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Empowerment Quotes

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Empowerment Quotes

“Now, it is frequently asserted that, with women, the job does not come first. What (people cry) are women doing with this liberty of theirs? What woman really prefers a job to a home and family? Very few, I admit. It is unfortunate that they should so often have to make the choice. A man does not, as a rule, have to choose. He gets both. Nevertheless, there have been women ... who had the choice, and chose the job and made a success of it. And there have been and are many men who have sacrificed their careers for women ... When it comes to a choice, then every man or woman has to choose as an individual human being, and, like a human being, take the consequences.”

WomenFreedomFeminismEmpowermentGenderInequalityChoiceSelf DeterminationMisogynyCareerStereotypesDouble StandardsClichés
Book:Are Women Human? Penetrating, Sensible and Witty Essays on the Role of Women in Society
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“My Lady, you certainly tell me about wonderful constancy, strength and virtue and firmness of women, so can one say the same thing about men? (...) Response [by Lady Rectitude]: "Fair sweet friend, have you not yet heard the saying that the fool sees well enough a small cut in the face of his neighbour, but he disregards the great gaping one above his own eye? I will show you the great contradiction in what the men say about the changeability and inconstancy of women. It is true that they all generally insist that women are very frail [= fickle] by nature. And since they accuse women of frailty, one would suppose that they themselves take care to maintain a reputation for constancy, or at the very least, that the women are indeed less so than they are themselves. And yet, it is obvious that they demand of women greater constancy than they themselves have, for they who claim to be of this strong and noble condition cannot refrain from a whole number of very great defects and sins, and not out of ignorance, either, but out of pure malice, knowing well how badly they are misbehaving. But all this they excuse in themselves and say that it is in the nature of man to sin, yet if it so happens that any women stray into any misdeed (of which they themselves are the cause by their great power and longhandedness), then it's suddenly all frailty and inconstancy, they claim. But it seems to me that since they do call women frail, they should not support that frailty, and not ascribe to them as a great crime what in themselves they merely consider a little defect.”

MenWomenSinVirtueFeminismMoralityEmpowermentPrejudiceGenderInequalityHypocrisyMisogynySlanderStereotypesStrength Of CharacterFrailtyConstancySocial NormsPreconceptionsFirmnessDouble StandardsViceClichés
Book:The Book of the City of Ladies
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“[J]ust the sight of this book, even though it was of no authority, made me wonder how it happened that so many different men – and learned men among them – have been and are so inclined to express both in speaking and in their treatises and writings so many wicked insults about women and their behaviour. Not only one or two ... but, more generally, from the treatises of all philosophers and poets and from all the orators – it would take too long to mention their names – it seems that they all speak from one and the same mouth. Thinking deeply about these matters, I began to examine my character and conduct as a natural woman and, similarly, I considered other women whose company I frequently kept, princesses, great ladies, women of the middle and lower classes, who had graciously told me of their most private and intimate thoughts, hoping that I could judge impartially and in good conscience whether the testimony of so many notable men could be true. To the best of my knowledge, no matter how long I confronted or dissected the problem, I could not see or realise how their claims could be true when compared to the natural behaviour and character of women.”

MenCharacterWomenFeminismBooksMoralityExpectationsEmpowermentPrejudiceGenderInequalityHypocrisyBehaviourMisogynySlanderStereotypesSocial NormsReality CheckPreconceptionsDouble StandardsInsultsConductImpartialityClichés
Book:The Book of the City of Ladies
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“Breaking our silence is powerful. Whether it comes as a whisper or a squeak at first, allow that sense of spaciousness, of opening, allow yourself to trust the bottomlessness, and lean into the dark roar which will light up every cell. Though it may start softly, we build in confidence and skills, we realise we do not need to wait for permission before we open our mouths. We do not need to wait for others to make space for us, we can take it. We do not need to read from others’ scripts or style ourselves in weak comparison. We do not need to look to another’s authority because we have our own. Down in our cores. We have waited so long for permission to know that it was our time, our turn on stage. That time is now. Our voices are being heard into being. They are needed.”

SilenceFeminismEmpowermentFeministPermissionVoicesSpeaking UpFeminine PowerBurning WomanWomens VoicesBreaking The Silence
Book:Burning Woman
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“When you hear men talking," said Cornelia, "all they ever do is speak ill of women. ... And I don't quite know how they managed to make this law in their favour, or who exactly it was who gave them a greater license to sin than is allowed to us; and if the fault is common to both sexes (as they can hardly deny), why should the blame not be as well? What makes them think they can boast of the same thing that in women brings only shame?”

SinFeminismMoralityMen And WomenEmpowermentGenderInequalityHypocrisyMisogynyStereotypesSocial NormsPreconceptionsDouble StandardsViceSelf PerceptionClichés
Book:The Worth of Women: Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their Nobility and Their Superiority to Men
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“I told you in the course of this paper that Shakespeare had a sister; but do not look for her in Sir Sidney Lee's life of the poet. She died young--alas, she never wrote a word. She lies buried where the omnibuses now stop, opposite the Elephant and Castle. Now my belief is that this poet who never wrote a word and was buried at the crossroads still lives. She lives in you and in me, and in many other women who are not here tonight, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed. But she lives; for great poets do not die; they are continuing presences; they need only the opportunity to walk among us in the flesh.”

PoetryWomenFictionDreamsFeminismEmpowermentDignityEqualityGenderOpportunitiesSelf DeterminationAspirationsSocial NormsWomen Writers
Book:A Room of One’s Own
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“Parents always have the best of intentions when they wish not to impose too much on their children, but in the absence of a normative standard, something else always fills the vacuum. Today, for instance, we flatter ourselves that we are morally neutral, that we can’t comment on a girl’s behavior for fear of crushing her “sexuality,” and yet we are constantly negatively judging a girl’s body rather than praising her internal qualities. The reality is that we haven’t moved away from judgment at all; it’s just that we judge girls now for their superficial “deficiencies.” Think of the alarming increase in the number of parents who buy their thirteen-to-eighteen-year-old daughters breast implants despite the high risk of surgical complications, or consider eleven-year-old Lilly Grasso, an athletic girl of normal weight who came home from school toting a so-called “fat letter” warning her mother that her BMI put her at risk. (Twenty-one out of fifty states now mandate BMI testing in schools, with dubious results.) Then there is the large number of boys who report that they are “revolted” by girls whose privates do not resemble those of the porn stars they view online, and in 2013, a student body president at the University of Texas–Austin even felt free to share his views about how to judge a woman’s private parts, and whether they will prove to be “gross,” based on her general appearance. Is encountering such negative judgments directed against a young woman’s body and most private areas empowering? Is such an attitude enlightened for either party? Or is it more empowering to praise a young woman for her internal qualities of character? I personally feel that it is the latter.”

BeautyFeminismEmpowermentModestyInner Beauty
Book:A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue
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“Men are never selfish. They’re smart. Women are always selfish. You want to be single? Selfish. You’re a wife and mother and do anything other than dote on your husband and children? Selfish. I want you and your sisters to learn to take that word as a compliment. Anyone who says that to you is trying to discourage you from doing what you want. That’s how you know you’re doing something right.”

FeminismIdentityEmpowermentIndependenceSelf DeterminationDefianceGender RolesSocial CommentaryDouble StandardsCritique Of Society
Book:Play Nice
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“He was beautiful in the way things born to power often are… He rode a silver-grey stallion that looked like it had been bred from starlight and arrogance. True love dies most beautifully in the mouths of poets and liars. She was beautiful in the way teeth are beautiful right before they bite. I am the scream behind the silence. I am the ending that learned how to dance.”

PoetryHealingFeminismEmpowermentTraumaRebellionDark FantasyRomantasyStrenghtFemale Rage
Book:The Serpent's Dance : A Fable for the Girls Who Burned and Didn’t Apologise
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“Since 1971, an iconic image of a silhouetted woman has moved from truck mudflaps into popular culture. She is perceived through the eyes of people who live in different decades. Mudflap Girl has at different times been considered a reflection of male self-image, symbolic of declining family values, and a feminist figure. However, even as an empowered woman, her identity has been problematic. Is she a mainstream inspiration, a subcultural icon or an unrealistic representation of the female form? Is she more than just a two dimensional figure based on her appearance? What is her story? And most mysteriously, who is she?”

FeminismEmpowermentMale GazeMudflap
Author:Sya Sen, Mudflap Girl
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“Strong women are the architects of their destinies, the CEOs of their lives, and the superheroes of their own stories. They don't just break glass ceilings; they shatter them with style. Their sass is their superpower, and their laughter is their battle cry. From juggling responsibilities to sparkling kindness like glitter, they do it all with flair and finesse. So, here's to the strong women; you make the world a better place!”

LeadershipFeminismEmpowermentEqualityWomen S RightsSisterhoodWomen S HistoryWomen S HealthWomen In StemFemale Entrepreneurs
Author:Life is Positive
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“Being surveilled with the intention of assault or rape is practically mundane, it happens so often. It's such an ingrained part of the female experience that it doesn't register as unusual. The danger of it, then, is in its routine, in how normalized it is for a woman to feel monitored, so much so that she might not know she's in trouble until that invisible line is crossed from "typical patriarchy" to "you should run.”

FeminismAwarenessEmpowermentSafetyPatriarchyWomen S RightsSocial CommentaryGender Issues
Book:One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter
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“To get anywhere, a woman must fall. You can fall by being tipsy, getting ahead of yourself, by missing a step. You can fall because there was a blind alley, a sharp curve, a slippery surface, or a stumbling block. You fall because somebody pulls the rug out from under you or because the whole time as you stood, believing you were on solid ground, there was a trapdoor directly beneath you.”

FeminismEmpowermentResilienceFallingSetbacksCourageous Women
Book:Fast Fallen Women: 75 Essays of Flash NonFiction
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“As I stood looking out at the view, the answer was so clear I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. Everest was not about me. I wasn't supposed to be doing it alone. I wasn't supposed to be scaling mountains and staking my flag at their peaks like some modern-day conquistadora. It was about what I had to offer, what I had to give to a community--to women, to girls, like me. I had to keep my promise to climb Everest, but I was supposed to bring others with me. Other women like me. Survivors. That had been the message all along.”

CommunityFeminismEmpowerment
Book:In the Shadow of the Mountain: A Memoir of Courage
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“It is important to feed this instinctive nature, to shelter it, to give it increase, for even in the most restrictive conditions of culture, family, or psy­che, there is far less paralysis in women who have remained con­nected to the deep and wild instinctual nature. Though there be injury if a woman is captured and/or tricked into remaining naive and compliant, there is still left adequate energy to overcome the captor, to evade it, to outrun it, and eventually to sunder and render it for their own constructive use.”

FeminismEmpowermentLiberation
Book:Women Who Run With the Wolves
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“Social and religious circumstances pushed them down. Their strength and will pushed them forward- and perhaps in these ways they were more similar to the mothers and grandmothers of Western feminists then is often acknowledged." Another one loaded with so much knowledge and wisdom, I don't even know where to start or the words to use. I just lived this little excerpt so much!”

FeminismEmpowerment
Book:Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #Metoo Movement
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“Pero casi sin excepción se describe a la mujer desde el punto de vista de su relación con hombres. Era extraño que, hasta Jane Austen, todos los personajes femeninos importantes de la literatura no sólo hubieran sido vistos exclusivamente por el otro sexo, sino desde el punto de vista de su relación con el otro sexo. Y ésta es una parte tan pequeña de la vida de una mujer… Y qué poco puede un hombre saber siquiera de esto observándolo a través de las gafas negras o rosadas que la sexualidad le coloca sobre la nariz.”

LiteratureWomenFeminismEmpowermentWomen Empowerment
Book:Un cuarto propio
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“Les feministes negres sempre han subratllat que la lluita no pot dirigir-se únicament contra el patriarcat, com diuen les feministes blanques. Tampoc poc centrar-se únicament en la lluita de classes, com diuen les socialistes. No pot abordar tan sols el racisme i l'imperialisme, com diuen les negres radicals. I tampoc pot combatre només l'ecocidi, com diuen les activistes ecologistes.”

FeminismEmpowermentAntiracismAnticapitalismBlack Feminism
Book:Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone
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“When feminist rhetoric is rooted biases like racism, ableism, transmisogyny, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia, it automatically works against marginalized women and against any concept of solidarity. It's not enough to know that other women with different experiences exist' you must also understand that they have their own femiminist formed by that experience. Whether it's an argument that women who wear the hijab must be "saved" from it, or reproductive-justice arguments that paint having a disabled baby as the worst possible outcome, the reality is that feminism can be marginalizing”

FeminismEmpowermentBlack WomenMarginalization
Book:Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
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“The timidity in mainstream feminism to admit that women’s choices—not just our problems—are, in the end, political has led to a vision of “women’s empowerment” that often feels brutally disempowering in the end. The root of this trouble is the fact that mainstream feminism has had to conform to patriarchy and capitalism to become mainstream in the first place. Old requirements, instead of being overthrown, are rebranded. Beauty work is labeled “self-care” to make it sound progressive.”

FeminismCapitalismEmpowermentSelf Care
Book:Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion
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“Promise me you will pass on the story of the first woman -- in whatever form you wish. It was given to me by women in captivity. They lived an awful state of migration, my grandmothers. Telling origin stories was their act of resistance. I only added on a bit here and a bit there. Stories are critical, Kirabo,' she added thoughtfully. 'The minute we fall silent, someone will fill the silence for us.”

WomenFeminismEmpowermentResistanceStorytellingMigrationCaptivity
Book:A Girl Is a Body of Water
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“But when we begin to live from within outward, in touch with the power of the erotic within ourselves, and allowing that power to inform and illuminate our actions upon the world around us, then we begin to be responsible to ourselves in the deepest sense. For as we begin to recognize our deepest feelings, we begin to give up of necessity, being satisfied with suffering and self negation, and with the numbness which so often seems like their only alter native in our society. Our acts against oppression become integral with self, motivated and empowered from within.”

FeelingsFeminismEmpowermentErotic
Book:Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches
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