"Alas, God, why did You not let me be born in the world as a man, so that all my inclinations would be to serve You better, and so that I would not stray in anything and would be as perfect as a man is said to be?"
At the beginning of the book, Christine is distraught to learn (from male authors) that women are evil and unworthy of God's grace. Here, Christine dramatizes the internalization of this misogynistic notion as she asks God why she could not have been born a man so that she could serve him better, as the male authors argue. Luckily, the three Ladies soon intervene and show Christine that she can serve God just as well (if not better) as a woman.
"...a city where no one will reside except all ladies of fame and women worthy of praise, for the walls of the city will be closed to those women who lack virtue."
The city that the Ladies want Christine to build is idyllic, but exclusive. First of all, the ladies of the city must be virtuous (which at the time denoted a lack of promiscuity). Second, the ladies have to be worthy of praise – that is, to have certain skills or achievements that made them famous and known among both women and men. This quotation reveals that the City of Ladies is not simply a city composed of all women, but a city composed of the very best of women.
"[No] connection in the world is as great or as strong as the great love which, through the will of God, Nature places between a man and a woman."
An idea highlighted in the text is that men's hatred of women is an affront not only to women, but also to God. Initially, God made women and men to love one another and marriage was supposed to be the institution where both men and women found happiness and security. Here, Christine reminds her audience that marriage is natural and beneficial to both parties, and that it is consecrated by God himself.
"[Synoppe] soundly revenged her mother by having all the inhabitants of the country where her mother was killed put to the sword, and she devastated the entire land, and along with this country, she conquered many others."
Christine and the three Ladies have a deep admiration for the Amazons and for their power. Despite the fact that the Amazons were fictional figures, Christine still looks up to them as models for her own society in the City of Ladies. Crucially, the Ladies are unbothered by the gruesome acts depicted here by the Amazonian Synoppe, instead celebrating her strength and loyalty to her mother above all else.
"My lady, I can truly and clearly see that God—may he be praised for it—has granted that the mind of an intelligent woman can conceive, know, and retain all perceptible things."
While she initially begins her book with doubts about women's character and intelligence (thanks to the books authored by male writers), Christine soon realizes that women are capable, not just of love and moral rectitude, but also of possessing great knowledge as well. Here, Christine begins to understand that women are just as intellectually capable as men, and this realization catalyzes her construction of the City of Ladies.
"How many good women there are who are so conscientious in caring for their husbands, healthy or sick, with a loyal love as though their husbands were gods!"
Christine de Pizan, while speaking with the three Ladies, comes to the realization that women are, put simply, wonderful. Here, she expresses her shock that any many would criticize an entire sex when there are numerous examples of women throughout history who have exhibited unparalleled dedication to their husbands and their God.
"[You] will never find such perversion in women as you encounter in a great number of men."
There are a number of times throughout the text where Christine becomes so frustrated with the accusations lodged against women that she openly criticizes men. These moments do not dominate the book, and de Pizan usually does not dwell on these criticisms long. However, this is one example of de Pizan acknowledging the double standard of how men and women should behave, as she notes that men are historically more drawn to promiscuity and "perversion" than women.
"Seeing her lover's spirit pass away, she mourned piteously and then killed herself with the same sword."
While recounting the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, Christine explains how Thisbe took her own life after realizing that Pyramus had died. Christine presents this sacrifice as the ultimate form of spousal loyalty, emphasizing how the critique that women are unfaithful is completely erroneous. Instead, Christine and the Ladies argue that women are more than capable of devotion, so much so that they are willing to die in the absence of those they love.
"I do not know what more I could tell you, Christine, my friend. I could tell of countless ladies of different social backgrounds, maidens, married women, and widows, in whom God manifested His virtues with amazing force and constancy."
Toward the end of the book, Lady Justice concludes the Ladies' conversations by essentially summarizing the text as a whole, which has been a long catalogue of all the women throughout history, literature, and mythology who have exhibited superb moral character. Here, Lady Justice assures Christine that these women – along with those who will be invited to the City of Ladies – were made wholly in God's own image.
"And you ladies who are married, do not scorn being subject to your husbands, for sometimes it is not the best thing for a creature to be independent."
This is one of the quotations from the book with which scholars frequently take issue, as Christine seems to argue the complete opposite of what she and the Ladies have advocated for throughout the text. Here, Christine encourages women to be happy "subjects" to their husbands rather than seek independence or autonomy. While this advice seems to contradict the history of admirable women that Christine has catalogued, it was likely a necessary dilution to her argument that would have prevented her from being criticized (or punished) for encouraging women's independence in what was still very much a patriarchal society.
