Kate Chopin Quotes

A collection of quotes by Kate Chopin.

Kate Chopin (1850-1904) was an American author who achieved recognition as a pioneering feminist writer of the late 19th century. She was born Katherine O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri, to an Irish father and a French-Creole mother. Despite the tragic loss of her father in a train accident when she was only five years old, Chopin grew up in a wealthy and influential family.

At the age of 20, she married Oscar Chopin, a business man from Louisiana, and soon moved into a prominent social circle of the region. After her husband's death in 1882, the responsibility of raising their six children fell upon Kate's shoulders. Faced with financial difficulties, she turned to writing as a means of support.

Chopin's works often explored the complexities of women's lives and their struggles for personal and emotional freedom. Her most famous novel, "The Awakening" (1899), stirred controversy due to its frank depiction of female sexuality and desire for autonomy. The novel, inspired by her time spent in Louisiana, shocked many readers with its themes of marital dissatisfaction and female infidelity.

Unfortunately, Chopin's literary career was short-lived; her work received mixed reviews, and she faced criticism from conservative readers and critics. As a result, she ceased writing novels and focused on short stories instead. Despite her struggles, Chopin left a lasting impact on American literature, challenging societal norms and paving the way for future generations of women writers.

there would be no powerful will binding hers in that blind p

there would be no powerful will binding hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creatureAnd yet she had loved him- sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being.

Kate Chopin

Freedom Love Monotonous

The years that are gone seem like dreams -if one might go on

The years that are gone seem like dreams -if one might go on sleeping and dreaming- but to wake up and find -oh! well! perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all ones life.

Kate Chopin

Life Dreams

She felt like a chess player who, by the clever handling of

She felt like a chess player who, by the clever handling of his pieces, sees the game taking the course intended. Her eyes were bright and tender with a smile as they glanced up into his and her lips looked hungry for the kiss which they invited.

Kate Chopin

Smile

I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to s

I trust it will not be giving away professional secrets to say that many readers would be surprised, perhaps shocked, at the questions which some newspaper editors will put to a defenseless woman under the guise of flattery.

Kate Chopin

Authors & Writing