The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for

Hear, O children of the future, the resounding words of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who declared: “The strongest reason for giving woman all the opportunities for higher education, for the full development of her faculties, her forces of mind and body... is the solitude and personal responsibility of her own individual life.” In this utterance lies both fire and truth. For she spoke not of ornaments or luxuries, but of the essence of existence itself—that each soul, man or woman, must stand alone before destiny, bearing the weight of its own choices, guided by the light of knowledge.

The ancients knew that to live well, one must be trained in both strength and wisdom. Yet for countless generations, the daughters of humanity were denied this preparation. They were kept in ignorance, their faculties unused, their forces untended, as if their lives were but shadows of another’s will. But Stanton, a prophet of her age, rose to say: “No! Each woman has her own path, her own solitude, her own soul to answer for. How then can she bear this sacred responsibility without the gift of education?”

Consider the imagery of solitude. For though we walk among others, though we live in family, in society, in nation, there comes a time when each heart is alone. Alone to decide its course, alone to endure trial, alone to meet the final silence. In that hour, what companion is more faithful than the cultivated mind, what armor more steadfast than the disciplined spirit? This is why Stanton cries out for higher education—not merely for status or adornment, but as the very shield and sword with which each woman may guard her own life.

Think of the tale of Marie Curie, who lived after Stanton but embodied her vision. In an age when women were rarely welcomed in the laboratories of science, she persevered. With tireless study, she discovered the secrets of radium and polonium, winning two Nobel Prizes. Yet her triumph was not only for science, but for womanhood itself, proving that when given the chance to develop her faculties, the forces of mind and body, she could achieve greatness equal or greater than men. Alone in her study, alone in her experiments, she bore the solitude of discovery—and by her education, she prevailed.

But beware, O listener, for there are those who still say, “Why should women strive so high? Is not their place already given?” To them, Stanton’s words stand as thunder: the reason is not to serve another, not to decorate another, but because her individual life is her own. If she fails to learn, she suffers; if she is denied opportunity, her destiny is diminished. And to diminish one soul is to diminish the whole of humanity, for we are all bound together.

The lesson is thus clear: deny no person, man or woman, the chance for education, for it is the breath of their spirit and the strength of their destiny. Parents, let your daughters read as freely as your sons. Teachers, speak with equal seriousness to every mind entrusted to you. Leaders, shape laws that open doors, not close them. And you who are a woman, know that you owe it to yourself—not to husband, not to child, not to society—but to your own sacred soul, to seek learning and growth all your days.

Therefore, let Stanton’s words echo in our hearts. For the solitude of each life is real, the responsibility heavy, the journey unending. And only through higher education and the cultivation of faculties may each individual stand firm. Let no barrier remain, let no prejudice endure, for the world grows stronger as each woman rises in wisdom and power. And as she rises, so too does all humankind.

So remember: the call is not only for justice, but for survival, for dignity, for the eternal flame of selfhood. Take it to heart, and pass it on to your children’s children, that they may walk bravely into their own solitude, armed with knowledge, and fulfill the destiny of their individual life.