June 2

The purpose of man and woman is the same: to serve God. But the way in which each gender can serve is different and clearly defined. And that is why each gender must serve God in a way that is specific to it. A woman’s primary and exclusive task, which is offered only to her and which is necessary for the life and perfection of humankind, is childbearing and childrearing. And that is why all of a woman’s attention and energy should be direction towards this task and everything directly related to it. A woman can do all the things that a man does, but a man cannot do that which only a woman can do (childbearing and childrearing). And that is why a woman must apply all her energy on doing well the task that only she can do.

1

A woman, the mother of a family, who does not know how to be happy at home, will not be happy anywhere.

2

The service of humankind is divided into two parts: the first is the work of improving the welfare of the humankind that currently exists, the second is the continuation of humankind itself. The former is predominantly the calling of men; the latter is predominantly the calling of women.

3

Man and woman are two notes, without which the strings of the human soul cannot play a right and full chord.

— Giuseppe Mazzini

4

There exists a strange, deep-seated error that assumes that cooking, sewing, laundry and babysitting is work that is exclusive to women and that it would be even shameful for a man to do it. And meanwhile, what is shameful is the opposite: it is shameful for a man, who is often unoccupied, to spend time on trifles or doing nothing at all, while a pregnant woman who is tired and often weak has to force herself to cook, do laundry or care for a sick baby.

5

The whole world and everything in it is beautiful, but the most beautiful thing in the world is a virtuous woman.

— Muhammad

6

The virtues of woman and man are the same: temperance, honesty and goodness. But in a woman these same virtues acquire a special beauty.

7

For a woman, childbearing is a school of self-denial. Having cultivated the capacity for self-denial, a woman easily manifests it in other conditions of life.

8

A woman who tries to resemble a man is as unattractive as an effeminate man.

9

A true and lasting union of man and woman lies only in spiritual intercourse. Sexual intercourse without the spiritual is a source of suffering for both spouses.

10

Woman performs a great task, she gives birth to children, but she does not give birth to thoughts—that is the task of man. Woman always follows that which has been contributed by man and is already widespread, and spreads it further. Likewise, man only educates children but does not give birth to them.

Until you are married and from the time when you have been freed from childbearing, do everything that man does; but know that childbearing and childrearing is the one task where woman is irreplaceable.