While the teachings of Fascinating Womanhood and All About Raising Children promote the ideal successful marriage, family, and life of womanhood as being best attained by being a woman who does not work outside of her home, the teachings have been since they began and continue to this day to be, very helpful to all women, whether they work outside of the home or not.  This is because Mrs. Helen Andelin’s teachings on womanhood are in many cases teachings on self-improvement – how to be a woman of outstanding character.  Regardless of a woman’s occupation or situation in life, whether she is: married, single, widowed, a mother, a grandmother, not a mother, a single mother, or anything else, character counts.

        Mrs. Andelin’s teachings also include teaching women how to be truly happy, to have peace and tranquility inside and how to share this with others, and the basics of homemaking and health – both personal health and family health.  All grown women can use such information.

        Mrs. Andelin also wrote a book for unmarried women titled The Fascinating Girl.  This book contains many of the teachings of Fascinating Womanhood, but also contains information found only in it, all geared towards helping single women find outstanding husbands and how to be outstanding women, themselves.

        The key to finding enjoyment and learning in Mrs. Andelin’s books and teachings is open-mindedness, and the key to open-mindedness is humility.  Here are some of Mrs. Andelin’s words regarding humility from pages 232 – 234 of the 2007 edition of Fascinating Womanhood, quoted at length with permission:

“Humility is freedom from pride or arrogance.  A humble person is aware of his virtues, talents, and advantages but realizes his weaknesses, mistakes, and limitations.  He is neither haughty nor self-effacing.  He has a correct opinion of himself. 

“When you are humble you don’t think of yourself as better, smarter, or more fortunate than another person.  You may be better in some ways, but not as good in other ways.  Although you may have abilities, talents, and accomplishments for which you can honestly be proud, you are not all you could or should be.  There is always room for improvement.

“Humility can be further understood by reviewing its opposite – arrogance, or pride.  Arrogance is an ungrounded feeling of superiority and an inability to see one’s own weaknesses or limitations…

“God has strongly condemned pride.  We read in Proverbs 6:16 – 19: “These six things doth the Lord hate; yea seven are an abomination to him; A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.”  It is significant that pride is described as an abomination to God along with lying, wicked imaginations, and even murder.

“Did you know that humility can cure criticism?  When you are humble, ever aware of your own human frailties and imperfections, you are less inclined to criticize another.  When you are tempted to criticize people, remind yourself that although some of their faults may be glaring ones, they may be superior to you in other ways.  We are more equal than we think. 

“True humility is one of the most essential elements of a worthy character.  All truly great people have been humble, regardless of their position or gifts.  They have seen themselves in a true light – have recognized their greatness, yet acknowledged their weakness and limitations.  No one is so great or good that he has no need of humility.”

        The realization that all of us can likely use improvement, learn new things, and that none of us knows everything will be very helpful in gleaning knowledge of how deeply fascinating womanhood truly is.  This holds true for any woman, regardless of where she is or what she is doing right now.  Womanhood belongs to us all, every woman in the world.