Quote by Elizabeth Cady Stanton: “Self‑development is a higher duty than self‑sacrifice.”

Stanton challenges traditional expectations for women, asserting that personal growth and individual fulfillment are more important than constantly sacrificing one's own needs for others. She advocates for women's autonomy and self-realization, prioritizing individual flourishing.

From her controversial work, *The Woman's Bible*, this quote directly confronted religious and societal doctrines that often demanded self-abnegation from women. It was a radical statement during a time when women's primary role was seen as selfless service to family and community.

American suffragist, social activist, and leading figure in the early women's rights movement who helped organize the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. Her 1892 speech The Solitude of Self is considered one of the finest arguments for women's autonomy in American history.