Thoughtful quotes about women, women's lives, and how women assess their sense of self-worth.

Words of Wisdom

"Women’s lives are made up of cycles of descent and ascent." (Sue Monk Kid)

"It is observed that women are closer to the earth." (Susan Griffin)

"The queens in history compare favorably with the kings." (Susan B. Anthony)

"The woman's place of power within each of us is neither white nor surface; it is dark, it is ancient, it is deep." (Audre Lorde)

"One is not born a woman, one becomes one." (Simone de Beauvoir)

"But why didn’t you leave? Why didn’t you take the job? Why didn’t you marry the other man? She would always insist it didn’t matter, she was lucky to have my sister and me. If I pressed hard enough, she would add, ‘If I’d left, you never would have been born.’ I always thought but never had the courage to say: ‘But you might have been born instead." (Gloria Steinhem)

"In the womb we all begin as female." (author unknown)

"Women have a tendency to assess their sense of self-worth in relation to the condition of their intimate relationships." (Maggie Scarf)

"Women can talk to each other in short hand…They possess highly tuned powers of empathy – being able to sense what another feels because they must. They have to know which way to jump; it is only dominant people who can afford to be insensitive." (Gail Sheehy)

"…many women truly cannot tolerate or allow themselves to feel that their life activities are for themselves." (Jean Baker Miller)

"And what would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open." (author unknown)

next: Work