July 21, 2026

Be A Unit First

Union is only possible to those who are units.

Margaret Fuller wrote this in 1845, arguing that women needed to become fully developed, self-possessed individuals before they could enter into true marriage or partnership with anyone. She was pushing back against a culture that expected women to dissolve their identities into their husbands, insisting instead that real intimacy required two whole people, not one complete person and one incomplete one. Fuller lived this conviction herself, building a career as a critic and journalist and refusing to marry until she found a partnership built on mutual respect rather than dependency. Her point still holds for any kind of belonging: a marriage, a friendship, a team all work better when each person arrives whole.