" I was just a little taken aback. That—that wasn’t the proposition I was expecting, is all. Excuse me. I fear I am become incurably low-minded.” “You can’t help that, I’m sure,” Ethan said tolerantly. “Being female, and all that.” She "

― Lois McMaster Bujold , Ethan of Athos (Vorkosigan Saga, #3)