Feminism often (read: constantly) gets a bad rap, so it’s nice to get reminded just how important it is every once in a while. What better way to reflect on the significance of feminism than to read a selection of inspiring, frank quotes from fearless, influential feminists? Here are a few of our favorites:
“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
“Feminism is hated because women are hated. Anti-feminism is a direct expression of misogyny; it is the political defense of women hating.” – Andrea Dworkin
“Though we have the courage to raise our daughters more like our sons, we’ve rarely had the courage to raise our sons like our daughters.” – Gloria Steinem
“We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
“I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.” – Audre Lorde
“A feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘yes there is a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it. We must do better.’” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“You don’t have to be pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.’” – Diana Vreeland
“Culture does not make people – people make culture. So if it is in fact true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, we must make it our culture. […] A feminist is a man or a woman who says, ‘yes there is a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it. We must do better.’” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” – G.D Anderson
“Feminism is the radical notion that women are human beings.” – Cheris Kramarae
“If any female feels she need anything beyond herself to legitimate and validate her existence, she is already giving away her power to be self-defining, her agency.” – bell hooks
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