Olympe de Gouges 1748 – 1793
Olympe de Gouges (1748 – 1793) was a French philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Enlightenment, Feminism, and Political Philosophy.
Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a French playwright and political philosopher of the Revolution, the author of the 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen. Modeled on the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man, her Declaration argued in seventeen articles that the same natural rights belong without distinction to women and that the law must therefore reach women too. Her opposition to the Jacobin Terror and her open denunciations of Robespierre led to her execution by guillotine in November 1793 at the age of forty-five.
Key facts
- Nationality
- French
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Enlightenment, Feminism, Political Philosophy
Selected quotes
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“Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights.”
Declaration of the Rights of Woman -
Attributed to Olympe de Gouges:
“If a woman has the right to mount the scaffold, she must equally have the right to mount the rostrum.”
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Attributed to Olympe de Gouges:
“The exercise of natural rights has no limits except those that the natural rights of others impose upon it.”
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Attributed to Olympe de Gouges:
“A constitution is the work of all hands, or it is the work of none.”
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Attributed to Olympe de Gouges:
“The forgetting of women's rights is the cause of public misfortune and of the corruption of governments.”
Frequently asked about Olympe de Gouges
- When did Olympe de Gouges live?
- Olympe de Gouges was born in 1748 and died in 1793.
- Where was Olympe de Gouges from?
- Olympe de Gouges was a French philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Olympe de Gouges associated with?
- Olympe de Gouges was associated with Enlightenment, Feminism, and Political Philosophy.
- What was Olympe de Gouges known for?
- Olympe de Gouges, born Marie Gouze, was a French playwright and political philosopher of the Revolution, the author of the 1791 Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen.
- How many quotes are attributed to Olympe de Gouges?
- There are 8 attributed quotations from Olympe de Gouges in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.