Who said “Instead of wishing to see more doctors made by women joining what there are, I wish to…”?

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Florence Nightingale. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceLetter to John Stuart Mill (12 September 1860), published in Florence Nightingale on Society and Politics, Philosophy, Science, Education (2003) edited by Lynn McDonald

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“Instead of wishing to see more doctors made by women joining what there are, I wish to see as few doctors, either male or female, as possible. For, mark you, the women have made no improvement -- they have only tried to be ''men'' and they have only succeeded in being third-rate men.”
VerifiedLetter to John Stuart Mill (12 September 1860), published in Florence Nightingale on Society and Politics, Philosophy, Science, Education (2003) edited by Lynn McDonald · evidenceDoctors
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Letter to John Stuart Mill (12 September 1860), published in Florence Nightingale on Society and Politics, Philosophy, Science, Education (2003) edited by Lynn McDonald.

APA

Nightingale, F. (n.d.). Instead of wishing to see more doctors made by women joining what there are, I wish to see as few doctors, either male or female, as possible. For, mark you, the women have made no improvement -- they have only tried to be ''men'' and they have only succeeded in being third-rate men. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13697-instead-of-wishing-to-see-more-doctors-made/

MLA

Nightingale, Florence. “Instead of wishing to see more doctors made by women joining what there are, I wish to see as few doctors, either male or female, as possible. For, mark you, the women have made no improvement -- they have only tried to be ''men'' and they have only succeeded in being third-rate men.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13697-instead-of-wishing-to-see-more-doctors-made/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Nightingale, Florence. “Instead of wishing to see more doctors made by women joining what there are, I wish to see as few doctors, either male or female, as possible. For, mark you, the women have made no improvement -- they have only tried to be ''men'' and they have only succeeded in being third-rate men.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/13697-instead-of-wishing-to-see-more-doctors-made/.