Nature makes woman to be won and men to win.

The words of George William Curtis, “Nature makes woman to be won and men to win,” echo with the voice of an older age, when human roles were imagined as fixed by the design of the cosmos itself. In them we hear the ancient belief that courtship and union are not accidents, but part of a great drama written by Nature—with men cast as seekers and strivers, and women as the prize, radiant and waiting to be claimed. Whether one agrees or not with this division, it speaks of the deep yearning within humanity to find meaning and order in the dance between the sexes.

The origin of this thought lies in traditions both mythic and cultural. From the tales of the Greeks, where heroes braved trials to win queens and goddesses, to medieval Europe, where knights rode forth in perilous quests to win the favor of a lady, the pattern has been repeated: men to win, women to be won. It reflects not only romance, but the way societies once understood power, inheritance, and desire—assigning the role of pursuit to men and the role of choice to women, who bestowed their favor like a crown.

Consider the story of Penelope and Odysseus. Though Odysseus journeyed for twenty years, battling gods and monsters to return home, Penelope remained steadfast, surrounded by suitors who sought to win her hand. Yet in her quiet strength, she too was not passive, weaving and unweaving her loom to resist them until her true husband’s return. Here we see that though Curtis spoke of women being “won,” history reveals that women often hold hidden power in the drama, shaping the outcome as much as the man who seeks.

Yet there is also a deeper wisdom hidden in this old saying. To win does not mean to conquer by force, but to strive, to prove oneself worthy, to labor for honor and devotion. To be won does not mean to submit, but to be cherished as a treasure of surpassing worth. In this way, the quote may be understood not as subjugation, but as recognition of the mutual roles in love’s eternal struggle: one gives pursuit, the other bestows acceptance, and in their union both are exalted.

Still, the words remind us of how societies once bound gender in rigid roles. Today, the dance of love is no longer so fixed: women also strive and achieve, and men also wait, hoping to be chosen. The balance shifts with time, yet the yearning remains the same—the desire to be valued, to seek and to be sought, to love and to be loved.

Let the generations remember: behind Curtis’s saying lies not merely the power of men or the patience of women, but the eternal truth that love is a struggle, a pursuit, a prize, and a gift. And though the roles may change, the great story of seeking and being sought continues, as old as Nature itself.