Daniel Defoe

Books by Daniel Defoe

The history of the great plague in London in the year 1665

containing observations and memorials of the most remarkable occurrences, both public and private, during that dreadful period
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Robinson Crusoe
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Moll Flanders
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Quotes by Daniel Defoe

I added, that whoever the woman was that had an estate, and would give it up to be the slave of a great man, that woman was a fool, and must be fit for nothing but a beggar; that it was my opinion a woman was as fit to govern and enjoy her own estate without a man as a man was without a woman; and that, if she had a mind to gratify herself as to sexes, she might entertain a man as a man does a mistress; that while she was thus single she was her own, and if she gave away that power she merited to be as miserable as it was possible that any creature could be.
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I told him I had, perhaps, different notions of matrimony from what the received custom had given us of it; that I thought a woman was a free agent as well as a man, and was born free, and, could she manage herself suitably, might enjoy that liberty to as much purpose as the men do; that the laws of matrimony were indeed otherwise, and mankind at this time acted quite upon other principles, and those such that a woman gave herself entirely away from herself, in marriage, and capitulated, only to be, at best, but an upper servant, and from the time she took the man she was no better or worse than the servant among the Israelites, who had his ears bored— that is, nailed to the door-post— who by that act gave himself up to be a servant during life; that the very nature of the marriage contract was, in short, nothing but giving up liberty, estate, authority, and everything to the man, and the woman was indeed a mere woman ever after— that is to say, a slave.
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The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.
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Thus the Government of our Virtue was broken and I exchang'd the Place of Friend for that unmusical harsh-sounding Title of Whore.
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I added, that whoever the woman was that had an estate, and would give it up to be the slave of a great man, that woman was a fool, and must be fit for nothing but a beggar; that it was my opinion a woman was as fit to govern and enjoy her own estate without a man as a man was without a woman; and that, if she had a mind to gratify herself as to sexes, she might entertain a man as a man does a mistress; that while she was thus single she was her own, and if she gave away that power she merited to be as miserable as it was possible that any creature could be.
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The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.
Read quote
Thus the Government of our Virtue was broken and I exchang'd the Place of Friend for that unmusical harsh-sounding Title of Whore.
Read quote
I told him I had, perhaps, different notions of matrimony from what the received custom had given us of it; that I thought a woman was a free agent as well as a man, and was born free, and, could she manage herself suitably, might enjoy that liberty to as much purpose as the men do; that the laws of matrimony were indeed otherwise, and mankind at this time acted quite upon other principles, and those such that a woman gave herself entirely away from herself, in marriage, and capitulated, only to be, at best, but an upper servant, and from the time she took the man she was no better or worse than the servant among the Israelites, who had his ears bored— that is, nailed to the door-post— who by that act gave himself up to be a servant during life; that the very nature of the marriage contract was, in short, nothing but giving up liberty, estate, authority, and everything to the man, and the woman was indeed a mere woman ever after— that is to say, a slave.
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As covetousness is the root of all evil, so poverty is the worst of all snares.
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All our discontents about what we want appeared to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.
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'Tis no sin to cheat the devil.
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In trouble to be troubled, Is to have your trouble doubled.
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All men would be tyrants if they could.
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I hear much of people's calling out to punish the guilty, but very few are concerned to clear the innocent.
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Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes.
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Necessity makes an honest man a knave.
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We loved the doctrine for the teacher's sake.
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Nature has left this tincture in the blood, That all men would be tyrants if they could.
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