Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them
Reported as Susan B. Anthony's reply in a speech by Frances Willard, who introduced it as “after this fashion.” The passage concerns children being assigned away from mothers through wills; it is not a verified verbatim Anthony manuscript.
“Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them” — Reported reply of Susan B. Anthony, recalled by Frances Willard “after this fashion”; verbatim wording unconfirmed.
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Evoking the world of Susan B. Anthony — Women's rights organizer. Theme: "Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.
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Provenance
The source
Reported speaker
Susan B. Anthony
Reported by
Frances Willard; speech dated October 4, 1888 in the source account
Limit
Recalled reply, after this fashion; original speech not independently inspected
“Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own” …
The source discussion ↗ identifies Willard's recollection and its careful introductory qualification.
The older summary ↗ gives a conflicting letter label; it is not used here to establish a primary source.
Harper's biography ↗ places Anthony and Willard in their wider reform setting, rather than verifying this exact recollection.
The exact documentary first publication was not independently established. Only a short identifying fragment is excerpted; no public-domain clearance is asserted.
Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.
Context
Why it mattered
The phrase willed away refers to the power of a father's will over children and their mother's rights. The source discussion ↗ also preserves Willard's after-this-fashion qualification, making this a remembered reply rather than a surviving Anthony letter or a secure verbatim record.
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Susan B. Anthony organized for the abolition of slavery and for women's voting rights. Her partnership with Elizabeth Cady Stanton joined public speaking, lobbying and publishing in a long campaign for equality.
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Cite this
The primary source (Chicago)
Anthony, Susan B. Reply recalled by Frances Willard in a speech dated October 4, 1888, as described in the source discussion of the Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute. Primary speech and verbatim wording not independently established.
This verification page
Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘Sweeter even than to have had the joy of caring for children of my own has it been to me to help bring about a better state of things for mothers generally, so that their unborn little ones could not be willed away from them’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/sweeter-even-than-to-have-had-the-joy-of-caring-for/