For thousands of years, men have written history, so it seems to me that most of what we've read is from the male point of view.
Stacy SchiffRead
A woman can never be too rich or too thin, but until very, very recently, she could be too powerful, for which - if she wasn't smart enough to camouflage herself - she generally paid the price.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights that societal standards often limit women's power and success, suggesting they must be cautious in displaying such traits.
Stacy Schiff's quote reflects on the historical context where women faced repercussions for being powerful, emphasizing the societal norms that dictate acceptable behaviors for women. It suggests that while wealth and thinness were celebrated traits, power was often feared and suppressed, compelling women to hide their strength to avoid backlash.
Themes
PowerWomenSocietyLimitCamouflage
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be used in a women's empowerment seminar to discuss societal expectations.
More from Stacy Schiff
All quotes →And in the absence of facts, myth rushes in, the kudzu of history.
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It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather than to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.
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Cleopatra had one great advantage. She lived at a time when female sovereigns were not anomalies. And when women enjoyed rights they would not again enjoy for another 2,000 years. You could call them early feminists, if I may use a dirty word.
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Power has for so long been a male construct that it distorted the shape of the first women who tried it on, only to find themselves in a sort of straitjacket.
Stacy SchiffRead
Women enjoyed rights in Egypt they would not again enjoy for more than 2,000 years. They owned ships, ran vineyards, filed lawsuits, practiced medicine. Their husbands supported them after divorce. Their power was unprecedented.
Stacy SchiffRead
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