Margaret Fell 1614 – 1702
Margaret Fell (1614 – 1702) was an English philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Early Modern Philosophy, Feminism, and Christian Philosophy.
Margaret Fell was an English philosopher, religious organizer, and the principal early architect of the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, alongside her second husband George Fox. Her Womens Speaking Justified, Proved and Allowed of by the Scriptures of 1666 mounted one of the most sustained early-modern Christian arguments for the right and duty of women to preach, on the basis of a close philosophical and exegetical reading of the Old and New Testaments. Her home at Swarthmoor Hall in Lancashire became the organizational and intellectual heart of early Quakerism, and she is sometimes called the mother of Quakerism.
Key facts
- Nationality
- English
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Early Modern Philosophy, Feminism, Christian Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Margaret Fell:
“It is not the custom of men but the Spirit of God that authorizes who may speak.”
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Attributed to Margaret Fell:
“Women's speaking is justified, proved, and allowed of by the Scriptures.”
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Attributed to Margaret Fell:
“The Light of Christ is in every man and every woman, and waits for the speech of either.”
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Attributed to Margaret Fell:
“Outward forms of worship are the husks; the kernel is the inward listening.”
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Attributed to Margaret Fell:
“What is written by the Spirit, the Spirit also enables to speak.”
Frequently asked about Margaret Fell
- When did Margaret Fell live?
- Margaret Fell was born in 1614 and died in 1702.
- Where was Margaret Fell from?
- Margaret Fell was an English philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Margaret Fell associated with?
- Margaret Fell was associated with Early Modern Philosophy, Feminism, and Christian Philosophy.
- What was Margaret Fell known for?
- Margaret Fell was an English philosopher, religious organizer, and the principal early architect of the Religious Society of Friends, the Quakers, alongside her second husband George Fox.
- How many quotes are attributed to Margaret Fell?
- There are 15 attributed quotations from Margaret Fell in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.
Quotes that are not actually from Margaret Fell
These lines are widely circulated as Margaret Fell, but they do not appear in Margaret Fell's works. Each entry below identifies the actual source.
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“Be what you would seem to be.”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: English proverb, used by many authors, including some prior to Margaret Fuller's time; Thomas Fuller expresses related thoughts in his "Panegyric" on Charles II, Section 21" in The History of the Worthies of England (1662):
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“When your dreams tire, they go underground and out of kindness that's where they stay.”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: Libby Houston, in the poem "Gold" in Necessity (1988).
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“When people keep telling you that you can't do a thing, you kind of like to try it.”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: Margaret Chase Smith , quoted in More Than Petticoats : Remarkable Maine Women (2005) by Kate Kennedy