The First Sex, ch. 1 - Woman and the Second Sex (1971).
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Proof that the penis is a much later development than the female vulva is found in the evidence that the male himself was a late mutation from an original female creature. For man is but an imperfect female. Geneticists and physiologists tell us that the Y chromosome that produces males is a deformed and broken X chromosome — the female chromosome. All women have two X chromosomes, while the male has one X derived from his mother and one Y from his father. It seems very logical that this small and twisted Y chromosome is a genetic error — an accident of nature, and that originally there was only one sex — the female.

— Elizabeth Gould Davis

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Proof that the penis is a much later development than the female vulva is found in the evidence that the male himself was a late mutation from an original female creature. For man is but an imperfect female. Geneticists and physiologists tell us that the Y chromosome that produces males is a deformed and broken X chromosome — the female chromosome. All women have two X chromosomes, while the male has one X derived from his mother and one Y from his father. It seems very logical that this small and twisted Y chromosome is a genetic error — an accident of nature, and that originally there was only one sex — the female." in the context of "The First Sex, ch. 1 - Woman and the Second Sex (1971)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Elizabeth Gould Davis" (Sourced) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Elizabeth Gould Davis

About Elizabeth Gould Davis

Elizabeth Gould Davis (June 23, 1910 – July 30, 1974) was an American librarian who wrote a feminist book, The First Sex. She committed suicide in 1974.