Questions, How Long, Time, David Bowie

“As you get older the questions come down to two or three. How long have I got and what am I gonna do with the time I've got left?” ― David Bowie

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10360.David_Bowie.

Pregnant, Personhood, Autonomy, Condtional, Jia Tolentino

“Anyone who can get pregnant must now face the reality that half of the country is in the hands of legislators who believe that your personhood and autonomy are conditional – who believe that, if you are impregnated by another person, under any circumstance, you have a legal and moral duty to undergo pregnancy, delivery, and, in all likelihood, two decades or more of caregiving, no matter the permanent and potentially devastating consequences for your body, you heart, your mind, your family, your ability to put food on the table, your plans, your aspirations, your life.” - Writer Jia Tolentino in an op-ed for The New Yorker.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2022 issue, page 4.

Age, My Back, Phyllis Diller

“I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do.” - Phyllis Diller

Found in Age Happens: The Best Quotes About Growing Older, Selected by Bruce Lansky, page 80.

Obey All the Rules, Katharine Hepburn

“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.” - Katharine Hepburn

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 104.

Girl, Rights, Abortion-Rights Supporter

“As a girl, I just hope that one day I have as many rights as a gun.” - Sign held by an abortion-rights supporter in Kansas

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2022, page 10-11.

Beauty in Truth, John Steinbeck, East of Eden

“There's more beauty in truth, even if it is dreadful beauty.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Educational Process, John Dewey

“The educational process has no end beyond itself; it is its own end.” ― John Dewey

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/42738.John_Dewey.

Total Security, Freedom, Dwight D. Eisenhower

“If you want total security, go to prison. There you're fed, clothed, given medical care and so on. The only thing lacking... is freedom. ” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23920.Dwight_D_Eisenhower.

Aging, Become the Person, Should Have Been, David Bowie

“Aging is an extraordinary process whereby you become the person you always should have been.” ― David Bowie

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10360.David_Bowie.

Too Old For Love, Good Dinners, Zora Neale Hurston

"When one is too old for love, one finds great comfort in good dinners." - Zora Neale Hurston

Found at Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zora_neale_hurston_396876.

Failure, Instructive, John Dewey

“Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” ― John Dewey

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/42738.John_Dewey.

Men, Marry, Gloria Steinem

“Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.” - Gloria Steinem

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 72.

My Heart, Driven Slush, Tallulah Bankhead

My heart is as pure as the driven slush.” - Tallulah Bankhead

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 34.

Wanted to Be, In Charge, Wilma Vaught

“What I wanted to be when I grew up was – in charge.” - Wilma Vaught, Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 156.

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.

Dominoes, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, interracial marriage, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel

“The dominoes have started to fall, and they won’t just stop at one. People should see the connection between reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, interracial marriage – these things are all connected legally.” - Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, warning that Roe’s demise could lead to the overturning of other Supreme Court precedents.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2022, page 4.

Oxford Dictionary, Really Long Poem, David Bowie

“Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really really long poem about everything.” ― David Bowie

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10360.David_Bowie.

Failure, Business in Life, John Dewey

“Nothing is more tragic than failure to discover one’s true business in life, or to find that one has drifted or been forced by circumstance into an uncongenial calling.” ― John Dewey, Democracy and Education

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/42738.John_Dewey.

Men and Women, Suit Each Other, Live Next Door, Katharine Hepburn

“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.” - Actress Katharine Hepburn, who got along famously with married lover Spencer Tracy during a quarter-century of now-and-then visits.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 136.

Live in Infamy, Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt on the morning after the Pearl Harbor attack

I wanted to post this to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor, which "helped shape the course of World War II."

Found on Pearl Harbor Warbirds at https://pearlharborwarbirds.com/12-powerful-pearl-harbor-quotes/.

Insignificant, Erased, Closet, Hope Giselle-Godsey

“It always starts with things that people feel are insignificant, like public restrooms, but it never stops there. We’re here today to ensure they understand that we will not be erased – one bathroom at a time – or shoved back into the proverbial closet out of deference to the comfort of those who seek to eradicate us.” - Trans activist Hope Giselle-Godsey, who held a dance party protest in a women’s bathroom in the U.S. Capitol after Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) introduced a bill to bar trans women from using those facilitiesFound in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2025, page 6.

Where I'm Going, Won't Be Boring, David Bowie

“I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring.” ― David Bowie

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/10360.David_Bowie.

Learn From Experience, Reflecting on Experience, John Dewey

“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.” ― John Dewey

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/42738.John_Dewey.

Language, 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.

Rock the Boat, Turn it Over, Maya Angelou

“I still feel you should rock the boat. And if you're not in it, you should turn it over.” - Maya Angelou, in Conversations with Maya Angelou, 1989

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 10.

Fame, Success, Madonna, Helen Keller, 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.

Sad Soul, Germ, John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

“A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Suffering, Truth, Cornel West

“You must let suffering speak, if you want to hear the truth.” ― Cornel West

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

Women, Vote, Self Interest, Michelle Williams

“Women...when it is time to vote, please do so in your own self interest. It’s what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them. But don’t forget that we are the largest voting body in this country. Let’s make it look more like us.” - Actor Michelle Williams, accepting a Golden Globe for her starring role in Fosse/Verdon with an impassioned speech in support of abortion rights.

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

Censorship, Stupid, Shallow, Problem, Dwight Eisenhower

"Censorship, in my opinion, is a stupid and shallow way of approaching the solution to any problem. Though sometimes necessary, as witness a professional and technical secret that may have a bearing upon the welfare and very safety of this country, we should be very careful in the way we apply it, because in censorship always lurks the very great danger of working to the disadvantage of the American nation." - Dwight Eisehower, Associated Press luncheon, New York, New York, 4/24/50

Found in Eisenhower library at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes.

Ships, Distance, Wish, Zora Neale Hurston

"Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board." - Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zora_neale_hurston_399019.

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.

Equal Rights Amendment, Justice Antonin Scalia, Nancy Pelosi

“There are some who say the Equal Rights Amendment is not needed. To them, I quote the late Justice Antonin Scalia, who said, ‘Certainly the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It does not.’” - Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaking on the House floor in support of a joint resolution to remove the timeline on ERA ratification.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Spring 2021, page 6.

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.

Strong Woman, Love, Indestructible, John Steinbeck

“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Stood Up, Right Thing, Women, Children, State Sen. Katrina Shealy

“I stood up for the right thing. I stood up for women. I stood up for children. I stood up for South Carolina.” - State Sen. Katrina Shealy (R) after losing her reelction bid in June; she was one of three Republican “Sister Senators” who, along with two Democratic women, blocked a full abortion ban in South Carolina in 2023 – none of the three made it through their primaries.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2024, page 6.

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.

Love, Hiding Place, Zora Neale Hurston

"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place." - Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/zora_neale_hurston_106544.

Only Way, Protect My Own Rights, Rights of Others, Dwight Eisenhower

"I believe the only way to protect my own rights is to protect the rights of others." - Dwight Eisenhower, Remarks at the United Negro College Fund luncheon, 5/19/53

Found in Eisenhower library at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes.

Voting, Most, Least, Gloria Steinem

“Voting isn't the most we can do, but it's the least.” - Gloria Steinem

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 21.

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.

Justice and Accountability, Obligations, Demanding Accountability, Sisterhood, Jess Michaels, Liz Stein

“Know this: Justice and accountability are not favors from the powerful. They are obligations decades overdue. This moment began with [Jeffrey] Epstein’s crimes, but it’s going to be remembered for survivors demanding justice, demanding truth, demanding accountability, and we will not stop until survivor voices shape justice, transform culture and define the future.” – Jess Michaels, speaking at a September press converence alongside other Epstein survivors, some of whom shared stories of the sexual grooming and assault they suffered as teenagers and called for lawmakers to release more files from the federal investigation.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2025, page 6.

“We are initiated into a sisterhood. We’re in a sorority that none of us asked to join, but we all stand here today, stronger together, because our collective voice is powerful.” – Liz Stein, another survivor sex-trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, speaking at the same event outside the same event outside the U.S. Capitol, which was, notably, interrupted by a military flyover arranged by the Trump administration, honoring a Polish Pilot who died in a training exercise in Poland.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2025, page 6.

Poetry, Dream, Vision, Audre Lorde

"Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before." - Audre Lorde

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde408960.html.

Screaming Fact, Repression, Strengthen, John Steinbeck

“And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed.” ― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Vote, Most Powerful Nonviolent Change Agent, 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.

Important, Official Power, Oppression, 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.

Lead, Hitting People, Assault, Dwight D. Eisenhower

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head -- that's assault, not leadership.” ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23920.Dwight_D_Eisenhower.

Blind With Patriotism, Wrong is Wrong, Malcolm X

"You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it." - Malcolm X

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/malcolm_x_390503.

Organize, Agitate, Educate, War Cry, Susan B. Anthony

"Organize, agitate, educate, must be our war cry." - Susan B. Anthony

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/susan_b_anthony_401742.

Being a Bitch, Hold On To, Stephen King

“Sometimes being a bitch is all a woman's got to hold on to.” ― Stephen King, Dolores Claiborne

Found on GoodReads. Read more here.

Assume, No Hope, Instinct for Freedom, Noam Chomsky

“If you assume that there is no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, that there are opportunities to change things, then there is a possibility that you can contribute to making a better world.” ― Noam Chomsky

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2476.Noam_Chomsky.

Too Angry, Keep Your Mouth Shut, Silent, 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.

Values Its Privileges, Principles, Dwight Eisenhower

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight Eisenower, Inaugural Address, 1/20/53

Found in Eisenhower library at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes.

Silent, Pain, Enjoyed It, Zora Neale Hurston

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15151.Zora_Neale_Hurston.

Important Moments, Advertised Ones, Milestones, Susan B. Anthony

"Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these." - Susan B. Anthony, The Ghost in My Life

Found on Notable Quotes at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

Community, Liberation, Audre Lorde

“Without community, there is no liberation.” - Audre Lorde

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 43.

Ending of Democracy, Tyranny, White Supremacy, Patriarchy, Color, Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson

“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.

Humor, Anger, Make-Up, Stephen King

“Humor is almost always anger with its make-up on.” ― Stephen King, Bag of Bones

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

Right to Vote, Not Voting, Franklin D. Roosevelt

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/franklin_d_roosevelt_403816.

Race, Taken Into Account, Constitution, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson

“I don’t think we can assume that just because race is taken into account, that that necessarily creates an equal protection problem. ...We looked at the history and traditions of the Constitution, at what the framers and the founders thought about. And when I drill down to that level of analysis, it became clear to me that the framers themselves adopted the Equal Protection Clause, the 14th, the 15th Amendment, in a race-conscious way. That we were, in fact, trying to ensure that people who had been discriminated against, the freedman, during the Reconstruction period, were actually brought equal to everyone else in society.” - Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, in a back-and-forth exchange with the Alabama solicitor general, who argued that the Equal Protection Clause prevents any consideration of race, even when such a consideration could remedy racial gerrymandering.

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

Bitterness, Coward's Revenge, Zora Neale Hurston

“Bitterness is the coward's revenge on the world for having been hurt.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15151.Zora_Neale_Hurston.

Freedom of Expression, Believe, Noam Chomsky

“If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.” ― Noam Chomsky

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2476.Noam_Chomsky.

Fear, I Dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor

“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.” - Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s foreboding response to the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States the presidents cannot be prosecuted for criminal actions related to their office..

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2024, page 6.

No Man, Above the Law, Below It, Theodore Roosevelt

“No man is above the law and no man below it.” - Theodore Roosevelt

Found in Great Quotes from Great Leaders, by Peggy Anderson, page 10.

Truth, Justice, For or Against, Malcolm X

"I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against." - Malcolm X

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/malcolm_x_385966.

Real Courage, Gun, Know You're Licked, Begin Anyway, Atticus Finch, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“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.

Censorship, Thought Control, Secrecy and Darkness, Pat Frank, Alas Babylon

“Censorship and thought control can exist only in secrecy and darkness.” ― Pat Frank, Alas, Babylon

Found on Goodreads. Read more here.

Life is Very Short, Have To Do, Audre Lorde

"Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now." - Audre Lorde

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde383487.html.

Years, Ask Questions, Answer, Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.” ― Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15151.Zora_Neale_Hurston.

Warmth of Summer, Cold of Winter, John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” ― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Powerful, Crimes, Noam Chomsky

“For the powerful, crimes are those that others commit.” ― Noam Chomsky, Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9/11 World

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2476.Noam_Chomsky.

Only Thing Worse, Failing, Not Having Tried, Gloria Steinem

“The only thing worse than failing is not having tried. You will walk around forever thinking, What if?” - Gloria Steinem

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 75.

Can't Forget, Half a Trillion Dollars, Medicare, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, People, Die, Sen. Raphael Warnock

“We can’t forget that [Republicans] just voted to take almost half a trillion dollars from Medicare.” – Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D – N.M.)

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2025, page 1.

“If you cut $900 Billion out of Medicaid, people are going to die, plain and simple.” – Sen. Raphael Warnock (D – GA.)

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2025, page 29.

Darker Periods, Pendulum Will Swing Back, Delay Justice, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

“This country has survived darker periods than the one that we are going through right now, and eventually, the pendulum will swing back, maybe even next year. … You can delay justice for a time, but history shows you cannot prevent it from finding you eventually. … As Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.} once said, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ Humbly I would add, it doesn’t bend on its own. History tells us we often have to apply force needed to make sure that the arc gets where it needs to go. This is one of those times.” – Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Aug. 25, 2025, responding to reports that President Donald Trump planned to send National Guard troops to Chicago.

Found in Ms. Magazine, Fall 2025, page 56.

Official Power, Opression, 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.

Change, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Things, Barack Obama

“A change is brought about because ordinary people do extraordinary things.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Black Woman Writer, Woman Writer, Written Enough, Bell Hooks

“No black woman writer in this culture can write 'too much.' Indeed, no woman writer can write 'too much.'...No woman has ever written enough.” - 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 53.

Pleasure, Nothing-to-Lose, Woman, Gloria Steinem

“I'm beginning to realize the pleasure of being a nothing-to-lose, take-no-shit older woman.” - Gloria Steinem

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 49.

I Write, Do Not Speak, Respect Fear, Silence, Audre Lorde

"I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't." - Audre Lorde

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde409007.html.

The Things We Admire, Those Traits We Detest, John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

“It has always seemed strange to me...The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” ― John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Responsibility of Intellectuals, Speak the Truth, Noam Chomsky

“It is the responsibility of intellectuals to speak the truth and expose lies.” ― Noam Chomsky

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2476.Noam_Chomsky.

Marched, Human Rights, Social Justice, 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.

Social Justice Movement, Small Groups, Gloria Steinem

"Every social justice movement that I know of has come out of people sitting in small groups, telling their life stories, and discovering that other people have shared similar experiences." - Gloria Steinem

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/gloriastei690613.html.

Keep Fightin', Freedom, Justice, Have Fun, Molly Ivins

“So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce.” - Molly Ivins

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 34.

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.

Fool Some of the People, Can't Fool Yourself, Maya Angelou

“I found out that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool yourself.” - Maya Angelou, in Conversations with Maya Angelou (1989)

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 10.

Saint, Sinner, Nelson Mandela

“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” - Nelson Mandela

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

Disallow, Medical Care, Torture, Zooey Zephyr

“If you disallow the use of medical care that is accepted by every major medical association … the only therapy left is either A) meaningless or B) conversion therapy, which is torture. If you are forcing a trans child to go through puberty when they are trans, that is tantamount to torture. And this body should be ashamed.” - Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D), the first openly transgender woman elected to the Legislature; after her forceful remaks concernings a bill (now law) that prohibits gender-affirming care for minors, she was banned from the House floor by her colleagues for the remainder of the session.

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

Raised the Alarm, Bill, Women Voters, Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Hillary Scholeten (D-Mich.), Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio)

“We’ve raised the alarm about how this bill harms women voters over and over. … It is clear Republicans aren’t interested in fixing this bill and this decision will haunt them in the voting booth.” - Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Hillary Scholeten (D-Mich.) and Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), speaking out after House passed the Save Act, which would create extremely strict voter ID requirements, adding significant barriers to voting for the estimated 69 million women who changed their last name, primarily due to marriage.

Found in the Summer 2025 issue of Ms. Magazine, page 6.

Never to be Silent, Take Sides, Neutrality, Silence, Elie Wiesel

"I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Elie Wiesel

Found on Wisdom Quotes at http://www.wisdomquotes.com/authors/elie-wiesel/.

Risk, 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.

Women, Only Group, More Radical with Age, Gloria Steinem

“Women may be the only group that grows more radical with age.” - Gloria Steinem

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 44.

Throw Up Our Hands, Roll Up Our Sleeves, Kamala Harris

“This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, mobilize and stay engaged for the sake of freedom, justice and the future that we all know we can build together.” - Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Nov. 6, 2024

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2025, page 1.

When We Speak, When We Are Silent, Audre Lorde

"When we speak we are afraid our words will not be heard or welcomed. But when we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak." - Audre Lorde

This is from Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde392663.html.

Emotional, Stereotyping, Females, Shirley Chisolm

"The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'It's a girl.'" - Shirley Chisholm

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/shirleychi101403.html.

To Be Alive, Scars, John Steinbeck

“To be alive at all is to have scars.” ― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Blind with Patriotism, Wrong is Wrong, Malcolm X

"You're not supposed to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who says it." - Malcolm X

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/malcolm_x_390503.

Older I Get, Greater Power, Snowball, Susan B. Anthony

“The older I get, the greater power I seem to have to help the world; I am like a snowball – the further I am rolled the more I gain.” - Susan B. Anthony, the formidable founding mother of 19th-century American feminism.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 66.

Time, Sidelines, 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".

Voting, Most, Least, Gloria Steinem

“Voting isn't the most we can do, but it's the least.” - Gloria Steinem

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 21.

Oppressors, Oppressed, Understanding, Audre Lorde

“Oppressors always expect the oppressed to extend to them the understanding so lacking in themselves.” - Audre Lorde, Black Scholar, May – June 1979.

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 141.

Want to Write, 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.

All Else Fails, Library, Stephen King

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

Female, Validate Her Existence, 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.

Strong Woman, Stronger, Man, Indestructible, John Steinbeck

“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.” ― John Steinbeck, East of Eden

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/585.John_Steinbeck.

Words of our Enemies, Silence of our Friends, Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

From http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/31-martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-to-inspire-greatness-in-you.html.

Write, Inner Voice, Outer World, Gloria Steinem

“To write is to bring an inner voice into the outer world, to believe that our thoughts are worth entering the thinking of others, and to make real what has never existed in quite the same way before. What could be a better path to self-value that that?” - Gloria Steinem

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 20.

Because Women's Work, Never Done, Underpaid, Unpaid, Women's Liberation Movement, Brigit Books, Joyce Stevens

"Because women's work is never done and is underpaid or unpaid or boring or repetitious and we're the first to get fired and what we look like is more important than what we do and if we get raped it's our fault and if we get beaten we must have provoked it and if we raise our voices we're nagging bitches and if we enjoy sex we're nymphos and if we don't we're frigid and if we love women it's because we can't get a "real" man and if we ask our doctor too many questions we're neurotic and/or pushy and if we expect childcare we're selfish and if we stand up for our rights we're aggressive and "unfeminine" and if we don't we're typical weak females and if we want to get married we're out to trap a man and if we don't we're unnatural and because we still can't get an adequate safe contraceptive but men can walk on the moon and if we can't cope or don't want a pregnancy we're made to feel guilty about abortion and...for lots of other reasons we are part of the women's liberation movement." - Author unknown, quoted in The Torch, 14 September 1987

I first read these words on a poster at Brigit Books in St. Petersburg, Florida. Brigit Books has long since closed (darn!). But I was able to find out that Joyce Stevens wrote the above quote as a Union Song for Women's Liberation Broadsheet, International Woman's Day, 1975.

Numerous links had this listed as "Author unknown, quoted in The Torch." While I was able to find links to several magazines and newsletters listed as The Torch, none of them were ones that had listed this quote. However, we now know who wrote these words.

Little Place, Political Scheme, Independent, Creative Personality, Shirley Chisholm

“There is little place in the political scheme of things for an independent, creative personality, for a fighter. Anyone who takes that role must pay a price.” - Shirley Chisholm, professor and practitioner of political sciens, and the first black woman to battle her way into Congress.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 52.

Walking, Right Path, Make Progress, Barack Obama

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Master's Tools, Dismantle, Master's House, Audre Lorde

"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." - Audre Lorde

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde357280.html

Authentic Work of Art, Argument, Dame Rebecca West

“Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.” - Dame Rebecca West

Found in The Last Word: A Treasury of Women's Quotes, by Carolyn Warner, page 33.

Diary, Keep You, Mae West

“Keep a diary and one day it'll keep you.” - Mae West

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 33.

No Person, Friend, Silence, 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.

Fly, Run, Walk, Crawl, Moving Forward, Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

From http://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/31-martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-to-inspire-greatness-in-you.html

Mourn, Organize, Gloria Steinem

“We will not mourn. We will organize.” - Gloria Steinem, in the Special Elections 2016 issue of Ms. Magazine, page 11.

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.

Lipstick, Pig, Barack Obama

“You can put lipstick on a pig. It's still a pig.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Cheap Labor, Never Cheap, Audre Lorde

“Cheap labor is never cheap for the person who performs it.” - Audre Lorde, Commencement address, Oberlin College, May 29, 1989

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 142.

Make Progress, Sidelines, Implementing Ideas, Shirley Chisholm

“You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.” - Shirley Chisholm

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 78.

Things Known, Things Unknown, Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Feminism, Feminist, Doormat, Rebecca West

"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat." - Rebecca West

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rebecca_west_105140.

Most Terrible Things, War, Genocide, Slavery, Disobedience, Obedience, Howard Zinn

“Historically, the most terrible things – war, genocide, and slavery – have resulted not from disobedience, but from obedience.” ― Howard Zinn

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1899.Howard_Zinn.

Gratitude, Something is Missing, Humanity, Elise 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.

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.

Silence, Protect You, Audre Lorde

"Your silence will not protect you." - Audre Lorde

Found at Brainy Quote. Read it at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde357292.html.

Failures, Define You, Teach You, Barack Obama

“You can’t let your failures define you. You have to let your failures teach you.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

How to be Solitary, Art of Loving, Bell Hooks

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” - Bell Hooks

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

Trouble, Twofold, Truths, Too Complicated, Too Simple, Rebecca West

"The trouble about man is twofold. He cannot learn truths which are too complicated; he forgets truths which are too simple." - Rebecca West

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rebecca_west_108172.

Liberal, Radical, Conservative Advocate, Unpaid or Underpaid Labor, Gloria Steinem

"No man can call himself liberal, or radical, or even a conservative advocate of fair play, if his work depends in any way on the unpaid or underpaid labor of women at home, or in the office." - Gloria Steinem

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/gloria_steinem_101981.

If One's Different, Lonely, Aldous Huxley

“If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.” ― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

No Man, Good Enough, Govern, Susan B. Anthony

"No man is good enough to govern any woman without her consent." - Susan B. Anthony

Found on Notable Quotes at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

Leave Something Behind, Something Your Hand Touched, Ray Bradbury

“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.

Service, Rent Room on This Earth, Shirley Chisholm

“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.” - Shirley Chisholm

Found at Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/s/shirleychi398068.html.

Fight City Hall, Rumor, Audre Lorde

“That you can't fight City Hall is a rumor being circulated by City Hall.” - Audre Lorde

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 91.

God Forbid, Book, Banned, Indefensible, Rebecca West

"God forbid that any book should be banned. The practice is as indefensible as infanticide." - Rebecca West

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rebecca_west_137977 .

Increase Fear, Drugs, Crime, Welfare Mothers, Immigrants, Aliens, Noam Chomsky

“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.” ― Noam Chomsky

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2476.Noam_Chomsky.

Change, Contemplation, Bell Hooks

“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.

Known the Joy and Pain, Friendship, Loved Unselfishly, Living, Zora Neale Hurston

“I have known the joy and pain of friendship. I have served and been served. I have made some good enemies for which I am not a bit sorry. I have loved unselfishly, and I have fondled hatred with the red-hot tongs of Hell. That's living.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15151.Zora_Neale_Hurston.

Science, Cure for Most Evils, 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.

How Great You Are, Nobody Would Bother, Threat, Cicely Tyson

“The moment anyone tries to demean or degrade you in any way, you have to know how great you are. Nobody would bother to beat you down if you were not a threat.” - Cicely Tyson

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 70.

Racism, Major Issue, Habit, Maya Angelou

“Racism is still a major issue because it is a habit.” - Maya Angelou, in Conversations with Maya Angelou (1989)

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 10.

Child, Can't Read, Matters to Me, Senior Citizen, Prescription, Arab-American, Mexican-American, Civil Liberties, Woman, Supreme Court, Brother's Keeper, Barack Obama

“If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription, who has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer - even if it's not my grandparent. If there's an Arab-American or Mexican-American family being rounded up by John Ashcroft without benefit of an attorney or due process, I know that that threatens my civil liberties. And I don't have to be a woman to be concerned that the Supreme Court is trying to take away a woman's right, because I know that my rights are next. It is that fundamental belief - I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper - that makes this country work.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Any Woman, Intellectual, Non-Fiction, 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.

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.

Conditions of Tyranny, Act, Think, Hannah Arendt

“Under conditions of tyranny it is far easier to act than to think.” - Hannah Arendt, left-wing philosopher who promoted the radical notion that morality might have a place in politics.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 63.

Leave Footprints, Walking on Tiptoe, Leymah Gbowee

“You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.” - Leymah Gbowee

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 20.

Army of Gray-Haired Women, Take Over the Earth, Gloria Steinem

“One day, an army of gray-haired women may quietly take over the earth.” - Gloria Steinem

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 46.

Research, Formalized Curiosity, Zora Neale Hurston

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.” ― Zora Neale Hurston

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/15151.Zora_Neale_Hurston.

This World, Hell, Aldous Huxley

“Maybe this world is another planet’s hell.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

One Voice, Change a Room, Change a City, State, Nation, Barack Obama

“One voice can change a room, and if one voice can change a room, then it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a nation, it can change the world. Your voice can change the world.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

These Beings, Nonhuman, We Should Treat Them, Consideration, Jane Goodall

“In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration and kindness as we show to other humans; and as we recognize human rights, so too should we recognize the rights of the great apes? Yes.” ― Jane Goodall

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

Too Much, Good Thing, Mae West

“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful.” - Mae West

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 46.

Be Critical, Surface, Falsifies Reality, Tillie Olsen

“Be critical. Women have the right to say: This is surface, this falsifies reality, this degrades.” ― Tillie Olsen

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

Cautious, Careful People, Reform, Susan B. Anthony

“Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputations...can never effect a reform.” - Susan B. Anthony

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 11.

Call You a Bitch, Thank You, Gloria Steinem

“If they call you a bitch, say 'Thank you!'” - Gloria Steinem

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 110.

Believe, Our Ability, Bring Change, Believe in Yours, Barack Obama

“We don't ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.” ― Barack Obama

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Imagine it Possible, See Something, Rita Dove

"You have to imagine it possible before you can see something. You can have the evidence right in front of you, but if you can't imagine something that has never existed before, it's impossible." — Rita Dove, first African-American poet laureate of the U.S.

Found on Beliefnet.com at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/2010/01/inspiring-quotes-from-great-women-in-history.aspx?p=8.

Write Every Single Day, Lurk in Libraries, Sniff Books, 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.

No Change, Contemplation, Bell Hooks

“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.

Happiness, Conscious Pursuit, By-Product, Aldous Huxley

“Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

When I Grew Up, In Charge, Wilma Vaught

“What I wanted to be when I grew up was – in charge.” - Wilma Vaught, Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 156.

Evolution, Scientific Inquiry, Global Warming, Free Speech, Barack Obama

“I believe in evolution, scientific inquiry, and global warming; I believe in free speech, whether politically correct or politically incorrect, and I am suspicious of using government to impose anybody's religious beliefs -including my own- on nonbelievers.” ― Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/6356.Barack_Obama.

Interesting to Speculate, 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.

Avoiding Danger, Outright Exposure, Fearful, Bold, Helen Keller

“Avoiding danger is not safe 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.

Men Writers, Wife, Tillie Olsen

“Unlike men writers who marry, most will not have the societal equivalent of a wife-- nor (in a society hostile to growing life) anyone but themselves to mother their children.” ― Tillie Olsen, Silences

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

Courage, Most Important, Maya Angelou

"Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently." - Maya Angelou

Found on Country Living at https://www.countryliving.com/life/g5054/quotes-about-strength/?slide=18.

Try to Destroy You, Power, See It, 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.

Live Where I Want to, Say What I Want to, Paint, Georgia O'Keeffe

“One day I found myself saying to myself, 'I can't live where I want to. I can't even say what I want to!' I decided I was a very stupid fool not to at least paint as I wanted to.” - Georgia O'Keeffe, doyenne of the painted desert. Convent-educated O'Keeffe also didn't enjoy hearing about the sexual symbolism of her work, insisting that any putative crotch imagery was nothing but a crock.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 161.

You Can, Should, Brave Enough, Will, Stephen King

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Found on Goodreads. Read more at https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=✓&q=Stephen+King&commit=Search

Distrust, What God Wants Them to Do, Their Own Desires, Susan B. Anthony

“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” - Susan B. Anthony, History of Woman Suffrage

Found on Notable Quotes, at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

Every Man's Memory, Literature, Aldous Huxley

“Every man's memory is his private literature.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Women, Worrying, Men, Gloria Steinem

"I've yet to be on a campus where most women weren't worrying about some aspect of combining marriage, children, and a career. I've yet to find one where many men were worrying about the same thing." - Gloria Steinem

Found on Brainy Quote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/g/gloriastei105162.html.

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.

Taught, Blame, Change, Katharine Hepburn

“...We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers – you can blame anyone, but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's ALWAYS your fault, because if you wanted to change, you're the one who has got to change. It's as simple as that, isn't it?” - Katharine Hepburn

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 26.

Commitment, Loyalty, Love, Patience, Persistence, Cornel West, Bell Hooks

“We have to recognise that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” - Cornel West, Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life, by bell hooks

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

Woman Without a Man, Fish Without a Bicycle, Gloria Steinem

“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” - Gloria Steinem

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 129.

We the People, White Male Citizens, Rights, Susan B. Anthony

"It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union. And we formed it, not to give the blessings of liberty, but to secure them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people -- women as well as men." - Susan B. Anthony, speech after her arrest for voting in the 1872 presidential election

"Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less." - Susan B. Anthony, The Revolution, Jan. 8, 1868

First quote ("It was we, the people...") found at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

Second quote ("Men, their rights...") found at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b_ii.html.

Most Men and Women, Servitude, Aldous Huxley

“...most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution.” ― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Get Busy, Stephen King

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

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

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.

What We Do, What We Say, What We Say We Believe, Bell Hooks

“What we do is more important than what we say or what we say we believe.” - Bell Hooks

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

Creep, Soar, Helen Keller

“One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.” - Helen Keller

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 26.

Doing What You Do, Something, Grace Paley

“You come to doing what you do by not being able to do something.” - Grace Paley, failed poet, acclaimed short story writer.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 163.

Protection of Man, Protect Herself, Susan B. Anthony

"Woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself." - Susan B. Anthony, speech in San Francisco, Jul. 1871

Found on Notable Quotes at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

Stupidity, Retrospect, Missed Chances, Stephen King

“Stupidity is one of two things we see most clearly in retrospect. The other is missed chances.” - Stephen King, '11/22/63'

Don't Vote, Don't Count, Gloria Steinem

“If you don't vote, you don't count.” - Gloria Steinem

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 24.

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.

Endure, Dream, Fail, Survive, Maya Angelou

“We can endure, dream, fail...and still survive.” - Maya Angelou, in Washington Post (Jan. 19, 1993)

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 11.

Really in Earnest, Anything, Nothing, Susan B. Anthony

“Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation.” - Susan B. Anthony, the formidable founding mother of 19th-century American feminism.

Found in Loose Cannons: Devastating Dish from the World's Wildest Women, complied by Autumn Stephens, page 66.

After Silence, Music, Aldous Huxley

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” ― Aldous Huxley, Music at Night and Other Essays

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Burn Books, Destroy a Culture, Stop Reading Them, 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.

Sit on the 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".

Monsters, Ghosts, They Win, Stephen King

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real, too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” - Stephen King

People Will Forget, Said, Did, Feel, Maya Angelou

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou

Found on Goodreads. Find more here.

Obey All the Rules, Miss, Fun, Katharine Hepburn

“If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.” - Katharine Hepburn

Found in Quotes for Nasty Women: Empowering Wisdom from Women Who Break the Rules, by Linda Picone, page 87.

Grow Very Old, Slowly as Possible, Irene Mayer Selznick

“I'd like to grow very old as slowly as possible.” - Irene Mayer Selznick

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 153.

“In youth we learn; in age we understand.” - Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 154.

Experience, Happens, Man, Aldous Huxley

“Experience is not what happens to a man; it is what a man does with what happens to him.” ― Aldous Huxley, Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology With Commentaries

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Throw Up Our Hands, Roll Up Our Sleeves, Organize, Moblize, Former Vice President Kamala Harris

“This is not a time to throw up our hands. This is a time to roll up our sleeves. This is a time to organize, mobilize and stay engaged for the sake of freedom, justice and the future that we all know we can build together.” - Former Vice President Kamala Harris, Nov. 6, 2024

Found in Ms. Magazine, Winter 2025, page 1.

Only Thing, Regret, Make All the Same Mistakes, Tallulah Bankhead

“The only thing I regret about my life is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I'd make all the same mistakes – only sooner.” - Tallulah Bankhead

Found in Age Happens: The Best Quotes About Growing Older, Selected by Bruce Lansky, page 37.

The Future, Linda Moakes

“The future isn't what it used to be.” - Linda Moakes

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 123.

Life, Too Short, Charlotte Bronte

“Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrong.” - Charlotte Bronte

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 37.

Writing, Making Money, Getting Famous, Enriching YourOwn Life, Stephen King

“Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Found in Goodreads' Stephen King quotes section.

Organize, Agitate, Educate, Susan B. Anthony

"Organize, agitate, educate, must be our war cry." - Susan B. Anthony

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/susan_b_anthony_401742.

Drunk on Writing, Reality, 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.

Plain Women, Beautiful, 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.

Relationships, Commitment, Cornel West, Bell Hooks

“We have to recognise that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” - Cornel West, Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life, by bell hooks

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

Men Do Not Learn, Lessons, History, Aldous Huxley

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” ― Aldous Huxley, Collected Essays

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

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.

Enjoy Looking at Paintings, Georgia O'Keeffe

“I don't much enjoy looking at paintings in general. I know too much about them. I take them apart.” - Georgia O'Keeffe, doyenne of the painted desert. Convent-educated O'Keeffe also didn't enjoy hearing about the sexual symbolism of her work, insisting that any putative crotch imagery was nothing but a crock.

Found in Wild Words from Wild Women: An Unbridled Collection of Candid Observations & Extremely Opinionated Bon Mots, Compiled by Autumn Stephens, page 161.

Heart, Pure, Driven Slush, Tallulah Bankhead

“My heart is as pure as the driven slush.” - Tallulah Bankhead

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 34.

Prolong Slavery, Human History, Susan B. Anthony

"The prolonged slavery of woman is the darkest page in human history." - Susan B. Anthony, introduction, History of Woman Suffrage

Found on Notable Quotes at http://www.notable-quotes.com/a/anthony_susan_b.html.

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.

Never Doubt, Small Group, Change the World, Margaret Mead

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/margaret_mead_100502.

Imagine it Possible, Rita Dove

You have to imagine it possible before you can see something. You can have the evidence right in front of you, but if you can't imagine something that has never existed before, it's impossible." — Rita Dove, first African-American poet laureate of the U.S.

Found on Beliefnet.com at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/2010/01/inspiring-quotes-from-great-women-in-history.aspx?p=8.

Change the World, Oneself, Aldous Huxley

“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” ― Aldous Huxley, Point Counter Point

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Make You Believe Absurdities, Commit Atrocities, Voltaire

“Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.” - Voltaire

Found in The Sun, May 2017, pg.48, “Sunbeams”.

Trying to be Normal, Amazing, Maya Angelou

“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” - Maya Angelou

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 54.

Only One, Can 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.

Successful Woman, Coffee, Stephanie Piro

“Behind every successful woman...is a substantial amount of coffee.” - Stephanie Piro

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 16.

Rebel, Life, Tillie Olsen

“But there is more – to rebel against what will not let life be.” ― Tillie Olsen, Yonnondio: From the Thirties

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

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.

Laughter, Resistance, Gloria Steinem

“Laughter is the best resistance.” - Gloria Steinem

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 124.

Marriage, Fifty-Fifty Proposition, Men, Percentages, 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.

Words, X-Rays, Aldous Huxley

“Words can be like X-rays if you use them properly – they’ll go through anything. You read and you’re pierced.” ― Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Intoleragnt of Ignorance, Understanding of Illiteracy, Maya Angelou

"[My mother] said that I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors.” - Maya Angelou

Found in Treasury of Women's Quotations, by Carolyn Warner, page 3.

Human Relationship, Motherhood, Tillie Olsen

“More than in any human relationship, overwhelmingly more, motherhood means being instantly interruptible. It is distraction, not meditation, that becomes habitual; interruption, not continuity.” ― Tillie Olsen, Silences

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

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.

Delusions of Grandeur, Feel a Lot Better, 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.

Feminism, Women, Fuller Lives, Jane Fonda

"Feminism is not just about women; it's about letting all people lead fuller lives." - Jane Fonda

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jane_fonda_582717.

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.

Facts, Cease to Exist, Ignored, Aldous Huxley

“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” ― Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Knowledge, Wisdom, Make a Living, Make a Life, Sandra Carey

"Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life.” - Sandra Carey

Found in The Quotable Woman, by Running Press, Editor, page 134.

Peaceful Wrecks, Life, Grow Up, 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.

Most People, Grow Up, Grow Old, Give Up Something, Maya Angelou

“Most people don't really grow up. What they do is grow old, they grow tiresome even and self-righteous maybe, for it is hard to grow. Because it means they must give up something. Usually their ignorance.” - Maya Angelou, in New York Newsday, Jan. 12, 1993

Found in Contemporary Quotations in Black, compiled and edited by Anita King, page 11.

Learn From Successes, Awards, Celebrity, Wounds, Scars, Jane Fonda

"You don't learn from successes; you don't learn from awards; you don't learn from celebrity; you only learn from wounds and scars and mistakes and failures. And that's the truth." - Jane Fonda

Found on BrainyQuote at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/jane_fonda_582706.

Democracy, Political System, Equality of Humans, Dwight Eisenhower

"Democracy is essentially a political system that recognizes the equality of humans before the law." - Dwight Eisenhower, Address to Constituent Assembly, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 8/8/46

Found in Eisenhower library at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes.

One Corner of the Universe, Improving, Own Self, Aldous Huxley

“There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.

Germany, Communists, Jews, Catholics, 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.

Spend All Day, Beat the Machine, Political Power Structure, Bella Abzug

"I spend all day figuring out how to beat the machine and knock the crap out of the political power structure." - Bella Abzug

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/bellaabzug688092.html.

Worse Words, Cuss-Words, Hurt, 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.

Rainbow, Someone's Cloud, Maya Angelou

"Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud." - Maya Angelou

Found on Brainy Quote at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mayaangelo578763.html.

Life, Very Short, What We Have to Do, Audre Lorde

"Life is very short and what we have to do must be done in the now." - Audre Lorde

Found on Brainy Quote. Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/audrelorde383487.html.

Censorship, Stupid, Problem, Dwight Eisenhower

"Censorship, in my opinion, is a stupid and shallow way of approaching the solution to any problem. Though sometimes necessary, as witness a professional and technical secret that may have a bearing upon the welfare and very safety of this country, we should be very careful in the way we apply it, because in censorship always lurks the very great danger of working to the disadvantage of the American nation." - Dwight Eisehower, Associated Press luncheon, New York, New York, 4/24/50

Found in Eisenhower library at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/eisenhowers/quotes.

Moment of Time, Present Century, Alter the Nature of His World, 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.

Know The Truth, Make You Mad, Aldous Huxley

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you mad.” ― Aldous Huxley

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3487.Aldous_Huxley.