Great Women
September 12, 2008
Whether or not you agree with the politics of Senator Hillary Clinton or Governor Sarah Palin, they have changed our world. In the most powerful nation in the world, which prizes its democracy, the right to vote was bestowed on women less than ninety years ago. And it is only this year that two strong women have broken through to be seriously considered as a president and as a vice-president.
With that in mind, I open a little paperback called GREAT QUOTES FROM GREAT WOMEN. I say little, because it measures 3" x 5". The first woman to become a state governor was Ella Grasso, born the year before women won the right to vote, died in 1989. She says "I would not be President because I do not aspire to be President but I'm sure that a woman will be President. When? I don't know. It depends. I don't think the woods are full of candidates today."
Remember Shirley Chisholm? She ran for the Presidential nomination for the Democratic party in 1972 and won 158 delegate votes. She said, "Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt."
And the first woman to be nominated vice-president of the U.S. Geraldine Ferraro said, "We've chosen the path to equality; don't let them turn us around."
I know of several women whose three-year old girls begged to watch Hillary Clinton on TV during her momentous speech in which she stepped aside and backed her opponent, Barack Obama. Three year old girls!
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt.
The book is full of inspirational quotes, some political, some comedic, some historic. There are two quotes I have embraced in my life. One is in the book. One is not.
These words by actress Helen Hayes are in GREAT QUOTES FROM GREAT WOMEN. I also memorized them for an acting class I once took. We were told to find a passage that resonated. In some small part, I chose the quote because when I was at a vulnerable stage in my life -- right after college, barely able to speak with or without permission, I was working at a boutique PR agency in New York, setting up for an event, and in walked Helen Hayes. The client was a hairstylist, so we had effectively taken over a beauty salon, closed it, in fact. The actress was unexpected, and she not sent away -- Helen Hayes was the only person in the entire salon who was not working on this event. What struck me was her stature and the powerful energy she eminated as she entered the salon. No one could say "no" to her; no one would want to. She was stunning, even in silence. Elegant.
Helen Hayes' words which impressed me:
"Yes, I have doubted. I have wandered off the path, but I always return. It is intuitive, an intrinsic, built-in sense of direction. I seem always to find my way home. My faith has wavered but saved me."
And the quote that awakened me -- which was not in the book -- is from Anais Nin:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Whether or not you agree with the politics of Senator Hillary Clinton or Governor Sarah Palin, they have changed our world. In the most powerful nation in the world, which prizes its democracy, the right to vote was bestowed on women less than ninety years ago. And it is only this year that two strong women have broken through to be seriously considered as a president and as a vice-president.
With that in mind, I open a little paperback called GREAT QUOTES FROM GREAT WOMEN. I say little, because it measures 3" x 5". The first woman to become a state governor was Ella Grasso, born the year before women won the right to vote, died in 1989. She says "I would not be President because I do not aspire to be President but I'm sure that a woman will be President. When? I don't know. It depends. I don't think the woods are full of candidates today."
Remember Shirley Chisholm? She ran for the Presidential nomination for the Democratic party in 1972 and won 158 delegate votes. She said, "Tremendous amounts of talent are being lost to our society just because that talent wears a skirt."
And the first woman to be nominated vice-president of the U.S. Geraldine Ferraro said, "We've chosen the path to equality; don't let them turn us around."
I know of several women whose three-year old girls begged to watch Hillary Clinton on TV during her momentous speech in which she stepped aside and backed her opponent, Barack Obama. Three year old girls!
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt.
The book is full of inspirational quotes, some political, some comedic, some historic. There are two quotes I have embraced in my life. One is in the book. One is not.
These words by actress Helen Hayes are in GREAT QUOTES FROM GREAT WOMEN. I also memorized them for an acting class I once took. We were told to find a passage that resonated. In some small part, I chose the quote because when I was at a vulnerable stage in my life -- right after college, barely able to speak with or without permission, I was working at a boutique PR agency in New York, setting up for an event, and in walked Helen Hayes. The client was a hairstylist, so we had effectively taken over a beauty salon, closed it, in fact. The actress was unexpected, and she not sent away -- Helen Hayes was the only person in the entire salon who was not working on this event. What struck me was her stature and the powerful energy she eminated as she entered the salon. No one could say "no" to her; no one would want to. She was stunning, even in silence. Elegant.
Helen Hayes' words which impressed me:
"Yes, I have doubted. I have wandered off the path, but I always return. It is intuitive, an intrinsic, built-in sense of direction. I seem always to find my way home. My faith has wavered but saved me."
And the quote that awakened me -- which was not in the book -- is from Anais Nin:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Labels: Anais Nin, Geraldine Ferraro, GREAT QUOTES FROM GREAT WOMEN, Helen Hayes, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, Shirley Chisholm
posted by Diana Page Jordan @ 11:16 PM
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