Like to Be Remembered, Used Whatever Talent, Best of Her Ability, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on The Today Show at https://www.today.com/news/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-20-inspiring-ideas-rbg-t192057r.

Thing Well Done, Old Broads, Bette Davis

“If you want a thing well done, get a couple of old broads to do it.” - Bette Davis

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 20.

People Were Afraid, Black Woman, Caricature, former First Lady Michelle Obama

"The one thing they knew people were afraid of was the strength of a black woman. So they turned that into a caricature." - former First Lady Michelle Obama at the Essence Festival in New Orleans in July, reflecting on the attacks she faced when her husband was in office.

From Ms. Magazine, Fall 2019 issue, page 6.

Seems Impossible, Done, Nelson Mandela

“It always seems impossible until it's done.” - Nelson Mandela

Found in Parade Magazine at https://parade.com/1074913/kelseypelzer/nelson-mandela-quotes/.

Idiot, Member of Congress, Mark Twain

"Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself." - Mark Twain

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/mark_twain_161288.

Want the Rainbow, Put Up with the Rain, Dolly Parton

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.” - Dolly Parton

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 124.

Anti-Feminist Institutions, Dresses, Flo Kennedy

“It is interesting to speculate how it developed that in two of the most anti-feminist institutions, the church and the law court, the men are wearing dresses.” - Flo Kennedy

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 36.

Women's Clubs, Raise More Hell, Fewer Dahlias, James McNeill Whistler

"My advice to the women's clubs of America is to raise more hell and fewer dahlias." - James McNeill Whistler

Found at https://quote.biz/list/quotes-by-james-mcneill-whistler.

Real Courage, Gun, Licked Before You Begin, Atticus Finch, Harper Lee

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." - (Atticus Finch) ― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Found on Goodreads, at https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/3275794-to-kill-a-mockingbird.

Old Age, Sissies, Bette Davis

“Old age ain't no place for sissies.” - Bette Davis

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 74.

Nation, Made Strong, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"We are a nation made strong by people like you." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, To new citizens at a naturalization ceremony

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Get Busy, Living, Dying, Stephen King, Different Seasons

“Get busy living or get busy dying.” ― Stephen King, Different Seasons

Found on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3389.Stephen_King.

Born a Woman, Drag Queen, Dolly Parton

“It's a good thing that I was born a woman, or I'd have been a drag queen.” - Dolly Parton, rags-to-riches country music mogul.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 21.

Blondes, Gentlemen, Mamie Van Doren

“It is possible that blondes also prefer gentlemen.” - Mamie Van Doren

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 78.

Good Leader, Debate, Nelson Mandela

“A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don't have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.” ― Nelson Mandela

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/367338.Nelson_Mandela?page=8.

A Little Deaf, Workplace, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“It helps sometimes to be a little deaf (in marriage and in) every workplace, including the good job I have now.” - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, about marriage and work

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Understand, Care, Help, Saved, Jane Goodall

“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, we will help. Only if we help, we shall be saved.” ― Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall: 40 Years at Gombe

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Amateurs, Inspiration, Go to Work, Stephen King

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Found on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3389.Stephen_King.

System of Oppression, Institutionalized, Florynce Kennedy

"When a system of oppression has become institutionalized it is unnecessary for individuals to be oppressive." - Florynce Kennedy

Found on Brainyquote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/florynce_kennedy_397337.

Hear You, Scream, Stephanie Powers

“Unfortunately, sometimes people don't hear you until you scream.” - Stephanie Powers

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 16.

Comedy, Tragedy, Humor, Truth, Carol Burnett, Gilda Radner

“Comedy is tragedy, plus time.” - Carol Burnett

“Humor is just truth, only faster.” - Gilda Radner

Both of these quotes were found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 54.

In Germany, Communists, Jews, Catholics, Protestant, Martin Niemoller

"In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." - Martin Niemoller, 1945 (WW1 war hero & U Boat Captain, WW2 pastor who spent 7 years in Nazi prisons).

This is one variant of the quote by Martin Niemoller. Variations include trade unionists, social democrats, and others. We are now observing orders in the U.S. aimed at Muslims, with the false idea that all Muslims are terrorists - an idea as wrong as the idea that "all blacks are bad", "all blonds are dumb", "all ____ are _____."

You can view this and some of the variants at https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller, or Google Martin Niemoller for more links.

Slavery, Colonialism, Women's Inequality, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

“Just as slavery and colonialism were a stain on previous centuries, women’s inequality should shame us all in the 21st. Because it is not only unacceptable; it is stupid.” - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, condemning the patriarchy in a speech on women and power.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Spring 2020, page 6.

Education, Powerful Weapon, Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela

Found in Parade Magazine at https://parade.com/1074913/kelseypelzer/nelson-mandela-quotes/.

Real Change, Enduring Change, One Step at a Time, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on The Today Show at https://www.today.com/news/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-20-inspiring-ideas-rbg-t192057r.

Greatest Danger, Apathy, Jane Goodall

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy.” ― Jane Goodall

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Most Powerful Woman, Certain Element of Misogyny, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

“Every time I get introduced as the most powerful woman, I almost cry, because I wish that were not true. I so wish that we had a woman president of the United States, and we came very close to doing that. ...I do think there’s a certain element of misogyny.” - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the highest-raning woman ever to serve in the U.S. government, speaking at her weekly news conference after Sen. Elizabeth Warren ended her presidential bid.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Spring 2020, page 6.

Never Normalize the Ending of Democracy, Tyranny, White Supremacy, Patriarch, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Tennessee

“We can never normalize the ending of democracy. We can never normalize the tyranny of the way that these people in positions of power are operating due to white supremacy and … the patriarchy. That is what we’re up against.” - Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson (D), On being expelled from the Legislature by the House’s Republican supermajority for joining a chant with gun violence protesters in the capitol in late March, following a mass shooting at a Nashville School three days prior. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

“It might have to do with the color of our skin.” - Tennessee state Rep. Gloria Johnson (D), answering why she was spared from expulsion from the Legislature while Reps. Pearson and Justin Jones (D) were not. Found in Ms. Magazine page 6, Summer 2023.

Pearson and Jones, who are African American, were expelled from the Tennessee state legislature on April 6, 2023, while Johnson, who is white, wasn't expelled. (Both men were reinstated four months later. Right on!)

Pipelines to Leadership, Universities, Racially DIverse, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan

“These are the pipelines to leadership in our society. And if universities aren’t racially diverse, then all of those institutions are not going to be racially diverse either. ...I thought that part of what it meant to be an American and to believe in American pluralism is that actually our institutions are reflective of who we are as a people in all our variety.” - Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan,in oral arguments over the constitutionality of race-abased affirmative action in college admissions.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2023, page 6.

Let-Them-Eat-Cake Obliviousness, Colorblindness, Irrelevant in Law, Life, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. ...The only way out of this morass – for all of us – is to stare at racial disparity unblinkingly, and then do what evidence and experts tell us is required to level the playing field and march forward together, collectively striving to achieve true equality for all Americans.” - Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissenting to the Supreme Court’s majority ruling prohibiting the use of affirmative action in college admissions.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2023, page 6.

Courage, Absence of Fear, Triumph, Brave Man, Conquers That Fear, Nelson Mandela

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” - Nelson Mandela, President of South Africa, activist

Found in Quotes to Live By: Words That Inspire Those Who Inspire Us, by by F+W Media, Inc., page 9.

Beauty of the Earth, Reserves of Strength, Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Found in Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15332.Rachel_Carson.

Woman's Life, Dignity, Decision, Less Than a Fully Adult Human, Choices, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"This is something central to a woman's life, to her dignity. It's a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she's being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on support for abortion rights

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Defend the Rights, Access to Care, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood

“We will defend the rights we've won. We'll defend access to care millions depend on. We've been doing it 100 years. We're not stopping now.” - Cecile Richards, President, Planned Parenthood

From Ms. Magazine special election issue, page 10.

Make Life a Little Better, Community, Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that's what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one's community." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html.

Abject Poverty, Standard of Living, Natural Resources, Jane Goodall

“We can't leave people in abject poverty, so we need to raise the standard of living for 80% of the world's people, while bringing it down considerably for the 20% who are destroying our natural resources.” ― Jane Goodall

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Texas Judge, Mifepristone, Scientists, Doctors, Sen. Amy Klobuchar

“One extreme Texas Judge decided Mifepristone isn’t safe for women. Seriously? Fact: Scientists and doctors reviewed it for … years and it has been legal and safe for over two decades. This opinion sets a dangerous precedent for our whole healthcare system.” - Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), responding on Twitter to Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling to rescind the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of misfepristone

Found in Ms. Magazine, Summer 2023, page 6.

Majority Rule, Person's Conscience, Harper Lee

“The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.” - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 54.

Too Angry, Keep Your Mouth Shut, Silent, Change, Michelle Obama

“Don't ever, ever let anyone tell you that you're too angry, or that you 'should keep your mouth shut.' There will always be those who want to keep you silent, to have you be seen but not heard, or maybe they don't even want to see you at all. But those people don't know your story, and if you listen to them, then nothing will ever change.” - Former First Lady Michelle Obama, speaking to the graduating class of 2020.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2020 issue, page 6.

Adult Bodies, None of My Business, Exercising a Right, Bexar Count Sheriff Javier Salazer

“As their dad, I have no control over their adult bodies. As their sheriff, it is absolutely none of my business. ...Shame on the Supreme Court and the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., and Austin who are attempting to impose their own supposed morals on others. They will not use my badge or the color of my office to do so. My job is chasing predators, rapists, and human traffickers, not someone exercising a right.” - Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, the father of two daughters, in a Facebook post declaring his opposition to arresting Texas women for having abortions.Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2022, page 4.

Right on, Sheriff Salazar!

No One, Born Hating, Color of His Skin, Background, Religion, Nelson Mandela

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” - Nelson Mandela

Found in The Sun, June 2018, pg.48, “Sunbeams”.

Women on the Supreme Court, Nine, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"When I'm sometimes asked 'When will there be enough (women on the Supreme Court)?' and my answer is: 'When there are nine.' People are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Found on CNN at https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/19/politics/best-ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes-trnd/index.html. RIP, RBG. A true hero and inspiration.

Moment of Time, Significant Power, Rachel Carson

“Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species – man – acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world.” - Rachel Carson

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 45.

Makes a Difference, What Kind of Difference, Jane Goodall

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ― Jane Goodall

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/18163.Jane_Goodall.

Problem, Needs Solving, Someone, Hillary Clinton

“If you’ve looked at a problem that needs solving in your community and thought to yourself, ‘Someone should really do something about that!’ I’ve got some news for you: That someone could be you.” - Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on National Run for Office Day, via Twitter.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2020, page 6.

Nation of Sheep, Government of Wolves, Defend Freedom, Edward R. Murrow

"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves." - Edward R. Murrow

"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home." - Edward R. Murrow

Both of these can be found at Goodreads, specifically at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/178884.Edward_R_Murrow.

Applying Pressure, Despair, Resignation, Indifference, Elie Wiesel

"It may well be that our means are fairly limited and our possibilities restricted when it comes to applying pressure on our government. But is this a reason to do nothing? Despair is not an answer. Neither is resignation. Resignation only leads to indifference, which is not merely a sin but a punishment." - Elie Wiesel

This can be found at http://www.wisdomquotes.com/authors/elie-wiesel/.

Concessions, Resonable, Comb My Hair, Jane Wallace

“I'll make some concessions if the request is reasonable. If someone tells me to comb my hair, I'll comb my hair. If someone tells me to dye it blond, they can go to hell.” - The darkly defiant Jane Wallace, CBS correspondent.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 27.

Vote, About Us, Sen. Lauren Book

"No vote about us without us." - Florida state Sen. Lauren Book (D) to the Tallahassee Democrat, summing up her proposed amendment to the state constitution, which would prohibit the Florida legislature from passing bills that limit women's access to abortion unless 50 percent of the House and Senate are women; men currently make up 70 percent of both chambers.

From Ms. Magazine, Fall 2019 issue, page 6.

Literary History, Dark with Silence, Not Natural Silences, Tillie Olsen

“Literary history and the present are dark with silences . . . I have had special need to learn all I could of this over the years, myself so nearly remaining mute and having to let writing die over and over again in me. These are not natural silences--what Keats called agonie ennuyeuse (the tedious agony)--that necessary time for renewal, lying fallow, gestation, in the natural cycle of creation. The silences I speak of here are unnatural: the unnatural thwarting of what struggles to come into being, but cannot.” ― Tillie Olsen

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/89863.Tillie_Olsen.

Destroy, Your Power, Bell Hooks

“Sometimes people try to destroy you, precisely because they recognize your power – not because they don't see it, but because they see it and don't want it to exist.” - Bell Hooks

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 119.

Vote, Most Powerful Nonviolent Change Agent, Rep. John Lewis

“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society.” - The late Rep. John Lewis

Found on page 1, Ms. Magazine, Fall 2020.

Terrorize a Whole Nation, Accomplices, Edward R. Murrow

"No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices." - Edward R. Murrow

Can be found at Goodreads or by clicking here.

Give Up Their Power, Don't Have Any, Alice Walker

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.” ― Alice Walker

Found on GoodReads, here.

Time, Heels, Jane Ace

“Time wounds all heels.” - Jane Ace

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 126.

One Damn Thing After Another, Over and Over, Edna St. Vincent Millay

“It is not true that life is one damn thing after another – it's one damn thing over and over.” - Edna St. Vincent Millay

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 65.

Prevent Injustice, Protest, Elie Wiesel

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel

"We have to go into the despair and go beyond it, by working and doing for somebody else, by using it for something else." - Elie Wiesel

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/elie_wiesel.html.

Reality, Leading Cause of Stress, Jane Wagner, Lily Tomlin

“Reality is the leading cause of stress for those in touch with it.” - Writer Jane Wagner, the wry collaborative mind behind some of Lily Tomlin's best lines.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 15.

Worse Words, Cuss-Words, Tillie Olsen

“There are worse words than cuss-words, there are words that hurt.” ― Tillie Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/89863.Tillie_Olsen.

Drunk on Writing, Ray Bradbury

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” ― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1630.Ray_Bradbury.

Working Mother, Redundant, Jane Sellman

“The phrase 'working mother' is redundant.” - Jane Sellman

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 87.

Heterosexual, Headache, Edna St. Vincent Millay

“Oh, you mean I'm homosexual! Of course I am, and heterosexual too. But what's that got to do with my headache?” - Famed meter maid Edna St. Vincent Millay, whose doctor held that love between ladies led to malaise.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 42.

Friend, Silence, Right to Grow, Alice Walker

“No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” - Alice Walker

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 89.

Duty of Our Generation, Solidarity, Elie Wiesel

"This is the duty of our generation as we enter the twenty-first century -- solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick, and those in despair. It is expressed by the desire to give a noble and humanizing meaning to a community in which all members will define themselves not by their own identity but by that of others." - Elie Wiesel

This can be found at http://www.wisdomquotes.com/authors/elie-wiesel/.

Write Every Single Day, Lurk in Libraries, Remake a World, Ray Bradbury

“You must write every single day of your life... You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads... may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” ― Ray Bradbury

From Goodreads. Read more Ray Bradbury quotes here.

Wondered, Do Something, Somebody, Lily Tomlin

“I always wondered why somebody doesn't do something about that. Then I realized that I was somebody.” - Lily Tomlin

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 68.

Be Critical, Surface, Tillie Olsen

“Be critical. Women have the right to say: This is surface, this falsifies reality, this degrades.” - Tillie Olsen. After twenty years of transcribing other people's words, the long-suppressed author of Silences finally found her own voice.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 13.

Giving Away Her Power, Bell Hooks

“If any female feels she needs anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power.” - Bell Hooks

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 156.

Risk, Grow Old, Alice Walker

“Take a risk – grow old.” - Alice Walker

Found in The Truth Will Set You Free, But First It Will Piss You Off: Thoughts on Life, Love, and Rebellion, by Gloria Steinem, page 53.

Normal Times, Extraordinary Times, Dan Rather

"These are not normal times. These are extraordinary times. And extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." - Dan Rather

From his post on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/theDanRather/posts/10158087282405716.

In Germany, Communists, Jews, Catholics, Protestant, Martin Niemoller

"In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." - Martin Niemoller, 1945 (WW1 war hero & U Boat Captain, WW2 pastor who spent 7 years in Nazi prisons).

This is one variant of the quote by Martin Niemoller. Variations include trade unionists, social democrats, and others. We are now observing orders in the U.S. aimed at Muslims, with the false idea that all Muslims are terrorists - an idea as wrong as the idea that "all blacks are bad", "all blonds are dumb", "all ____ are _____."

You can view this and some of the variants at https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Martin_Niemöller, or Google Martin Niemoller for more links.

Persecuted, Center of the Universe, Elie Wiesel

"Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe." - Elie Wiesel

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eliewiesel451207.html.

Stands For Nothing, Fall For Anything, Malcolm X

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." - Malcolm X

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/malcolm_x_379121.

Being in the Rat Race, Still a Rat, Lily Tomlin

“The trouble with being in the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.” - Lily Tomlin

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 27.

Biggest Sin, Sitting, Florynce Kennedy

“The biggest sin is sitting on your ass.” - Fleet-tongued Florynce Kennedy. Fortunately, the Ur-activist of the Sixties and Seventies seldom stayed down in the dumps for long.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 70.

Burn Books, Destroy a Culture, Ray Bradbury

“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=✓&q=ray+bradbury&commit=Search.

Immersion, Untouched, Tillie Olsen

“Better immersion than to live untouched.” - Tillie Olsen, author

Found in Quotes to Live By: Words That Inspire Those Who Inspire Us, by F+W Media, Inc., page 117.

No Change, Contemplation, Bell Hooks, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review

“There is no change without contemplation.” - bell hooks, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review (Fall 1992)

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 98.

Person Doesn't Have Gratitude, Missing, Attitude, Elie Wiesel

"When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude." Elie Wiesel

Found at Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/eliewiesel599768.html.

Leave Something Behind, Change Something, Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there.

"It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime.” ― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Found on Goodreads. Click here to see this and other Ray Bradbury quotes.

Adults, Decent, Hard-Working, Elected, Lily Tomlin

“Ninety-eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It's the other two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elected them.” - Lily Tomlin

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 92.

Woman, Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher

“I don't notice that I'm a woman. I regard myself as the Prime Minister.” - Margaret Thatcher. The “Iron Lady” who served as the United Kingdom's first female Prime Minister was capable of almost anything – including, on occasion, iron.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 60.

Agonize, Organize, Florynce Kennedy

“Don't agonize. Organize.” - Fleet-tongued Florynce Kennedy. Fortunately, the Ur-activist of the Sixties and Seventies seldom stayed down in the dumps for long.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 70.

Cups, Being Filled, Ray Bradbury

“We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” ― Ray Bradbury

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1630.Ray_Bradbury.

Opposite of Love, Indifference, Faith, Elie Wiesel

"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference." - Elie Wiesel

This was found at Wisdom Quotes, and can be viewed at http://www.wisdomquotes.com/quote/elie-wiesel-4.html.

Task, Love, Barriers, Rumi

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” ― Rumi

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/875661.Rumi.

Writer, Read, Write, Stephen King

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” ― Stephen King

Found on GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3389.Stephen_King.

Be An Intellectual, Write Non-Fiction, Deal with Theory, Discrimination, Bell Hooks

“Any woman who wishes to be an intellectual, to write non-fiction, to deal with theory, faces a lot of discrimination coming her way and perhaps even self-doubt because there aren't that many who've gone before you. And I think that the most powerful tool we can have is to be clear about our intent. To know what it is we want to do rather than going into institutions thinking that the institution is going to frame for us.” - Bell Hooks

Found on Inspiring Quotes at https://www.inspiringquotes.us/author/1212-bell-hooks.

Peaceful Wrecks, Holding Hands, Tillie Olsen

“Never saw so many peaceful wrecks in my life.... That's what I want to be when I grow up, just a peaceful wreck holding hands with other peaceful wrecks.” ― Tillie Olsen, Tell Me a Riddle

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/89863.Tillie_Olsen.

Delusions of Grandeur, Jane Wagner, Lily Tomlin

“Delusions of grandeur make me feel a lot better about myself.” - Writer Jane Wagner, the wry collaborative mind behind some of Lily Tomlin's best lines.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 15.

Want to Write, Want to Create, Most Sublime Fool, Ray Bradbury

“If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories — science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.” ― Ray Bradbury

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1630.Ray_Bradbury.

Fifty-Fifty Proposition, Marriage, Flo Kennedy

“Any woman who still thinks marriage is a fifty-fifty proposition is only proving that she doesn't understand either men or percentages.” - Flo Kennedy

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 71.

Optimist, Prisoner of Hope, Cornel West

“I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope.” ― Cornel West

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6176.Cornel_West.

All Else Fails, Go to the Library, Stephen King

“When all else fails, give up and go to the library.” ― Stephen King, 11/22/63

Powerless, Prevent Injustice, Protest, Despair, Elie Wiesel

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel

"We have to go into the despair and go beyond it, by working and doing for somebody else, by using it for something else." - Elie Wiesel

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/e/elie_wiesel.html

Only One, Do Something, Helen Keller

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” - Helen Keller

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 5.

Success, Mediocre World, Lily Tomlin

“Sometimes I worry about being a success in a mediocre world.” - Lily Tomlin

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 90.

Compromise, All You've Got, Janis Joplin

“Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.” - Janis Joplin

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 54.

Mother, Noble Status, Florynce Kennedy

“Being a mother is a noble status, right? Right. So why does it change why you put 'unwed' or 'welfare' in front of it?” - Civil rights lawyer Florynce Kennedy, once lionized by the press as “Radicalism's Rudest Mouth” and as a “loud-mouthed middled-aged colored lady” by herself.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 193.

Hard Work, Top, Margaret Thatcher

“I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.” - Margaret Thatcher

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 28.

Guns, Constitutional Amendment, Women, Eleanor Smeal

“Just think – guns have a constitutional amendment protecting them and women don't.” - Hotshot Eleanor Smeal, president of NOW from 1977 to 1987.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 71.

Important, Women, Official Power, Dolores Huerta

“We know how important it is for women to take official power. The oppression of women takes so many forms, and the only way to overcome is by taking power.” - Activist Dolores Huerta, accepting the Young Elected Officials Network's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.

Found in Ms. Magazine, page 6, Spring 2019

Formula for Water, Ice Cube, Lily Tomlin

“The formula for water is H2O. Is the formula for an ice cube H2O squared?” - Lily Tomlin

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 105.

Equality, Treat Yourself, Marlo Thomas

“One of the things about equality is not just that you be treated equally to a man, but that you treat yourself equally to the way you treat a man.” - Marlo Thomas

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 35.

No Pessimist, Secrets of the Stars, Helen Keller

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” - Helen Keller

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 21.

Something Said, Something Done, Margaret Thatcher

"If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." - Margaret Thatcher

Found on Brainy Quote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/margaret_thatcher_127088.

Developed Language, Need to Complain, Jane Wagner, Lily Tomlin

“I personally think we developed language because of our deep inner need to complain.” - Writer Jane Wagner, the wry collaborative mind behind some of Lily Tomlin's best lines.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 15.

Feminists, Sidelines, Fight On, Call to Action, Eleanor Smeal, Kathy Spillar

"This is not the time for feminists to sit on the sidelines. We must fight on. We have come too far and worked too hard to go back now.

"This is a call to action. If you have the ability, desire and drive to volunteer for your favorite feminist cause or organization, the time to do so is now. Clinics need escorts; nonprofits need volunteer researchers, event organizers, administrators, lawyers, artists, designers, computer techies and fundraisers. Everyone and every skill count. We all need your passion, encouragement, skills, commitment, financial support—big or small." Eleanor Smeal, Kathy Spillar, Ms. Magazine, from the special election issue's and blog's "This is a Call to Action".

Marched, Struggle for Human Rights, Social Justice, Si Se Puede, Dolores Huerta

"We've already marched many thousands of miles in our struggle for human rights and social justice, and tomorrow we march again. We must do this. We can do this. Si se puede!" - Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers, in the Special Elections 2016 issue of Ms. Magazine.

Mind-Altering Drug, Truth, Lily Tomlin

“The best mind-altering drug is truth.” - Lily Tomlin

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 141.

Man, Joe McCarthy, Ruthless, Woman, Put You on Hold, Marlo Thomas

“A man has to be Joe McCarthy to be called ruthless. All a woman has to do is put you on hold.” - Marlo Thomas

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press (editor), page 108.

Fame, Success, Erma Bombeck

"Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other." - Erma Bombeck

Found on BrainyQuote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/erma_bombeck_122099.

Science, Cure, Apathy, Helen Keller

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all – the apathy of human beings.” - Helen Keller

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 13.

Being Powerful, Being a Lady, Margaret Thatcher

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't.” - Margaret Thatcher

Found in Great Quotes from Great Leaders, by Peggy Anderson, page 76.

Out Raising Hell, Fighting Age, Mother Jones

“You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.” - Mother Jones

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 1.

Stupidity, Retrospect, Missed Chances, Stephen King

“...stupidity is one of the two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances.” - Stephen King

Found on https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/506731-stupidity-is-one-of-the-two-things-we-see-most.

Defense, Protecting Women and Children, Pat Schroeder

“When men talk about defense, they always claim to be protecting women and children, but they never ask the women and children what they think.” - Pat Schroeder

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 103.

Avoiding Danger, Outright Exposure, Helen Keller

“Avoiding danger is not safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.” - Helen Keller

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 4.

Plain Women, Beautiful Ones, Katharine Hepburn

“Plain women know more about men than beautiful ones do.” - Katharine Hepburn.”

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 102.

Sustained Outrage, Unthinking Respect, Molly Ivins

“What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority.” - Molly Ivins

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 50.

Know How to Weep, Know How to Laugh, Golda Meir

“Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart don't know how to laugh either.” - Golda Meir

Found in Great Quotes from Great Leaders, by Peggy Anderson, page 21.

Action, Antidote, Despair, Joan Baez

“Action is the antidote to despair.” - Joan Baez

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 20.

Scariest Moment, Before You Start, Stephen King

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Found in Goodreads Stephen King quotes section.