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1 " And listen to me love, when a woman risks her place, her very life to speak a truth the world despises? Believe her. Always. "
― Joy McCullough , Blood Water Paint
2 " Why, though, does it take a mother, daughter, sister for men to take a woman at her word? "
3 " Because she is not small. She is not weak. She will never, ever be feebleminded, And above all, she is outraged. The world will tell you not to be outraged, love. They will tell you to sit quietly, be kind. Be a lady. And when they do? Be Judith instead. "
4 " Wouldn't it be convenientif I stayed forever locked here,turning my headas he signs his nameto my work, never caringif anyone knowswho actually bled onto the canvas? "
5 " In my mother’s mirror, my breasts follow. They’re not half spheres unyielding, behaving how a man believes they ought. They shift and change, they form and function, and they’re mine. "
6 " Piazzas, churches named for a teenager who gave life to the Christ. Sculptures, paintings, frescoes devoted to her holiness. But the only thing about her we remember, she was a virgin. "
7 " I wish men would decide if women are heavenly angels on high, or earthbound sculptures for their gardens. But either way, we're beauty for consumption. "
8 " Not all stories have happy endings. I cannot promise this one will either. But I am certain you will be glad you stayed with Susanna to the end. She deserves that much - a witness, one who says I see you, hear you, I'm better for knowing your story "
9 " Sometimes that’s all you need my love – another woman’s faith in you. "
10 " I take a length of cloth and hold it to my head - a wedding veil. I do not regret the days of make-believe, but for every time I played at bride I should have played at goddess, river, warrior queen "
11 " But that’s the thing about perspective; the slightest shift transforms the subject. "
12 " Others will tell you Daniel saved Susanna's life. But hear this: Susanna used her voice. She spoke her truth. She could not expect her words to change a single heart, but neither could she be silent. Her words saved her life. "
13 " Being in the right is not always the solace you might expect. "
14 " Because he is a monster. But he’s strong and powerful, and from most perspectives, he’s on the winning side. She has to ask herself – and women have asked themselves this question for centuries – would she rather be suffocated slowly for the rest of her life, or die quickly trying to accomplish something. "
15 " There will come a day,when this horror is not theonly color on your palette. "
16 " Any man who breathes has more power than a woman in her world – and our world too. "
17 " For I am a little girl when they want to belittle me, a woman when they want me to bear a child. "
18 " If you remember nothing else of Susanna, remember how she speaks her truth. She knows it will cost her something. She's not aware yet quite how steep the cost will be, but still she speaks her truth. "
19 " No matter how many layers of paint pile one, I will always be the sketch beneath. Useful, even crucial, but never what’s admired by the world. "
20 " Sisters share a bond unlike any other – thornier, but also tender, full of possibility. "
