The so-called "weaker sex" is devoted to many poems and songs, novels and stories, and of course, aphorisms. Ascetic Indian yogis, oriental sages and medieval monks allowed themselves statements about a woman, she was admired by Provencal poets and titans of the Renaissance. She got "nuts" for windiness and love of jewelry, she was considered the inventor of evil, the temptress and the destroyer of the human race. But she - Eve, Pandora, a Woman with a capital letter, beloved and friend - was valued, respected, revered. The "second sex" was not only exploited and suppressed, but also considered better and more perfect than male. Consider the smartest sayings about women.
What was said about them in the Muslim East
It is generally accepted that Islam, Confucianism and Indian culture are contemptuous of the "weaker sex". Of course, there is a similar perception of women there,but wasn't European civilization misogynistic before feminism was born. Moreover, the most beautiful sayings about women belong to Eastern poets. The queen in a love chess game, the most perfect creation of the Lord, burning hearts with a raised eyebrow - this is how Omar Khayyam speaks of the desired temptress. He repeatedly repeated that there is as much wisdom in a woman as in a book, but in both cases, in order to understand what is written, you need to be literate. Bedouin Rudaki without a beloved in paradise wants to close his eyes so as not to see anything around. And the Afghan poet Jami did not even mind that the beauty called him an annoying dog, if only she would choose him among others who follow her.
Sayings about a woman in the ancient era
The ancient Greeks did not really appreciate their beautiful girlfriends. They kept them locked up in a special section of the house - a gynaecium, and joked that a woman is good only twice in her life - on the marriage bed and on the death bed. They were afraid of their loved ones. Even Socrates declared that the attraction to female beauty is like poison, but more dangerous. After all, this poison is pleasant. And the Athenian tragedian Euripides advised never to trust women. Even if they are telling the truth. Most of the ancient Greek sages considered women a misfortune, a trap for men. Therefore, in order to appreciate the mind and beauty of the "weaker sex" in the ancient world, you need to turn to its representatives themselves. Sappho, a poetess from Lesvos, managed to sing women in the most amazing expressions as an ideal of beauty, intelligence andfeelings. The cult of Aphrodite, which was professed in the circle of this amazing and wise Greek woman, gave rise to beautiful literary images of girls. Here is one of them, like a pink-fingered moon, which, when rising, outshines all the stars, shines among the others, making them invisible. Delicate legs, a swan neck, marvelous curls, a body like a golden flower - more beautiful words dedicated to the female sex are hard to find in Greek literature and philosophy.
The Art of Love and Troubadours
In the Middle Ages, for the first time in Europe, a woman became the real queen of poetry. The creators of all countries - troubadours, trouvers, minnesingers - vying with each other sang the unattainable Lady, whose whims they rushed to fulfill at the first request. They own amazing statements about a woman. Lady, beloved - this is the highest being, which represents the meaning of life for her courtly servant. The desire for it does not consist in possession, but in the improvement of the soul and ideal relationships. The lady needs to be served, and only she decides how close her lover can come to her, and whether he is worthy of her attention. She is a real mistress, she is wise and beautiful. Inaccessible light, "love from afar" - these are still the most common words that were dedicated to loved ones. Interestingly, the ideal for men of that time was a married lady, not a girl, because, according to poets, she stands at a higher intellectual and spiritual level of development.
What do philosophers say?
Wise sayings about a woman appeared not so long ago. Philosophers, as a rule, were also convinced that a representative of the “second sex” could be smart, but not brilliant, and that the worst offense for her was to call her ugly. Even such bright minds as Kant and Hegel thought so. But the closer to modernity, the more critical the approach to such an attitude towards the female gender became. Samuel Johnson noted that since it is mostly men who write about the beautiful half of humanity, they attribute to it both their own misfortunes and the sorrows of the whole world. Some philosophers even surpass poets in their words about women. So, Max Weber noticed that a man, of course, can be very eloquent. Even more than a woman. But he will never be able to say as much as her eyes say, and he will never achieve such diversity.
Poets and writers about women
Who wrote the best about them? Of course, writers and poets who skillfully use the word, who showed the world the most beautiful statements about a woman. "Their intuitiveness and ability to guess at lightning speed is much more accurate than the self-confidence of men," said Rudyard Kipling. And Balzac declared that a woman loves much better and more devotedly. She always hopes to the last, and in order to kill this faith, you need to stab more than once with a dagger. And even then, a woman will love to the last drop of blood. Even Nietzsche, who was both a poet and a philosopher, gave the fair sex a few good words. Even though he was a haterof the fair sex, nevertheless agreed that the loving heart of a woman is ready for any sacrifice, and everything else is of no value to him. And Leo Tolstoy reproaches men for demanding so many different virtues from their loved ones that they themselves do not possess and do not deserve.
What they say about themselves
The sayings of the greats about women cannot overshadow what they think about themselves. No wonder one of the famous people noted that not a single man is able to understand what the representative of the “weaker sex” is thinking about, and cannot appreciate her. To do this, you need to be her. The way it is. The writer Virginia Woolf rightly said that for a very long time, a woman was a mirror for a man. Only reflected it deceptively. The figure of a man in such a mirror seemed twice as large as he really is. And feminist Lisa Kremer pointed out that women make up the majority of people living on the globe. Only it exists, unfortunately, as a minority. Some famous ladies complain that the romance of troubadour poetry has disappeared in our world. After all, now is the time for managers. And a woman belongs to those creatures whose calling is to reign, and not to rule. At least that's what Delphine de Girardin thinks.
