43 Ellen Key Quotes for You to Enjoy

Ellen Key

Swedish Writer

Born: Dec 11, 1849

Died: Apr 25, 1926

Great Life Man War Woman Women

Related authors: Ayn Rand Dr. Seuss H. L. Mencken Napoleon Hill Niccolo Machiavelli Thomas Mann Thomas Paine Voltaire

When one paints an ideal, one does not need to limit one's imagination. Ellen Key

Imagination Ideal Limit Does Paints Need

Whereas nationalism still seeks power, honour, and glory through means that endanger other countries, patriotism knows that a country's strength and honour can only be permanently safeguarded through concourse with other countries. And whereas nationalism scoffs at the idea of international laws and regulations, patriotism seeks to create such. Ellen Key

Strength Patriotism Power Country Nationalism Other Other Countries Honour Seeks Laws Only Through Idea Countries Knows Glory Permanently Still Endanger Whereas Create Means Regulations International

Men have desired, and justly, that women should learn from their confessions in regard to the conflict between man and woman. But woman, because of the conventional conception of womanly purity, has been intimidated from conceding to men a deep insight into her erotic life experiences. Ellen Key

Life Man Woman Women Conflict Men Intimidated Has-Been Insight Life Experiences Purity Between Conception Learn Because Been Womanly Confessions Experiences Conventional Regard Justly Should Deep Her Desired

Children must be impressed with the fact that the greatest heroes are those who fight to help others, not those who fight for power or glory. They must be made to understand that victory does not prove that the thing fought for is right, nor that defeat proves that a cause is wrong. Ellen Key

Fight Cause Victory Heroes Made Power Help Others Defeat Others Those Must Fact Wrong Glory Understand Greatest Does Prove Proves Nor Impressed Children Help Who Fought Right Thing

When the sense of solidarity has been developed to such a point that each one feels the cause of all others as his own, we shall be drawing near to international and to social peace. Ellen Key

Peace Cause Own Sense Others Drawing Solidarity Has-Been Shall Point Developed Feels Been His Social International Each Each One Near

The simplest formula for the new conception of morality, which is beginning to be opposed to the moral dogma still esteemed by all society, but especially by the women, might be summed up in these words: Love is moral even without legal marriage, but marriage is immoral without love. Ellen Key

Love Legal Marriage Women Love Is Words Beginning Society Moral Immoral Morality Simplest New Conception Without Dogma Still Opposed Up Esteemed Which Formula Might Even

Love, as life, will fortunately remain an eternal mystery which no science will be able to penetrate and which reason cannot rule. Our only hope for the future is that man, endowed with a more delicate sense, will listen to the secrets of his own life. Ellen Key

Life Love Hope Future Man Science Will Own Sense Our Rule Secrets Penetrate Able More Only Delicate Remain Mystery His Listen Endowed Cannot Which Eternal Fortunately Reason

Certainly it may, under present imperfect conditions, often be a duty not to destroy the outward form of marriage for the sake of the children. But by no means can this duty be preached as universally binding. Ellen Key

Marriage Duty Destroy Imperfect Outward Sake Conditions Preached May Often Children Form Means Certainly Binding Present Universally

It is in the province of home and society that woman has fashioned the customs. Here, women's approval and disapproval, wishes and wants, have been quite as formative and reformative as the action of the sea on the mainland. Ellen Key

Home Woman Women Action Society Approval Disapproval Wishes Been Province Quite Wants Formative Customs Sea Here

Morality in its noblest forms remains inexplicable unless one takes into account that power of growth in the human soul which has led generation after generation from lower religious and ethical standards to higher ones which often clash with worldly advantages. Ellen Key

Soul Generation Power Worldly Unless Clash Religious Morality Remains Higher Takes Advantages Noblest Inexplicable Led Account Often Human After Which Forms Ethical Lower Standards Human Soul Growth

Countless are the women parasites who, to satisfy their craving for pleasure and luxury, impoverish father or husband. These lame limbs in the social organism, which themselves accomplish nothing, but for whom all other limbs work, are the most flagrant example of womanly immorality in the present. Ellen Key

Work Women Father Luxury Husband Example Nothing Other Pleasure Immorality Parasites Countless Most Limbs Accomplish Womanly Flagrant Which Craving Lame Social Themselves Organism Who Whom Satisfy Present

When, in any ethical department, unity is attained between outer demands and inner desires, between nature and conscience, between the needs of society and the individual, the moral formula is void because inner necessity then makes it psychically and physically impossible to break the outer law. Thus, true morality is attained. Ellen Key

Needs Nature Law Impossible Society Unity Moral Outer Morality Physically Void Individual Attained True Thus Between Demands Because Makes Department Any Break Formula Ethical Then Conscience Inner Necessity Desires

Ambition has developed into a passion which drives women, as well as men, to great works - and small deeds. Formerly competitors in the race for men, they are now competing in the race for social tasks and distinctions. Ellen Key

Great Women Passion Men Ambition Distinctions Small Drives Developed Well Tasks Which Race Social Deeds Works Now Competing Competitors

Corporal punishment is as humiliating for him who gives it as for him who receives it; it is ineffective besides. Neither shame nor physical pain have any other effect than a hardening one. Ellen Key

On the whole, the experience that the activity of the soul obeys the law of least resistance has been verified even in regard to women's social morals. As a rule, these have been focused on the family and on charity - among other reasons, because woman's sense of duty seldom finds means of expression in other directions. Ellen Key

Family Soul Woman Women Experience Charity Law Duty Sense Other Rule Focused Has-Been Finds Morals Directions Seldom Because Least Verified Been Regard Social Means Reasons Whole Even Expression Activity Among Resistance

When psychical phenomena have been as much investigated as physical, love will also receive its cumatology - that is, its science of waves. We shall follow the curves of the emotions through the ages, their movement of rise and fall, the oppositions and side-influences by which they have been determined. Ellen Key

The exact sciences, which would be considered a priori as little adapted to women, for example mathematics, astronomy and physics, are exactly those in which thus far they have most distinguished themselves. This contains a warning against too precipitate conclusions about the intellectual life of woman. Ellen Key

Life Mathematics Woman Women Physics Example Too Considered Those Distinguished Astronomy Would Would-Be Exact Exactly About Thus Contains For Example Most Sciences Conclusions Intellectual Intellectual Life Which Against Little Far Themselves Warning Adapted

Not observation of a duty but liberty itself is the pledge that assures fidelity. Ellen Key

Liberty Duty Pledge Observation Itself Fidelity

The current of emotion, which was formerly directed to gaining eternal bliss, is turned in socialism - in the same degree as the latter is permeated by evolutionism - towards the perfecting of earthly life. Ellen Key

Life Socialism Degree Earthly Latter Directed Emotion Perfecting Towards Bliss Same Current Which Gaining Eternal Turned

The havoc wrought by war, which one compares with the havoc wrought by nature, is not an unavoidable fate before which man stands helpless. The natural forces that are the cause of war are human passions, which it lies in our power to change. What are culture and civilization if not the taming of blind forces within us as well as in nature? Ellen Key

War Nature Man Change Culture Natural Fate Cause Power Before Our Lies Unavoidable Civilization Havoc Wrought Blind Well Forces Within Passions Human Which Us Stands Helpless Compares

The more horrifying this world becomes, the more art becomes abstract. Ellen Key

Art World Horrifying More Abstract Becomes

Art, that great undogmatized church. Ellen Key

Art Great Church

Lack of courage or means often deters the European woman from more independent business activity, and this in spite of increasing freedom to choose her occupation, in spite of brilliant examples of successful undertakings of women, in photography, hotel or boarding-house management, dress-making, etc. Ellen Key

Freedom Business Woman Photography Courage Women Management Brilliant Increasing Independent Examples More Spite Hotel Occupation Lack Often Etc Successful Means Choose European Activity Her

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