If a man has not a profession to exempt him from such demands, still, if he has a pursuit, he offends nobody by devoting his time to it
 John Stuart Mill, The Subjection of Women (1869). copy citation

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Author John Stuart Mill
Source The Subjection of Women
Topic time profession
Date 1869
Language English
Reference
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Weblink http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27083/27083-h/27083-h.htm

Context

“should leave them either much leisure, or much energy and freedom of mind, to be devoted to art or speculation, they must have a much greater original supply of active faculty than the vast majority of men. But this is not all. Independently of the regular offices of life which devolve upon a woman, she is expected to have her time and faculties always at the disposal of everybody. If a man has not a profession to exempt him from such demands, still, if he has a pursuit, he offends nobody by devoting his time to it; occupation is [Pg 139] received as a valid excuse for his not answering to every casual demand which may be made on him. Are a woman's occupations, especially her chosen and voluntary ones, ever regarded as excusing her from any of what are termed the calls of society?” source