The happiness of man is: I will. The happiness of woman is: he wills. ‘Behold, just now the world became perfect! ’–thus thinks every woman when she obeys out of entire love. And women must obey and find a depth for her surface. Surface is the disposition of woman: a mobile, stormy film over shallow water. Man’s disposition, however, is deep; his river roars in subterranean caves: woman feels his strength but does not comprehend it. Friedrich Nietzsche
About This Quote

Lao Tzu is a Chinese philosopher whose work, the Tao Te Ching, is commonly recognized as one of the most influential books in history. In the book, Lao Tzu compares women to water. Water is beautiful and serene, but it can also be dangerous and unpredictable. In essence, water is very fragile and cannot provide the same security as a woman.

The idea of a woman's "shallow" nature can be seen as a negative aspect of this quote if you look at it from a modern mindset. However, in ancient China a woman was more than a wife or romantic partner. A woman was a provider and a nurturer for her family.

She took care of the children and was the main provider for the family's survival.

Source: Thus Spoke Zarathustra

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