“People didn't think that a woman could be the Secretary of State, when my name was out there...but then the Arab Ambassadors at the UN said 'We have no problem dealing with Ambassador Albright, and we would have no problem dealing with Secretary Albright.'” PeopleThinkingSaidStatesProblemNamesSecretaryNo ProblemAmbassadors Author:Madeleine Albright
“One of my trips was to meet with the Gulf Cooperation Council with all the Saudi foreign ministers, and when we started the meeting I said 'Perhaps you've noticed that I'm not dressed the same as my predecessors", but no-one had a problem and I was never treated with anything other than respect...So I did not have problems with that, interestingly enough.” SaidEnoughProblemMeetingsTreatedMinistersCooperationCouncilSaudisPredecessors Author:Madeleine Albright
“I got married three days after graduation, and the first thing I did what I was expected to do which was to work on a small newspaper. So we were in Chicago where my husband worked for the Chicago Sun-Times and we were having dinner with his editor and he said 'So what are you 'gonna do honey?' and I said 'I'm going to work on a newspaper', and he said 'I don't think so", because Newspaper Guild regulations said that I couldn't work on the same newspaper as my husband.” ThinkingFirstsSaidThreeSunHusbandMarriedDinnerExpectedNewspapersMy HusbandEditorsChicagoHoneyRegulationGoing To WorkGuilds Author:Madeleine Albright
“Even though there were three newspapers in Chicago at the time, he said 'you wouldn't want to compete with your husband," and so instead of doing what I might do now in that situation, I basically saluted and found other things to do.” WantSaidMightThreeFoundSituationHusbandNewspapersThings To DoChicagoYour Husband Author:Madeleine Albright
“Often if you don't speak up, whatever you thought was stupid to say some man would say and then everyone would say 'as he said'.” IfsMenSaidSpeakStupid Author:Madeleine Albright
“One of the things I write about a bit in my Madam Secretary memoir is on Rwanda, where I was an instructed ambassador at the U.N., and my instructions were to not vote for increased forces there, and I didn't like my instructions. So I got up and called Washington and said, "Change my instructions," and they didn't.” WritingSaidForceBitsVoteMemoirInstructionSecretaryAmbassadorsRwanda Author:Madeleine Albright
“[John Kerry] actually stole my line because when I became Secretary of State, I said, 'I hope my heels will fill Warren Christopher's shoes.' So he reversed that.” SaidStatesLinesShoesHeelsSecretaryJohn Kerry Author:Madeleine Albright
“I have to tell you, my seven-year-old granddaughter said to my daughter, her mother, 'So what's the big deal about Grandma Maddy having been Secretary of State? Only girls are Secretaries of State.' Most of her lifetime, it's true. But at the time it really was a big deal.” YearsSaidStatesBigsMotherGirlDealsDaughterLifetimeSevenMy DaughterSecretarySeven YearsBig DealGrandmaGranddaughterGrand Daughter Author:Madeleine Albright
“Nobody's ever said that pins are a tool of diplomacy.” SaidToolsDiplomacyPins Author:Madeleine Albright
“I am often asked if, when I was secretary, I had problems with foreign men. That is not who I had problems with, because I arrived in a very large plane that said United States of America. I had more problems with the men in our own government.” IfsMenSaidStatesProblemGovernmentAmericaUnitedUnited StatesPlanesSecretaryUnited States Of America Author:Madeleine Albright
“Though I am flattered that Governor Palin has chosen to cite me as a source of wisdom, what I said had nothing to do with politics. This is yet another example of McCain and Palin distorting the truth, and all the more reason to remember that this campaign is not about gender, it is about which candidate has an agenda that will improve the lives of all Americans, including women. The truth is, if you care about the status of women in our society and in our troubled economy, the best choice by far is Obama-Biden.” IfsSaidReasonCareRememberChoicesEconomyExampleSourceTruth IsIncludingGenderCampaignsChosenCandidatesOur SocietyAgendasGovernorsMccainPalinFlatteredBidenCitingIf You Care Author:Madeleine Albright
“I have said this many times, that there seems to be enough room in the world for mediocre men, but not for mediocre women, and we really have to work very, very hard.” MenWorldSaidHardEnoughSeemsRoomsMediocre Author:Madeleine Albright
