Measure of a Man, Power, Plato

“The measure of a man is what he does with power.” ― Plato

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/879.Plato.

Women's Work, Never Done, Underpaid, The Torch, 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.

Older I Get, Definition of Maturity, Brett Butler

“The older I get, the simpler the definition of maturity seems: it's the length of time between when I realize someone is a jackass and when I tell them that they're one.” - Brett Butler

Found in Women's Lip: Outrageous, Irreverent and Just Plain Hilarious Quotes, edited by Roz Warren, page 76.

Keep a 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.

Infatuation, Love, Judith Viorst

“Infatuation is when you think he's as sexy as Robert Redford, as smart as Henry Kissinger, as noble as Ralph Nader, as funny as Woody Allen, and as athletic as Jimmy Conners. Love is when you realize that he's as sexy as Woody Allen, as smart as Jimmy Connors, as funny as Ralph Nader, as athletic as Henry Kissinger and nothing like Robert Redford - but you'll take him anyway.” ― Judith Viorst, Redbook 1975

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3080.Judith_Viorst.

Readers, Leaders, Harry S. Truman

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” ― Harry S. Truman

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/203941.Harry_Truman.

Begin at Once, Live, Separate Life, Seneca

“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ― Seneca

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/4918776.Seneca.

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.

Measure Democracy, Dissidents, Assimilated Conformists, Abbie Hoffman

"You measure democracy by the freedom it gives its dissidents, not the freedom it gives its assimilated conformists." - Abbie Hoffman

Found at https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/abbie_hoffman.html.

Worse Than Failing, Not Having Tried, What If?, 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.

Millions of Voices, Change, Barack Obama

“Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.” ― Barack Obama

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

Strength, Break a Hershey Bar, Eat Just One of the Pieces, Judith Viorst, Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life, Etc.

“Strength is the capacity to break a Hershey bar into four pieces with your bare hands - and then eat just one of the pieces.” ― Judith Viorst, Love and Guilt and the Meaning of Life, Etc.

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/3080.Judith_Viorst.

Rainbow, Rain, Dolly Parton

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain!" - Dolly Parton

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/144067.Dolly_Parton.

Life Doesn't Count, Do Your Small Part, Better World, Barack Obama

“What I’ve realized is that life doesn’t count for much unless you’re willing to do your small part to leave our children — all of our children — a better world. Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father.” - Barack Obama

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

Race, Impostor Syndrome, Rachel Entrekin

“During the race … the mantra that I kept saying was like ‘Why not you?’ I felt a lot of impostor syndrome when I was out front at mile 50 – like ‘What are you doing?’ … Maybe especially women, we tend to talk ourselves out of even trying to do things because we think that we’re not qualitifed or we don’t have the experiences or we don’t whatever – but why not? Why not try?” - American ultramarathoner Rachel Entrekin, who beat out every other runner (men included) in a record-breaking finish in Arizona’s Cocodona 250.

Found in Summer 2026 issue of Ms. Magazine, page 6.

Died, Buried, Benjamin Franklin

“Many people die at twenty five and aren't buried until they are seventy five.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/289513.Benjamin_Franklin.

Misunderstood, Condemned, Gloria Steinem

“Being misunderstood by people whose opinions you value is way more painful than being condemned by your enemies.” - 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 91.

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.

Writing, Money, Famous, 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.

Your Actions, Legacy, Inspires Others, Excellent Leadear, Dolly Parton

"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader." - Dolly Parton

Found on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/144067.Dolly_Parton.