admiring for a long time in a shop window. You may love it when you get it home, but it doesn’t always go with everything else in the house.

Jean Kerr (1922-2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
“The Ten Worst Things about a Man,” The Snake Has All the Lines (1960)

Heinlein, Robert A. -- Friday [Friday Jones] (1982)

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:19:10 +0000

Properly regarded, male vanity is a virtue, not a vice. Treated correctly, it makes him enormously pleasanter to deal with.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) American writer
Friday [Friday Jones] (1982)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 37, Unseen Academicals (2009)

Dave — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:21:41 +0000

“The female mind is certainly a devious one, my lord.”
Vetinari looked at his secretary in surprise. “Well, of course it is. It has to deal with the male one.”

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 37, Unseen Academicals (2009)

Shaw, George Bernard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 20:03:00 +0000

Gentlemen: I shall never shave, for the same reason that I started a beard, and for the reason my father started his. I remember standing at his side, when I was five, while he was shaving for the last time. “Father,” I asked, “Why do you shave?” He stood there for a full minute and finally looked down at me. “Why the hell do I?” he said.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and critic
(Attributed)

Postcard response when invited by an electric razor company to shave off his beard with their product. Variant:

"I was about five at the time, and I was standing at my father's knee whilst he was shaving. I said to him, 'Daddy, why do you shave?' He looked at me in silence, for a full minute, before throwing the razor out of the window, saying, 'Why the hell do I?' He never did again."

Johnson, Samuel -- Comment

Dave — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 13:33:44 +0000

Men know that women are an over-match for them, and therefore they choose the weakest or most ignorant. If they did not think so, they never could be afraid of women knowing as much as themselves.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Comment

In James Boswell, Tour to the Hebrides (1785).

Atwood, Margaret -- “Writing the Male Character,” Hagey Lecture, U. of Waterloo (9 Feb 1982)

Dave — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:45:21 +0000

“Why do men feel threatened by women?” I asked a male friend of mine. (I love that wonderful rhetorical device, “a male friend of mine.” It’s often used by female journalists when they want to say something particularly bitchy but don’t want to be held responsible for it themselves. It also lets people know that you do have male friends, that you aren’t one of those fire-breathing mythical monsters, The Radical Feminists, who walk around with little pairs of scissors and kick men in the shins if they open doors for you. “A male friend of mine” also gives — let us admit it — a certain weight to the opinions expressed.) So this male friend of mine, who does by the way exist, conveniently entered into the following dialogue. “I mean,” I said, “men are bigger, most of the time, they can run faster, strangle better, and they have on the average a lot more money and power.” “They’re afraid women will laugh at them,” he said. “Undercut their world view.” Then I asked some women students in a quickie poetry seminar I was giving, “Why do women feel threatened by men?” “They’re afraid of being killed,” they said.

Margaret Atwood (b. 1939) Canadian writer, literary critic, environmental activist
“Writing the Male Character,” Hagey Lecture, U. of Waterloo (9 Feb 1982)
(Source)

Published in a revised version as "Writing the Male Character," Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, 1960-1982 (1983).

Usually paraphrased, "Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them."

Butcher, Jim -- Storm Front (2000)

Dave — Tue, 03 Jun 2014 14:38:07 +0000

Maybe my values are outdated, but I come from an old school of thought. I think that men ought to treat women like something other than just shorter, weaker men with breasts. Try and convict me if I’m a bad person for thinking so. I enjoy treating a woman like a lady, opening doors for her, paying for shared meals, giving flowers — all that sort of thing.

Jim Butcher (b. 1971) American author
Storm Front (2000)

Stout, Rex -- “Frame-Up for Murder,” ch. 1 [Archie] (1958)

Dave — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 12:17:47 +0000

I had first noticed her in the lobby of the Churchill, because she rated a glance as a matter of principle — the principle that a man owes it to his eyes to let them rest on attractive objects when there are any around.

Rex Stout (1886-1975) American writer
“Frame-Up for Murder,” ch. 1 [Archie] (1958)

Aristotle -- Politics [Πολιτικά], Book 1, ch. 5 / 1254b [tr. B. Jowett (1885)]

Dave — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 14:44:53 +0000

Again, the male is by nature superior, and the female inferior; and the one rules, and the other is ruled; this principle, of necessity, extends to all mankind.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
Politics [Πολιτικά], Book 1, ch. 5 / 1254b [tr. B. Jowett (1885)]
(Source)

Aristotle is arguing that there is a natural distinction between the rulers and ruled, starting first with animals, then with sex. Alternate translations:

"Again, the relation of male to female is naturally that of superior and inferior, ruling and ruled, and the same kind of relation must necessarily exist in the case of all men generally." [tr. Bolland (1877)]
"So is it naturally with the male and the female; the one is superior, the other inferior; the one governs, the other is governed; and the same rule must necessarily hold good with respect to all mankind." [tr. Ellis (1912)]
"Again, as between the sexes, the male is by nature superior and the female inferior, the male ruler and the female subject. And the same must also necessarily apply in the case of mankind as a whole." [tr. Rackham (1932)]
"Further, the relation of male to female is by nature a relation of superior to inferior and ruler to ruled. The same must of necessity hold in the case of human being generally." [tr. Lord (1984)]

Jerome, Jerome K. -- Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, “On Vanity and Vanities” (1886)

Dave — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:51:01 +0000

All is vanity and everybody’s vain. Women are terribly vain. So are men — more so, if possible.

Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) English writer, humorist [Jerome Klapka Jerome]
Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, “On Vanity and Vanities” (1886)
(Source)

Forbes, Malcolm -- The Sayings of Chairman Malcolm, “Simple Truths” (1978)

Dave — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:22:37 +0000

The difference between men and boys
Is the price of their toys.

Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) American billionaire
The Sayings of Chairman Malcolm, “Simple Truths” (1978)

Also attributed to Liberace, J. T. Russell, Joyce Brothers, Mark Twain, Doris Rowland, and Dorothy Parker. The phrase can be found in this form in Millard Dale Baughman, Educator's Handbook of Stories, Quotes and Humor (1963), and in 1964 Senate testimony.

For a likely predecessor, see Franklin.

Moffat, Steven -- Coupling, 01×04 “Inferno” (2000-06-02)

Dave — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:23:33 +0000

JILL: (about the porn film “Lesbian Spank Inferno”) How could you possibly enjoy a film like that?

STEVE: Oh, because it’s got naked women in it! Look, I like naked women! I’m a bloke! I’m supposed to like them! We’re born like that! We like naked women as soon as we’re pulled out of one. Halfway down the birth canal we’re already enjoying the view. Look, it is the four pillars of the male heterosexual psyche. We like: naked women, stockings, lesbians, and Sean Connery best as James Bond. Because that is what being a boy is. And if you don’t like it, darling, join a film collective. Look, I want to spend the rest of my life with the woman at the end of the table here. But that does not stop me wanting to see several thousand more naked bottoms before I die. Because that’s what being a bloke is. When Man invented fire, he didn’t say “Hey, let’s cook!” He said: “Great! Now we can see naked bottoms in the dark!” As soon as Caxton invented the printing press we were using it to make pictures of — hey! — naked bottoms. We’ve turned the Internet into an enormous international database of naked bottoms! So, you see, the story of male achievement through the ages, feeble though it may have been, has been the story of our struggle to get a better look at your bottoms. Frankly, girls, I’m not so sure how insulted you really ought to be.

Steven Moffat (b. 1961) Scottish television writer, producer
Coupling, 01×04 “Inferno” (2000-06-02)
(Source)

(Source (Video), 26:23; dialog validated)

Pratchett, Terry -- Good Omens, 3. “Wednesday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]

Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:52:28 +0000

Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft are written by men.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Good Omens, 3. “Wednesday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]
(Source)

West, Rebecca -- Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Prologue (1941)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The word “idiot” comes from a Greek root meaning private person. Idiocy is the female defect: intent on their private lives, women follow their fate through a darkness deep as that cast by malformed cells in the brain. It is no worse than the male defect, which is lunacy: men are so obsessed by public affairs that they see the world as by moonlight, which shows the outlines of every object but not the details indicative of their nature.

Rebecca West (1892-1983) British author, journalist, literary critic, travel writer [pseud. for Cicily Isabel Fairfield]
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon, Prologue (1941)
(Source)

Sometimes oddly paraphrased, "The main difference between men and women is that men are lunatics and women are idiots."