Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a brilliant Mexican baroque poet, dramatist, polymath, and Hieronymite nun known as "The Tenth Muse," whose landmark 1691 letter Respuesta a Sor Filotea stands as the first published manifesto defending women's fundamental right to education.
Literature
Hieronymite Nun, Baroque Poet, Dramatist, Scholar & 'The Tenth Muse' of the Americas
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Honor the extraordinary legacy of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz on November 12 with these curated quotes, philosophical reflections, and heartfelt tributes celebrating their monumental impact on Hieronymite Nun, Baroque Poet, Dramatist, Scholar & 'The Tenth Muse' of the Americas.
“I do not study in order to write, nor far less in order to teach, but simply to see if by studying I might be less ignorant.”
“Who has forbidden women to engage in private and individual study? Have they not a rational soul as men do?”
“Misguided men, who will accuse a woman without reason, not seeing that you are the very cause of what you blame.”
“One can perfectly well philosophize while preparing dinner.”
“God gave us an intellect not so that we might bury it in the sand, but so that we might illuminate truth.”
“What purpose is served by possessing beauty if it cannot be accompanied by knowledge and virtue?”
“The mind is a free kingdom where no earthly tyrant or convent wall can extinguish the flame of thought.”
“I consider it better to put riches in my intellect than my intellect in riches.”
“If loving knowledge is a crime, then I confess to being the most guilty soul under heaven.”
“Truth is a light that burns steadily, regardless of the storms that rage outside.”
Hieronymite Nun, Baroque Poet, Dramatist, Scholar & 'The Tenth Muse' of the Americas
