The Stoics On Women
She will not be intimidated by anyone because he is of noble birth, or powerful, or wealthy.
P.S: Most people loved the entries on How to Deepen Your Friendships, Part I, Part II & Part III. Also check out the entries on How To Deal With Toxic People & How to Prevent and Overcome Burnout. Happy reading!
Stoicism, to many, seems like a manly pursuit. But as the Stoic, Musonius Rufus, said, women also have the capacity for Reason, they have an inclination toward the good we talk about when we speak of virtue - to see and appreciate it, receive it, and bestow it. Besides, who in their right mind wouldn’t desire to live a good life?
The following are fragments on how a good woman ought to be like if she’s to enjoy the art of living through the study and practice of philosophy.
“In the first place, a woman must be a good housekeeper; that is, a careful accountant of all that pertains to the welfare of her house and capable of directing the household attendants.”
“Above all a woman must be chaste and self-controlled; she must, I mean, be pure in respect of unlawful love, exercise restraint in other pleasures, not be a slave to desire, not be contentious, not lavish in expense, nor extravagant in dress. Such are the works of a virtuous woman, and to them I would add yet these: to control her temper, not to be overcome by grief, and to be superior to uncontrolled emotion of every kind. Now these are the things which the teachings of philosophy transmit, and the person who has learned them and practices them would seem to me to have become a well-ordered and seemly character, whether man or woman.”
“As for justice, would not the woman who studies philosophy be just, would she not be a blameless life partner, would she not be a sympathetic helpmate, would she not be an untiring defender of husband and children, and would she not be entirely free of greed and arrogance? And who better than the woman trained in philosophy.”
“Now as for courage, certainly it is to be expected that the educated woman will be more courageous than the uneducated, and one who has studied philosophy than one who has not; and she will not therefore submit to anything shameful because of fear of death or unwillingness to face hardship, and she will not be intimidated by anyone because he is of noble birth, or powerful, or wealthy, no, not even if he be the tyrant of her city. For in fact she has schooled herself to be high-minded and to think of death not as an evil and life not as a good, and likewise not to shun hardship and never for a moment to seek ease and indolence. So it is that such a woman is likely to be energetic, strong to endure pain, prepared to nourish her children at her own breast, and to serve her husband with her own hands, and willing to do things which some would consider no better than slaves’ work. Would not such a woman be a great help to the man who married her?”
“Finally, the teachings of philosophy exhort the woman to be content with her lot and to work with her own hands.”
Did you like this entry?
I always enjoy hearing from you, and for you to hear from each other.
Please leave a like (❤️), tell me what you think (💬) in the comment section and share this post with someone so that more people can discover and benefit from it.
Support The Stoic Manual and access 200+ premium in-depth essays: lessons & mini-courses in the art of living, consolations for difficult times, Relationship Mini-courses, The Wealth Playbook, Leadership Skills, Social Skills and Health Tools for a virile and distinguished life. Annual/Patron members get a free copy of my book, ‘THE TOOLS’ + over 40,000 words of bonus content and a free copy of ‘THE STOIC MANUAL VOL. 1’ dropping next year. And to celebrate our 3-year anniversary, Patron members get Lifetime Access to the publication and all future benefits at no extra cost.
Join 70,900 other readers,
Well to me, it shows these particular pieces demonstrate the true short comings of thought that some stoics had.
I am a woman. I am and have always been an adherent to stoicism. I've never once considered it a manly pursuit- that thought has never even crossed my mind and honestly reading that sentence here today perplexed me. Really? I am supposed to conclude that stoicism -- how to deal with reality- is just for men? How absurd.
I cannot remember a time when the lessons and wisdom of stoicism weren't apart of my life. I think I must've come to it through my Catholic school upbringing. So many things I have read as an adult on it came to me first through the lessons from the nuns, priests, and friars of my youth. Though I have left the dogma of Catholicism behind, I still practice stoicism.
Given the universal principles of stoicism, I consider it applicable to all. I suppose as a woman, so much has been written by men for men historically that I now view those texts as the universal "men" and don't consider that I am not meant to be the intended audience.
Yes, liked this and thank you.