Christine de Pizan Quotes
Christine de Pizan was a 14th and 15th-century Italian-French author and one of the earliest professional women writers in European history. Widowed in her mid-twenties, she supported herself, her three children, and her mother by writing prolifically across genres, producing over forty works in poetry, history, biography, and political philosophy. The quotes below are attributed to Christine de Pizan, organized by topic.
Browse Christine de Pizan by topic
Christine de Pizan on Happiness
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“For what would I be otherwise but sport, In love with one who does not care for me? I will hide pain in smiles, sooner than be The common talk. It is a bitter art To sing a happy song with a sad heart.”
Car en mon cuer porte couvertement Le dueil qui soit qui plus me puet desplaire, Et si me fault, pour les gens faire taire, Rire en plorant et très amerement De triste cuer chanter joyeusement.
Christine de Pizan on Justice
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“A heart hardened by hatred can hardly be the seat of justice.”
Christine de Pizan on Knowledge
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“Not all men, especially the wisest, share the opinion that it is bad for women to be educated.”
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“If it were customary to send little girls to school and to teach them the same subjects as are taught to boys, they would learn just as fully and would understand the subtleties of all arts and sciences.”
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“Car en mon cuer porte couvertement Le dueil qui soit qui plus me puet desplaire, Et si me fault, pour les gens faire taire, Rire en plorant et très amerement De triste cuer chanter joyeusement.”
For what would I be otherwise but sport, In love with one who does not care for me? I will hide pain in smiles, sooner than be The common talk. It is a bitter art To sing a happy song with a sad heart. | Rondeau "De triste cuer chanter joyeusement", line 8; Maurice Roy (ed.) Œuvres Poétiques de Christine de Pisan (1886) vol. 1, p. 154, as translated by by Sheenagh Pugh . -
“Seulete suy et seulete vueil estre, Seulete m'a mon doulz ami laissiée, Seulete suy, sanz compaignon ne maistre, Seulette suy, dolente et courrouciée.”
Alone am I, and alone I wish to be; Alone my sweet love has left me. Alone am I, without friend or mate, Alone am I, mournful and angry. | Cent Balades , no. 11, line 1; Maurice Roy (ed.) Œuvres Poétiques de Christine de Pisan (1886) vol. 1, p. 12. Translation from Aliki Barnstone & Willis Barnstone (eds.) A Book of Women Poets from Antiquity to Now (1980) p. 203. -
“Cellui ou celle en qui plus a vertus est le plus hault, ne la haulteur ou abbaisement des gens ne gist mie es corps selon le sexe mais en la perfeccion des meurs et des vertus.”
The man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the lowliness of a person lies in the body according to the sex, but in the perfection of conduct and virtues. | Part I, ch. 9, p. 24. -
“Part I, ch. 9, p. 24.”
Cellui ou celle en qui plus a vertus est le plus hault, ne la haulteur ou abbaisement des gens ne gist mie es corps selon le sexe mais en la perfeccion des meurs et des vertus. -
“Si la coustume estoit de mettre les petites filles a l'escole, et que communement on les fist apprendre les sciences comme on fait aux filz, qu'elles apprendroient aussi parfaitement et entenderoient les subtilités de toutes les arz et sciences comme ils font.”
If it were customary to send daughters to school like sons, and if they were then taught the natural sciences, they would learn as thoroughly and understand the subtleties of all the arts and sciences as well as sons. | Part I, ch. 27, p. 63.
Christine de Pizan on Love
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“Alone am I, and alone I wish to be; Alone my sweet love has left me. Alone am I, without friend or mate, Alone am I, mournful and angry.”
Seulete suy et seulete vueil estre, Seulete m'a mon doulz ami laissiée, Seulete suy, sanz compaignon ne maistre, Seulette suy, dolente et courrouciée.
Christine de Pizan on Time
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“What more can I say? Time will reveal the wisdom of women.”
Christine de Pizan on Truth
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“Just the sight of this book made me wonder how it happened that so many different men have been so inclined to express in their treatises so many wicked insults about women.”
Christine de Pizan on Virtue
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Attributed to Christine de Pizan:
“Here is the City of Ladies, founded and built for all virtuous and honourable ladies.”
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“The man or the woman in whom resides greater virtue is the higher; neither the loftiness nor the lowliness of a person lies in the body according to the sex, but in the perfection of conduct and virtues.”
Cellui ou celle en qui plus a vertus est le plus hault, ne la haulteur ou abbaisement des gens ne gist mie es corps selon le sexe mais en la perfeccion des meurs et des vertus.