Quote by Olympe de Gouges: “Marriage is the tomb of trust and love between women and men.”

De Gouges expresses a critical view of marriage as it existed in her time, seeing it as an institution that stifled genuine affection and trust. She argues it often trapped women in unequal, loveless arrangements.

In her writings, Olympe de Gouges not only advocated for political rights but also for social reforms, including a more equitable view of marriage. She saw the traditional institution as restrictive, particularly for women, and proposed a civil contract instead.

French political activist and playwright who wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen in 1791, directly challenging the exclusion of women from the rights proclaimed by the French Revolution. She was guillotined in 1793 for her political writings.