Quotes: Womanhood
3 quotes on this theme, each with its source and insight
The quotes
“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.”
Source: The Second Sex (1949) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence is securely attributed to Simone de Beauvoir and appears in The Second Sex (1949).
Beauvoir’s line asserts that ‘woman’ is shaped by history and society: bodies are lived within rules and expectations that create identity. It comes from The Second Sex (1949) and captures her critique of treating women’s roles as natural facts.
“The flavour of life is love. The salt of life is also love.”
Source: So Long a Letter, p. 64 (English edition) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The wording appears in the English translation of Mariama Bâ’s novel So Long a Letter, within Ramatoulaye’s letter about Daouda Dieng’s return.
- What remains uncertain
- The evidence verifies the line in the English translation; exact phrasing in the French original and translator details require further consultation.
In So Long a Letter Mariama Bâ uses food metaphors to say love both flavors and seasons life: it creates richness and, like salt, makes the ordinary matter. The line comes from Ramatoulaye’s intimate letter, where love is weighed against betrayal, duty and dignity.
“A woman could be totally powerless, and still give meaning to her life by dreaming about flight.”
Source: Dreams of Trespass: Tales of a Harem Girlhood, p. 154 (1994) · Check the source
Verified attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- The sentence appears in Fatema Mernissi's Dreams of Trespass (1994), linked to the character Aunt Habiba; the attribution to Mernissi is verified.
- What remains uncertain
- The book blends autobiography and fiction; wording, punctuation and page numbers vary by edition, and the line functions within a larger narrative, not as a standalone doctrine.
Mernissi's line shows how inner life becomes a form of sovereignty: when movement is barred, imagination can create meaning and sustain resistance. It comes from Dreams of Trespass and describes Aunt Habiba's inner flights amid domestic confinement.