Laurel Thatcher Ulrich had never intended the sentence “Well-behaved women seldom make history” to make it onto mugs, magnets, bumper stickers or tote bags.

But her words, originally from a 1975 essay published in American Quarterly about Puritan women in funerals, have become more than a simple sentence.

Ulrich, an author and Harvard professor, spoke about her life last Friday in Nunemaker Hall. She won a Pulitzer Prize for her book, “A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based On Her Diary, 1785-1812.” Ulrich said that Ballard made history by writing the “humdrum” down.

The interest in her essay quotation didn’t start, however, until 1995, when California journalist Kay Mills found Urlich’s sentence and asked for permission to use it for her book, “From Pocahontas to Power Suits.”

Then a friend called Urlich from Oregon and asked if she could use the sentence on a T-shirt. Cosmo Girl magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, the Raging Grannies of Seattle and an undergraduate thesis eventually all picked up on it.

The quotation has taken on a life of its own, and Ulrich said her accidental fame is a result of its new perspective. She also attributed its appeal to its ambiguity.

When the sentence catches someone’s interest enough to ponder what the author meant, Ulrich turns the question around, asking what it means to him or her.

She quoted one woman who attended her lecture and interpreted the sentence to mean, “It is better to be obscene than not heard.”

Ulrich also shared Connie Schultz’s story with the audience. Schultz, a journalist, has the bumper sticker, “Well-behaved women rarely make history,” on her desk, which has received various reactions, including smiles and snickers.

The reaction that stuck most in Schultz’s mind was when one man stopped to read the bumper sticker. He paused and then looked at a picture by Schultz’s desk of her friend with a newborn baby in her arms.

Pointing to the picture, he said, “That’s how women make history.”

About 100 people, most female, attended the lecture. Ulrich said she was pleased of the turnout for a Friday night, and even more pleased that the event was scheduled so she could explore New Orleans for the first time over the weekend.

The lecture was part of the Biever Guest Lecture Series and was cosponsored by the Women’s Resource Center and the History Department.

Savannah Brehmer can be reached at [email protected].