"I prefer liberty to chains of diamonds"

Mary Wortley Montagu was a prominent 18th-century British writer and feminist who had an eager sense of the worth of individual flexibility. In the quote "I choose liberty to chains of diamonds," Montagu reveals her choice for personal liberty over material wealth. She thought that no quantity of wealth or possessions might compare to the worth of specific flexibility. For Montagu, liberty was an important aspect of a fulfilling life, and no quantity of material gain deserved compromising that liberty. This quote likewise reflects Montagu's progressive mindset, which sought to challenge the traditional gender functions and societal expectations of her time.