“The word “idiot” comes from a Greek root meaning private person.”

— Rebecca West, book Black Lamb and Grey Falcon

Black Lamb and Grey Falcon (1941)
Context: The word “idiot” comes from a Greek root meaning private person. Idiocy is the female defect: intent on their private lives, women follow their fate through a darkness deep as that cast by malformed cells in the brain. It is no worse than the male defect, which is lunacy: men are so obsessed by public affairs that they see the world as by moonlight, which shows the outlines of every object but not the details indicative of their nature.

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Rebecca West38

British feminist and author 1892–1983

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“The word “idiot” comes from a Greek root meaning private person.”

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Rebecca West38

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