If men knew all that women think, they would be twenty times more

Hear the words of Alphonse Karr, the French writer whose wit often struck deeper than the sword: “If men knew all that women think, they would be twenty times more audacious.” This utterance, though clothed in humor, conceals profound insight into the hidden realms of thought and the veils that divide one soul from another. For it speaks of the mystery of women’s thoughts, often unspoken, often misunderstood, and of the blindness of men, who imagine they know much, yet in truth know little. It is a reminder that the unseen world within the mind holds more power than the visible gestures without.

The origin of this saying rests in the salons and literary circles of 19th-century France, where Karr, satirist and observer of human folly, penned phrases that revealed the tensions of his age. Women, constrained by custom and by silence, often hid their true thoughts beneath masks of politeness and duty. Men, unaware of the vastness of these inner worlds, strutted with the confidence of conquerors. Karr’s jest pierces this illusion: if men glimpsed the depth, wit, desire, and judgment present in the minds of women, they would either tremble—or, as he says, become twenty times more audacious in daring to seek, to love, to woo, to live without fear of rejection.

For is it not so throughout history, that the thoughts of women have been underestimated? Recall the tale of Queen Elizabeth I, who, though many men thought her weak for refusing marriage, harbored strategies and convictions that outmatched her suitors. Her silence concealed calculations, her words concealed strength, and her very thoughts commanded an empire. Had her adversaries truly known what she thought, their boldness might have increased—but so too might their caution. Karr’s quote reminds us that what is hidden often holds more weight than what is revealed.

There is also an irony in his words. For what he calls audacity is born of knowledge, but also of presumption. If men understood that women think not only of love and charm, but also of ambition, justice, betrayal, loyalty, and revenge, would they act more boldly? Perhaps—but perhaps their audacity would meet its match. For to know that women think as deeply, as fiercely, as men themselves is to shatter the illusion of superiority. To be bold, then, is not merely to dare in ignorance, but to risk in full awareness of equality.

Consider, too, the tale of the French Revolution. When men filled the streets with audacious cries for liberty, it was women—like Olympe de Gouges—who thought of equality beyond the vision of their male counterparts. They demanded rights not only for men but for women, penning manifestos that declared, “Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights.” Yet these thoughts were dismissed, silenced, mocked. Imagine if men had truly heeded those thoughts—how much more audacious, how much swifter the progress of justice, might have been.

Thus the teaching of Karr’s saying is twofold. First, that much of human folly comes from ignorance of the hidden thoughts of others. Second, that strength and audacity are born not of underestimation, but of true understanding. Men who dismiss women’s thoughts rob themselves of wisdom. But men who seek to listen, to learn, to perceive—these men become bold not with arrogance, but with knowledge. The true audacity is not to presume, but to honor the unseen and respond with courage.

And so, let the practical path be this: if you are a man, do not assume the silence of a woman is emptiness; know that her thoughts are vast, and let your audacity be the boldness to listen, to respect, to treat her as an equal mind. If you are a woman, let no one convince you that your thoughts are small; though hidden, they are the fire that shapes destiny. And for all people: never underestimate the unspoken, for often it is the unseen that commands the world. Karr’s jest, then, becomes a timeless teaching: to know the depth of another’s thought is to live with courage, humility, and a truer audacity.