How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
It is acknowledged that they spend many of the first years of their lives in acquiring a smattering of accomplishments; meanwhile strength of body and mind are sacrificed to libertine notions of beauty, to the desire of establishing themselves—the only way women can rise in the world—by marriage. (I.12)
Society's big focus on marriage tends to make women into superficial beings. After all, what can you expect when their only way of getting ahead is to marry a rich guy? Spending all of your time focusing on appearances and trying to look pretty doesn't make for a well-rounded human with a wide variety of interests, guys.
Quote #2
Let me reason with the supporters of this opinion who have any knowledge of human nature, do they imagine that marriage can eradicate the habitude of life? (2.33)
Wollstonecraft rejects the idea that marriage can somehow smooth out the conflict that exists between men and women. In Wollstonecraft's world, men are considered to be like masters and women are considered to be like servants. You can't fix something like that by slapping the word "marriage" on it and calling it love.
Quote #3
I will go still further, and advance, without dreaming of a paradox, that an unhappy marriage is often very advantageous to a family, and that the neglected wife is, in general, the best mother. (2.47)
Wollstonecraft believes that men are such tyrants to their wives that unhappy marriages can actually be better for a family than a happy one. In an unhappy marriage, a woman doesn't spend all her time trying to please her husband. Instead, she's forced to think for herself and to rely on her own resources, which makes her a better mother.