নারীর ক্ষমতা সম্পর্কে মেরি শেলির মন্তব্য :

“আমি চাই, মেয়েরা পুরুষদের উপর নয়, নিজেদের ওপর ক্ষমতা প্রয়োগ করুক।”

— মেরি শেলি

উক্তিটি ইংরেজিতে পড়ুন

উক্তিটির উৎস ও প্রসঙ্গ জানুন :

Mary Shellye's comments about Women

Mary-Shellyes-comments-about-Women

“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”

—Mary Shelley

Mary Shellye's comments about Women

Mary-Shellyes-comments-about-Women

“I do not wish women to have power over men, but over themselves.”

—Mary Shelley

The exact quote “I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves.” is from Mary Wollstonecraft's ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ (1792).

Source Context :
This line appears in ‘Chapter 4 of ‘A Vindication’, where Wollstonecraft argues against the idea that women's education should focus on pleasing men or gaining control over them through manipulation. Instead, she insists that women should develop reason, independence, and self-mastery.

Full Passage (Modernized Language):
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men, but over themselves.”

Significance:
Wollstonecraft was responding to fears (common at the time) that educated women would ‘dominate’ men. She rejected this, advocating for equality rooted in self-governance rather than reversed oppression.

Would you like the exact page reference in a specific edition?

The exact quote, “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves” appears in Chapter 4 of ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ (1792). Below are specific editions with page numbers for your reference:

1. Oxford World's Classics Edition (2008, ed. Janet Todd)
Page 74 (Chapter 4)
Full sentence: “I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”

2. Norton Critical Edition (2009, ed. Deidre Lynch)
- Page 35 (Chapter 4)
- Same wording as above.

3. Original 1792 Text (Public Domain)
- Available in digitized versions (e.g., Project Gutenberg).
- The phrasing is identical, though spelling varies slightly in 18th-century prints (*"power over men; but over themselves"*).

Contextual Paragraph (Oxford Ed., p. 74):
“...I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves. In this respect the exclamations of men against female arrogance begin to strike me as ludicrous. ‘They are always representing them as tyrannizing,’ says a sensible author, ‘when in fact they are the slaves.’
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You can access Mary Wollstonecraft's ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’ for free in several formats:

1. Project Gutenberg (Free Online & eBook)**
- **Link:** [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420

(https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420)

- How to find the quote:
- Search (Ctrl+F) for ‘I do not wish them to have power over men’
- Appears in ‘Chapter IV’ (no page numbers, but easily searchable).

2. Internet Archive (Scanned Original & PDFs)’
- 1792 Original Edition: [https://archive.org/details/vindicationofrig00woll](https://archive.org/details/vindicationofrig00woll)
- Modern Editions (PDF/EPUB): [https://archive.org/search?query=Mary+Wollstonecraft+Vindication](https://archive.org/search?query=Mary+Wollstonecraft+Vindication)

3. Google Books (Preview & Key Editions)
- Oxford World's Classics: [Google Books Link](https://books.google.com/books?id=OwVHzgEACAAJ) (searchable snippet view).


4. LibriVox (Free Audiobook)
- Listen to Chapter 4: [https://librivox.org/a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-woman-by-mary-wollstonecraft/](https://librivox.org/a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-woman-by-mary-wollstonecraft/)

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