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114 Gloria Steinem Quotes That Will Inspire Generations Of Feminists

Famous As: American Feminist Journalist and Co-Founder of ‘Ms,' Magazine
Born On: March 25, 1934
Born In: Toledo, Ohio, United States
Age: 89 Years

Gloria Steinem is a celebrated American social political activist, feminist, and journalist. She gained prominence in the late 1960s and the early 1970s as a spokeswoman and leader for the American feminist movement. She hogged the limelight after publishing an article titled “After Black Power, Women’s Liberation.” She is also recognized as a media spokeswoman on issues of equality, a lecturer and an organizer. We have collected some quotes and sayings by Gloria Steinem which have been excerpted from her writings, books, statements, thoughts, public utterances, interviews, speeches, and lectures. Zoom through motivational and noteworthy quotes and thoughts by Gloria Steinem on mind, body, emotions, dream, believe, heartbreaks, past, impact, women, ambition, equality, change, healing, feminist etc.

The AIDS crisis has brought us a consciousness of the immune system as the most important health-maintenance element, and a consciousness of how it is under attack.

The AIDS crisis has brought us a consciousness of the immune system as the most important health-maintenance element, and a consciousness of how it is under attack.

Gloria Steinem
One's enemies are always talking about 'post-feminism.' It is a word invented by people who would like to do away with feminism.

One's enemies are always talking about 'post-feminism.' It is a word invented by people who would like to do away with feminism.

Gloria Steinem
I think Hefner himself wants to go down in history as a person of sophistication and glamour. But the last person I would want to go down in history as is Hugh Hefner.

I think Hefner himself wants to go down in history as a person of sophistication and glamour. But the last person I would want to go down in history as is Hugh Hefner.

Gloria Steinem
Feminism began to dawn on my brain belatedly in life.

Feminism began to dawn on my brain belatedly in life.

Gloria Steinem
Pearl Jam doesn't just sing about issues they care about. These guys walk it like they talk it.

Pearl Jam doesn't just sing about issues they care about. These guys walk it like they talk it.

Gloria Steinem
Women's progress has been a collective effort.

Women's progress has been a collective effort.

Gloria Steinem
Women tend to be conservative in youth and get more radical as they get older because they lose power with age. So if a young woman is not a feminist, I say, 'Just wait.'

Women tend to be conservative in youth and get more radical as they get older because they lose power with age. So if a young woman is not a feminist, I say, 'Just wait.'

Gloria Steinem
Republicans may learn they can't appeal to right-wing patriarchs and most women at the same time.

Republicans may learn they can't appeal to right-wing patriarchs and most women at the same time.

Gloria Steinem
There are six million female lives lost in the world every year simply because they are female.

There are six million female lives lost in the world every year simply because they are female.

Gloria Steinem
A majority of Americans want redemption for racism - for our terrible, destructive racist past - and so see a vote for Obama as redemptive.

A majority of Americans want redemption for racism - for our terrible, destructive racist past - and so see a vote for Obama as redemptive.

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

Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry.

Gloria Steinem
Fashion in the past meant conforming and losing oneself. Fashion in the present means being individual and finding oneself.

Fashion in the past meant conforming and losing oneself. Fashion in the present means being individual and finding oneself.

Gloria Steinem
The Constitution did not mention women when it was first written, and it still doesn't.

The Constitution did not mention women when it was first written, and it still doesn't.

Gloria Steinem
Nothing changes the gender equation more significantly than women's economic freedom.

Nothing changes the gender equation more significantly than women's economic freedom.

Gloria Steinem
Female inferiority is internalised by us. Women need a lot more confidence.

Female inferiority is internalised by us. Women need a lot more confidence.

Gloria Steinem
There is nothing more fundamental than the idea that the government does not have a right to decide when and whether we have children.

There is nothing more fundamental than the idea that the government does not have a right to decide when and whether we have children.

Gloria Steinem
The surest way to be alone is to get married.

The surest way to be alone is to get married.

Gloria Steinem
Secretary of state is far superior to vice president, because it's involved in continuously solving problems and making policy and not being on standby.

Secretary of state is far superior to vice president, because it's involved in continuously solving problems and making policy and not being on standby.

Gloria Steinem
The problem for all women is we're identified by how we look instead of by our heads and our hearts.

The problem for all women is we're identified by how we look instead of by our heads and our hearts.

Gloria Steinem
Liberation does not come from outside.

Liberation does not come from outside.

Gloria Steinem
I can say whatever it is that I feel.

I can say whatever it is that I feel.

Gloria Steinem
You can compel fear. You can even make someone feel they're in love if they're isolated and dependent for long enough. But laughter is free.

You can compel fear. You can even make someone feel they're in love if they're isolated and dependent for long enough. But laughter is free.

Gloria Steinem
You know there is a person inside every baby, right? And anybody who has ever met a baby knows there is already a person in there.

You know there is a person inside every baby, right? And anybody who has ever met a baby knows there is already a person in there.

Gloria Steinem
I didn't go to school a full year until I was 11 or 12, so I lived in books. I really was an observer of life.

I didn't go to school a full year until I was 11 or 12, so I lived in books. I really was an observer of life.

Gloria Steinem
If you're going to have a male-dominant system, to maintain the system, you have to teach men to dominate.

If you're going to have a male-dominant system, to maintain the system, you have to teach men to dominate.

Gloria Steinem
The origins of violence against women by men are not biological. If that were the case, it would exist in every culture. And it doesn't exist in every culture.

The origins of violence against women by men are not biological. If that were the case, it would exist in every culture. And it doesn't exist in every culture.

Gloria Steinem
Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before.

Like art, revolutions come from combining what exists into what has never existed before.

Gloria Steinem
The only thing I can't stand is discomfort.

The only thing I can't stand is discomfort.

Gloria Steinem
Most women are one man away from welfare.

Most women are one man away from welfare.

Gloria Steinem
Logic is in the eye of the logician.

Logic is in the eye of the logician.

Gloria Steinem
The Miss America Pageant reinforces a belief that women are merely how they look and how they please.

The Miss America Pageant reinforces a belief that women are merely how they look and how they please.

Gloria Steinem
You can see the absence of women in governing bodies from Congress to state legislators, on corporate boards, in tenured positions in academia, and as forepeople in factories.

You can see the absence of women in governing bodies from Congress to state legislators, on corporate boards, in tenured positions in academia, and as forepeople in factories.

Gloria Steinem
What we need to be able to do is count all human experience. So I would like to count the secretarial positions as good training places to take over the jobs of the bosses.

What we need to be able to do is count all human experience. So I would like to count the secretarial positions as good training places to take over the jobs of the bosses.

Gloria Steinem
Because we are communal creatures, if you're with people who think you're smart, you're smart, and if they think you're dumb, you're dumb.

Because we are communal creatures, if you're with people who think you're smart, you're smart, and if they think you're dumb, you're dumb.

Gloria Steinem
We must begin to shift the emphasis of teen-age pregnancy to teen-age boys.

We must begin to shift the emphasis of teen-age pregnancy to teen-age boys.

Gloria Steinem
Monotheism makes me grouchy. I don't trust any religion that makes God look like one of the ruling class. I guess I'm a pagan or an animist.

Monotheism makes me grouchy. I don't trust any religion that makes God look like one of the ruling class. I guess I'm a pagan or an animist.

Gloria Steinem
I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.

I looked up affirmative action once in Wikipedia, and it said, 'A measure by which white men are discriminated against,' and I got so mad.

Gloria Steinem
To say 'radical feminist' is only a way of indicating that I believe the sexual caste system is a root of race and class and other divisions.

To say 'radical feminist' is only a way of indicating that I believe the sexual caste system is a root of race and class and other divisions.

Gloria Steinem
Clearly no one knows what leadership has gone undiscovered in women of all races, and in black and other minority men.

Clearly no one knows what leadership has gone undiscovered in women of all races, and in black and other minority men.

Gloria Steinem
Children are short people. Some you like, some you don't.

Children are short people. Some you like, some you don't.

Gloria Steinem
Everything about aging in my experience so far has been a plus. Except the death part!

Everything about aging in my experience so far has been a plus. Except the death part!

Gloria Steinem
From pacifist to terrorist, each person condemns violence - and then adds one cherished case in which it may be justified.

From pacifist to terrorist, each person condemns violence - and then adds one cherished case in which it may be justified.

Gloria Steinem
The electoral system is not where change starts - it usually starts in communities and from the bottom up - but it is where change can be stopped.

The electoral system is not where change starts - it usually starts in communities and from the bottom up - but it is where change can be stopped.

Gloria Steinem
We'll never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.

We'll never solve the feminization of power until we solve the masculinity of wealth.

Gloria Steinem
Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn't know it's about inviting more people to meet standards, not lowering them.

Perhaps McCain has opposed affirmative action for so long that he doesn't know it's about inviting more people to meet standards, not lowering them.

Gloria Steinem
Law and justice are not always the same.

Law and justice are not always the same.

Gloria Steinem
I think if women are visible in the media, truly visible, in an empowered role, it empowers us to be more visible in any area of our lives.

I think if women are visible in the media, truly visible, in an empowered role, it empowers us to be more visible in any area of our lives.

Gloria Steinem
Burnout is a way of telling you that your form of activism was perhaps not very full circle.

Burnout is a way of telling you that your form of activism was perhaps not very full circle.

Gloria Steinem
Men should think twice before making widow hood woman's only path to power.

Men should think twice before making widow hood woman's only path to power.

Gloria Steinem
All those chemicals that create empathy only work when you are in a room together.

All those chemicals that create empathy only work when you are in a room together.

Gloria Steinem
Gerda Lerner was fierce, brilliant and unique. She lived history by her bravery, restored history by her scholarship, and democratized its study by her activism.

Gerda Lerner was fierce, brilliant and unique. She lived history by her bravery, restored history by her scholarship, and democratized its study by her activism.

Gloria Steinem
It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than watch it accumulate.

It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than watch it accumulate.

Gloria Steinem
If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?

If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?

Gloria Steinem
It's easier to blame the person with less power.

It's easier to blame the person with less power.

Gloria Steinem
Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.

Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.

Gloria Steinem
Obviously, there is much similarity among the challenges of transgender people and all women - from health care to harassment to discrimination in the workplace.

Obviously, there is much similarity among the challenges of transgender people and all women - from health care to harassment to discrimination in the workplace.

Gloria Steinem
The same way that racism is a white person's problem, violence against women is a men's problem.

The same way that racism is a white person's problem, violence against women is a men's problem.

Gloria Steinem
The first resistance to social change is to say it's not necessary.

The first resistance to social change is to say it's not necessary.

Gloria Steinem
I'm a freelance person, and I've always been able to support myself.

I'm a freelance person, and I've always been able to support myself.

Gloria Steinem
Perfect is boring: Beauty is irregular.

Perfect is boring: Beauty is irregular.

Gloria Steinem
The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.

The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn.

Gloria Steinem
God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there's no turning back.

God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there's no turning back.

Gloria Steinem
The danger of the Internet is cocooning with the like-minded online - of sending an email or Twitter and confusing that with action - while the real corporate and military and government centers of power go right on.

The danger of the Internet is cocooning with the like-minded online - of sending an email or Twitter and confusing that with action - while the real corporate and military and government centers of power go right on.

Gloria Steinem
There's a big gap between public opinion polls and the vote in Washington, in Congress.

There's a big gap between public opinion polls and the vote in Washington, in Congress.

Gloria Steinem
Diane Keaton is good for women in and of herself. She's smart and funny and real.

Diane Keaton is good for women in and of herself. She's smart and funny and real.

Gloria Steinem
In a way, women are a psychic immigrant group.

In a way, women are a psychic immigrant group.

Gloria Steinem
I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.

I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.

Gloria Steinem
Men may feel just disempowered by intimacy, by being close to a woman, and also by feeling the tender feelings that they're ashamed of.

Men may feel just disempowered by intimacy, by being close to a woman, and also by feeling the tender feelings that they're ashamed of.

Gloria Steinem
Because women of color were more likely to be in the paid labor force, they were more likely to recognize discrimination, so they were always leading the women's movement.

Because women of color were more likely to be in the paid labor force, they were more likely to recognize discrimination, so they were always leading the women's movement.

Gloria Steinem
Women are liked better when they lose.

Women are liked better when they lose.

Gloria Steinem
I'm so happy that we're finally hearing the stories and voices of women who make America. We do what we see, not what we're told, so an incomplete story of this country damages everyone.

I'm so happy that we're finally hearing the stories and voices of women who make America. We do what we see, not what we're told, so an incomplete story of this country damages everyone.

Gloria Steinem
I always wanted to put a sign up on the road to Yale saying, 'Beware: Deconstruction Ahead.'

I always wanted to put a sign up on the road to Yale saying, 'Beware: Deconstruction Ahead.'

Gloria Steinem
Planning ahead is a measure of class. The rich and even the middle class plan for future generations, but the poor can plan ahead only a few weeks or days.

Planning ahead is a measure of class. The rich and even the middle class plan for future generations, but the poor can plan ahead only a few weeks or days.

Gloria Steinem
The mark, to me, of a constructive argument is one that looks at a specific problem and says, 'What shall we do about this?' And a nonconstructive one is one that tries to label people.

The mark, to me, of a constructive argument is one that looks at a specific problem and says, 'What shall we do about this?' And a nonconstructive one is one that tries to label people.

Gloria Steinem
Hope is a very unruly emotion.

Hope is a very unruly emotion.

Gloria Steinem
For much of the female half of the world, food is the first signal of our inferiority. It lets us know that our own families may consider female bodies to be less deserving, less needy, less valuable.

For much of the female half of the world, food is the first signal of our inferiority. It lets us know that our own families may consider female bodies to be less deserving, less needy, less valuable.

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.

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
A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.

A pedestal is as much a prison as any small, confined space.

Gloria Steinem
It's an incredible con job when you think about it, to believe something now in exchange for something after death. Even corporations with their reward systems don't try to make it posthumous.

It's an incredible con job when you think about it, to believe something now in exchange for something after death. Even corporations with their reward systems don't try to make it posthumous.

Gloria Steinem
The most hurtful thing is not what comes from our adversaries, it's what comes from our friends.

The most hurtful thing is not what comes from our adversaries, it's what comes from our friends.

Gloria Steinem
If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.

If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.

Gloria Steinem
A parking lot attendant who's a guy makes a lot more money than a child-care attendant who's a woman.

A parking lot attendant who's a guy makes a lot more money than a child-care attendant who's a woman.

Gloria Steinem
We're never going to have democratic countries or peaceful countries until we have democratic or peaceful families.

We're never going to have democratic countries or peaceful countries until we have democratic or peaceful families.

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.

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
Childbirth is more admirable than conquest, more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one.

Childbirth is more admirable than conquest, more amazing than self-defense, and as courageous as either one.

Gloria Steinem
Movements are like rivers. Dipping into them is never the same twice.

Movements are like rivers. Dipping into them is never the same twice.

Gloria Steinem
We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach.

We need to remember across generations that there is as much to learn as there is to teach.

Gloria Steinem
If you ask men about their body image, they will tell you they look better than they do. And if you ask a woman, she'll tell you she looks worse.

If you ask men about their body image, they will tell you they look better than they do. And if you ask a woman, she'll tell you she looks worse.

Gloria Steinem
Anger is energising. The opposite of anger is depression, which is anger turned inward.

Anger is energising. The opposite of anger is depression, which is anger turned inward.

Gloria Steinem
The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving.

The future depends entirely on what each of us does every day; a movement is only people moving.

Gloria Steinem
Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.

Power can be taken, but not given. The process of the taking is empowerment in itself.

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

A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.

Gloria Steinem
There's no greater gift than thinking that you had some impact on the world, for the better.

There's no greater gift than thinking that you had some impact on the world, for the better.

Gloria Steinem
Being misunderstood by people whose opinions you value is absolutely the most painful.

Being misunderstood by people whose opinions you value is absolutely the most painful.

Gloria Steinem
Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.

Gloria Steinem
A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.

A gender-equal society would be one where the word 'gender' does not exist: where everyone can be themselves.

Gloria Steinem

Pop culture shapes our ideas of what is normal and what our dreams can be and what our roles are. Politics, of course, decides how the power and the money in the country is distributed. Both are equally important, and each affects the other.

Gloria Steinem

Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It's about baking a new pie.

Gloria Steinem

I hate to generalize, but in general, both men and women suffer from ageism. Men much less because men gain power as they get older. Women lose power as they get older. Men are seen as gaining experience and being distinguished. Sons look forward to replacing their fathers.

Gloria Steinem

Women don't want to exchange places with men. Male chauvinists, science-fiction writers and comedians may favor that idea for its shock value, but psychologists say it is a fantasy based on ruling-class ego and guilt.

Gloria Steinem

I'm not saying that women leaders would eliminate violence. We are not more moral than men; we are only uncorrupted by power so far. When we do acquire power, we might turn out to have an equal impulse toward aggression.

Gloria Steinem

The deepest change begins with men raising children as much as women do and women being equal actors in the world outside the home. There are many ways of supporting that, from something as simple as paid sick leave and flexible work hours to attributing an economic value to all caregiving and making that amount tax deductible.

Gloria Steinem