Quotation
Last reviewed:
“Foolish men who accuse women without reason, not seeing that you are the cause of the very thing you blame.”
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz · Baroque scholasticism · Early modern · c. 1689
What does it mean?
It names a double standard: blaming people for what you push them into.
Did Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz really say this?
The library’s label is Paraphrase or translation. English of the opening redondilla: ‘Hombres necios que acusáis / a la mujer sin razón, / sin ver que sois la ocasión / de lo mismo que culpáis.’ First printed in Inundación castálida (1689). The English is a close rendering.
Where it comes from
Redondillas, ‘Hombres necios que acusáis’
Approximate date: c. 1689.
How to use it
When a rule punishes behaviour that the same people reward, call it out.
A mindset reading
Check whether your complaint is about a situation you helped create.
Understand the philosophy
The poem continues through the hypocrisy of men who court women and then condemn them.
- justice
- society
FAQ
What does it mean?
It names a double standard: blaming people for what you push them into.
Did Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz really say this?
Paraphrase or translation. English of the opening redondilla: ‘Hombres necios que acusáis / a la mujer sin razón, / sin ver que sois la ocasión / de lo mismo que culpáis.’ First printed in Inundación castálida (1689). The English is a close rendering.
Which work is it in?
Redondillas, ‘Hombres necios que acusáis’ Approximate date: c. 1689.