Until Eve arrived, this was a man's world.

Hear now the witty yet profound words of Richard Armour: “Until Eve arrived, this was a man’s world.” Though uttered with humor, these words carry a resonance that reaches back to the dawn of time. For in the myth of origins, when Adam walked alone in the garden, creation was incomplete. It was only with the arrival of Eve, the first woman, that balance entered the world. Thus Armour reminds us, in jest and in truth, that life was never meant to be shaped by one half of humanity alone.

The origin of this saying lies in the biblical tale of Genesis, where Adam lived amidst beasts and beauty, yet found no true companion. When Eve was formed, fashioned not of the earth but of Adam’s very rib, she completed what was lacking. In Armour’s clever phrasing, he points to the idea that before Eve, the world was indeed “a man’s”—empty of complement, devoid of harmony. Her arrival shattered solitude, bringing companionship, complexity, and the beginning of human society as we know it.

History echoes this truth again and again. Consider the reign of Isabella of Castile, who with Ferdinand united Spain, set forth Columbus, and reshaped the course of the world. Without her vision, her courage, and her strength, Spain would have remained fractured, its destiny dimmed. So too with Eleanor of Aquitaine, who carried wisdom and power through two kingdoms, shaping generations of rulers. Their presence reveals that the world of men is never truly whole without the fire, the wisdom, and the balance of women.

The deeper meaning of Armour’s words is that woman’s arrival did not diminish man, but fulfilled him. Before Eve, Adam had dominion but no dialogue, power but no partnership. The man’s world was one of solitude, of authority without companionship. With Eve, creation discovered the mystery of love, the tension of difference, the joy of union. This is not a tale of rivalry, but of completion: a reminder that humanity is strongest when both halves walk together.

The lesson for us is profound. Societies that silence women, that deny them place or power, return to the loneliness of Adam before Eve. They remain incomplete, barren of balance. But where women are welcomed as equals, creation flourishes anew. Families find harmony, nations rise with justice, and cultures grow in wisdom. The man’s world becomes truly human only when woman’s voice is present.

To the youth, I say: honor the women in your lives, not as ornaments, but as partners in destiny. To the leaders, I say: do not build kingdoms of men alone, for such kingdoms will crumble. To the wise, I say: remember always that the strength of humanity lies in its duality—the sun and the moon, the sword and the song, Adam and Eve.

Practical action lies before us: uplift the voices of women in your homes, your schools, your councils. Share decision, share burden, share vision. Celebrate not only the power of men, but the wisdom of women. For by such balance, the world becomes not merely a man’s, nor a woman’s, but truly ours.

Thus, Armour’s playful line, spoken with humor, becomes a lantern of wisdom. “Until Eve arrived, this was a man’s world.” And so it was—but only half of one. Let us not return to that incompleteness, but walk forward together, men and women, in the fullness of creation, building a world where both halves of humanity shine with equal light.