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Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World QUOTES

Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World QUOTES

1 " I hate the phrase 'having it all,' because it demeans women who do stay home with their children, by implying that their lives are less than full. One of the main goals of the feminist movement is that all women should be able to make the best choices for themselves and their families, and no one should be belittled, degraded, or disregarded because of what she chooses to do. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

2 " Those last six words—'for a time such as this'—resonate with me to my core. I believe that in certain situations, we each have a moral responsibility to act. We all have unique opportunities that derive from our unique circumstances, and we have a duty to take them. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

3 " So, please, let's stop talking about 'having it all' and start talking about the very real challenges of 'doing it all.' The old debate pits women against one another and distracts the conversation from what truly matters—figuring out how working mothers can get the support they need to achieve economic security and build better, happier, more-balanced lives. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

4 " Recently in America, we've fallen into a never-ending debate about whether women can 'have it all.' It's an absurd frame for many reasons. The first: For almost all mothers, earning money is a necessity, not a choice. Women work to provide for themselves and their children. We need to stop pretending that work is optional for all but the most financially secure American women.

Second: The word 'have' in that phrase drives me crazy. It sounds like women are being greedy, trying to finagle more than their fair share, more than they're due. This is preposterous. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

5 " It truly disturbs me how little some leaders care. Few lobby for food stamps, because the people who need them aren't in positions of power. The logic is sad and twisted. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

6 " I'd applied all of my intellect to that case, worked day and night, put in tons of travel, canceled vacations. Now, instead of recognizing my leadership, smarts, or dedication, he was praising my appearance. This would never have happened to a man. No partner would have raised her glass and said, 'Wow, Joe, you must be working out really hard. Looking good! "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

7 " Comments about appearance belittle women professionally. Sadly, that's the culture we still live in. We need to start trying to change it by calling out undercutting remarks and educating our peers, but we also have to find a way to navigate the current reality. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

8 " How, in this country, the wealthiest country in the world, can we allow children to go hungry? "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

9 " If women in all stages of life don't get involved and fight for what we want, plans will be made that we may not like, and it'll be our own damned fault. I think about this everyday. It's true at every level, from the Capitol to your city's town hall to your neighborhood school. We need to participate, and we need to be heard. Our lives, our communities, and our world will be better for it. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

10 " the chronic underfunding of the Veterans Administration. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

11 " Respondents said they were less likely to vote for power-seeking women compared to power-seeking men and even non-power-seeking women. They perceived ambitious women as only out for themselves. They even reported ambitious women provoking feelings of disgust. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

12 " We need to change the structure of our workplaces to reflect the face of our workforce. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

13 " Comments about appearance belittle women professionally. Sadly, "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

14 " Americans need to demand change. Ours is the only nation in the developed world with no paid maternity leave. We have no paid family sick leave. We don't ensure affordable daycare, or provide universal pre-K, or mandate equal pay for equal work. And what do we do when our representatives fail to fight for these things? Nothing. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

15 " We need new and better policies that support women and allow all women to rise. We need to end the cycle of women studying hard, starting careers, climbing through the ranks, taking time off to care for children, and never again finding a job as good as the one they left. We "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

16 " I hate to say this, but we’ve let the women’s movement slip away. In 2010, under a Democratic pro-choice president and with a Democratic pro-choice female speaker of the House, we allowed the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to come to a vote. That amendment sought to deny women the right to purchase healthcare and reproductive services with their own money. What "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

17 " Our economic policies are undermining our future. The promise of the American dream was that if you worked hard, you could make it into the middle class. If we don't raise the minimum wage, provide affordable daycare and universal pre-K, and mandate paid family medical leave and equal pay for equal work, we are allowing that dream to fade away. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

18 " We need to use the power we have as women to shape a country that supports all of us. We need to vote for elected officials who understand all of our issues. We need to hold our representatives accountable once we've elected them. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

19 " Two: Trust yourself. If you don’t, nobody will believe in you. Confidence is infectious and builds momentum. Share your faith in yourself. You’ll be surprised how quickly others will come to have faith in you, too. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World

20 " While it's true that most females born after 1960 have been told from childhood, 'The sky's the limit' and 'You can be anything you want to be,' a surprising number of women still hesitate when applying these mantras to their own careers. They need to be talked into believing in themselves and assured that others won't think less of them for setting high goals. "

― Kirsten Gillibrand , Off the Sidelines: Raise Your Voice, Change the World