Literary notes about HEADSTRONG (AI summary)
"Headstrong" is often used in literature to evoke a sense of unyielding determination and a defiant spirit. Writers use the term to depict characters whose will is marked by an impulsive, stubborn nature—whether in youthful rebellion or in the bold, assertive choices of a leader—as in [1] and [2]. It oscillates between a positive portrayal of resolute independence and a negative depiction of reckless obstinacy, as seen when the term suggests both a commendable will and a tendency to act without heed to counsel, illustrated in passages such as [3] and [4]. This layered connotation enables authors to succinctly convey the dynamic tension between admirable courage and imprudent defiance.
- I was a boy then, headstrong and violent; and it took a hard lesson to show me my mistake.
— from Little Women; Or, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Louisa May Alcott - Katherine, I charge thee, tell these headstrong women What duty they do owe their lords and husbands.
— from The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare - Conscious that he commanded the last army of the republic, his prudence would not expose it, in the open field, to the headstrong fury of the Germans.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - His prudent counsels were despised by the headstrong vanity of youth, and soon justified by the victories of the Ottomans.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
