Before Dr. Ruth and Carrie Bradshaw, there was another pioneer in the progressive field of talking to women frankly about sex: Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown. Brown, who passed away today at age 90, wrote a series that might have given birth to a certain Candace Bushnell title called Sex And The Single Girl, alongside editing the classic Hearst publication.
In the wake of her death, and her richly lived life, we would like to reflect on some of her more spirited quotes. From the everyone's-thinking-it-nobody's-saying-it variety to one-liners that could have come from no one else, these gems are all so poignantly representative of a woman who paved the way for many a sassypants broad after her. HGB, you will not be forgotten, and we'll be heeding your funny-but-true advice for years to come.
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On Democratizing Pillow Talk: "Never fail to know that if you are doing all the talking, you are boring somebody."
Schlepping Your Way To Success: "Nearly every glamorous, wealthy, successful career woman you might envy now started out as some kind of schlepp."
How To Travel Like A Lady: "Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere."
Pointers On Socially Acceptable Vocab: "I address everybody as 'pussycat,' but nobody minds, and it's a nice term of endearment."
Stating The Obvious: “One of the paramount reasons for staying attractive is so you can have somebody to go to bed with.”
Here's To A Glass Half Full: "Money, if it does not bring you happiness, will at least help you be miserable in comfort."