Quote by Olive Schreiner

Of all cursed places under the sun, where the hungriest soul can hardly pick up a few grains of knowledge, a girls boarding-school is the worst. They are called finishing schools, and the name tells accurately what they are. They finish everything but imbecility and weakness, and that they cultivate. They are nicely adapted machines for experimenting on the question, Into how little space a human being can be crushed? I have seen some souls so compressed that they would have fitted into a small thimble, and found room to move there -- wide room. A woman who has been for many years at one of those places carries the mark of the beast on her till she dies.

Of all cursed places under the sun, where the hungriest soul

Summary

This quote reflects the author's negative perspective on girls boarding-schools, particularly referred to as finishing schools. The explanation implies that these institutions do not prioritize intellectual growth and instead focus on extinguishing individuality, fostering incompetence, and cultivating weakness. They are seen as spaces where young women are pressured to conform and suppress their true selves. The quote vividly describes the suffocating and oppressive nature of such schools, emphasizing the lasting psychological impact they have on the individuals who attend them.

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By Olive Schreiner

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