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Revolution from Within
“Without self-esteem, the only change is an exchange of masters; with it, there is no need for masters.” —Gloria Steinem
When trying to find books to give to “the countless brave and smart women I met who didn’t think of themselves as either brave or smart,” Gloria Steinem realized that books either supposed that external political change would cure everything or that internal change would. None linked internal and external change together in a seamless circle of cause and effect, effect and cause. She undertook to write such a book, and ended up transforming herself as well as others.
The result of her external plus internal reflection is this bestselling and truly transforming book: part collection of personal stories from her own life and the lives of many others, part revolutionary guide to finding community and inspiration. Steinem finds role models in a very young and uncertain Gandhi as well as unlikely heroes from the streets to history. Revolution from Within addresses the core issues of self-authority and unjust external authority, and argues that the first is necessary to transform the second.
When trying to find books to give to “the countless brave and smart women I met who didn’t think of themselves as either brave or smart,” Gloria Steinem realized that books either supposed that external political change would cure everything or that internal change would. None linked internal and external change together in a seamless circle of cause and effect, effect and cause. She undertook to write such a book, and ended up transforming herself as well as others.
The result of her external plus internal reflection is this bestselling and truly transforming book: part collection of personal stories from her own life and the lives of many others, part revolutionary guide to finding community and inspiration. Steinem finds role models in a very young and uncertain Gandhi as well as unlikely heroes from the streets to history. Revolution from Within addresses the core issues of self-authority and unjust external authority, and argues that the first is necessary to transform the second.
431 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Gloria Steinem
101 books3,157 followersGloria Marie Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. A prominent writer and key counterculture era political figure, Steinem has founded many organizations and projects and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. magazine. In 1969, she published an article, " After Black Power, Women's Liberation", which, along with her early support of abortion rights, catapulted her to national fame as a feminist leader.
In 2005, Steinem worked alongside Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan to co-found the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Steinem currently serves on the board of the organization. She continues to involve herself in politics and media affairs as a commentator, writer, lecturer, and organizer, campaigning for candidates and reforms and publishing books and articles.
In 2005, Steinem worked alongside Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan to co-found the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Steinem currently serves on the board of the organization. She continues to involve herself in politics and media affairs as a commentator, writer, lecturer, and organizer, campaigning for candidates and reforms and publishing books and articles.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
October 13, 2011
I can't believe I waited until I was 34 to read this book. If someone had handed this to me when I was 21 or so it would have saved me so much pain from making idiotic choices because I didn't know better, or have an example as to how to navigate a world that I wasn't emotionally equipped to handle. I wouldn't have married an abuser. I wouldn't have looked for my "missing half" in another person, I would have learned it was already there, in myself.
I skipped over this book dozens of times when I saw it for sale. I assumed (wrongly) it was a straight "self help" how to feel good about yourself book. That is part of it, yes, but it examines WHY women AND men feel badly about themselves.
It examines gender stereotypes, dysfunctions we learn from our parents, how most organized religion reinforces gender roles and subservience, how we are taught to separate ourselves by gender, color, ability etc from such a young age that we fall into the traps generations before us fell into. Only by examining societal norms, media images, religious teachings, and our own upbringings can we piece the puzzle together. Without this work we just perperuate these dysfunctions and alienate ourselves from our own truths and strengths.
I wish every young man and woman on the planet had access to this book, to its teachings, it's THAT important.
The bibliography in the back is worth the price alone - it has an excellent selection of books on subjects explored in here, and I'm sure my "to read" list just increased big time.
I skipped over this book dozens of times when I saw it for sale. I assumed (wrongly) it was a straight "self help" how to feel good about yourself book. That is part of it, yes, but it examines WHY women AND men feel badly about themselves.
It examines gender stereotypes, dysfunctions we learn from our parents, how most organized religion reinforces gender roles and subservience, how we are taught to separate ourselves by gender, color, ability etc from such a young age that we fall into the traps generations before us fell into. Only by examining societal norms, media images, religious teachings, and our own upbringings can we piece the puzzle together. Without this work we just perperuate these dysfunctions and alienate ourselves from our own truths and strengths.
I wish every young man and woman on the planet had access to this book, to its teachings, it's THAT important.
The bibliography in the back is worth the price alone - it has an excellent selection of books on subjects explored in here, and I'm sure my "to read" list just increased big time.
March 4, 2009
This book made me a feminist and started me down the path to self discovery.
December 27, 2008
This book sat on my currently-reading list for what seems like forever. It took me a long time to finish the text, not because it isn't interesting, but rather because it is. I took a lot of time savoring Steinem's words and doing a lot of highlighting and mental note-taking. (Actually, I should have taken more written notes; they serve me a lot better). I have always admired Steinem as a straightforward, pull-no-punches feminist. (I have a picture of her in my office with the quote, "When violence against women and girls ends . . . I will do other things.") This lengthy 1992 essay contains a fair amount of discussion on the injustices toward women in numerous societies and how this affects self-esteem through generations, but her main themes that "it's never too late to have a happy childhood" and that one can un-learn old feelings of fear and lack of self-worth are aimed at men and women alike. Fans of the Bronte sisters will enjoy Steinem's chapter about Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights and her comments that romance does not really equal love. Steinem also shares her own experience in a former relationship where she and her partner made the mistake of "loving someone for what one needs instead of who the other person really is." I especially enjoyed her later chapters about how closeness to nature and animals is therapeutic and effective in building and restoring inner peace and self-esteem. Finally, Steinem includes at the end a Meditation Guide in which she outlines instructions on how one can mentally go backward in time and "re-parent" oneself; that is, gently invite the hurt child that is inside and comfort and aid him/her in the here and now, then help the child cope and move on leaving behind pain and bitterness.
August 18, 2013
Haven't heard of Gloria Steinem until I got myself a copy of this book. I have read more than a dozen self-help books and most of them say one thing - if you want to be succesful, you have to start from within. Then I ask, what within? Steinem answered that. It's self esteem. Steinem, and the experiences of people she used in this book made me revisit the monsters of my past and face them, head on. I may not be a totally changed person after reading this, but it sure awakened something in me.
March 1, 2009
I read this a long time ago and its exact contents are hazy in my mind. However, I do remember having a sense of being nurtured by her. There was no proselytizing or sense of superiority that some authors writing in this genre seem to possess. What really came across was her great compassion towards women and their personal struggles.
September 11, 2015
First of all, who can can reflect on the evolution of feminism in the U.S., nay, the world, without thinking simultaneously of Gloria Steinem? And as forward-thinking as I consider myself, feminism feels like a turnoff. Only after watching a Steinem documentary on HBO did I become interested in her. And this woman is the real thing. In Self Esteem, Steinem is mind-blowingly intelligent. As a woman, a parent, a child, and a human thinker, this book speaks to me. She integrates many disciplines-sociology, psychology, education, history, spiritualism-into one important book. I particularly think that all young women should see Ibsen's Doll's House as well as read this book. In reading this book, I am now keenly aware how thankless and unappreciative I have been of the actual women who went before me to achieve equality EVERYWHERE in society, not just the workplace. Steinem is always careful not to just consider the insurgent or repressed groups, but also to lament how oppression limits the dominant groups. I am so humbled by her achievements, it makes me want to serve the world as quickly as possible, and to keep the use of Ms. alive.
December 9, 2011
Part memoir, part cultural critique, part self-help book, Gloria Steinem's Revolution from Within remains extremely innovative in its premise of connecting the concept to individual self-esteem to the larger context of social justice. Despite being written nearly 20 years ago, the book's message remains profoundly relevant: the political is personal. From education, to science, to romance Steinem deftly demonstrates the ways in which we can lose our self, because of the messages we absorb from the cultural mainstream, but more importantly offers practical (and some not so practical)solutions for finding our way again. Highly recommended for anyone at a crossroads in their life. The book doesn't offer pat solutions, so much as ask the right questions and it's bound to open mental avenues that were previously blocked or invisible.
May 11, 2020
This is a milestone read of my life. My life will change because of this book.
There is so much food for thought here. There is so much love. I am looking at myself and my life differently now. I hope to love myself a lot more now.
My kind, intelligent, beautiful friends (women and men both) - please please read this book.
Sorry I am not quite able to write a proper "intellectual" review of this book. My response so far is visceral and emotional. I will very soon read the book again. Plan to do a proper review then.
There is so much food for thought here. There is so much love. I am looking at myself and my life differently now. I hope to love myself a lot more now.
My kind, intelligent, beautiful friends (women and men both) - please please read this book.
Sorry I am not quite able to write a proper "intellectual" review of this book. My response so far is visceral and emotional. I will very soon read the book again. Plan to do a proper review then.
January 20, 2013
For me, better than years of therapy--a life-changer. Re-read often.
March 19, 2019
One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read!
It provides so much well-researched insight into human nature, psychology, gender and race inequalities, behavioural patterns, and self-esteem with so much empathy and kindness, you will want to live in this book.
Gloria Steinem managed to find the most comforting writing voice to deliver crucial messages about our many personal and cultural insecurities and weaknesses. Unlike many male authors, her authorial voice is devoid of an overpowering sense of ego, and she invites us to contemplate the source of our individual and collective dysfunctionalities with kindness and true open-mindedness.
It provides so much well-researched insight into human nature, psychology, gender and race inequalities, behavioural patterns, and self-esteem with so much empathy and kindness, you will want to live in this book.
Gloria Steinem managed to find the most comforting writing voice to deliver crucial messages about our many personal and cultural insecurities and weaknesses. Unlike many male authors, her authorial voice is devoid of an overpowering sense of ego, and she invites us to contemplate the source of our individual and collective dysfunctionalities with kindness and true open-mindedness.
August 6, 2008
One of the handful of books i've read and re-read. Gloria Steinem=hero, I hope you know that. Only read it if you're ready for something real and enduring, something that will still be relevant 200 years from now because ALL power comes from within, people.
September 14, 2017
Gloria Steinem takes the stance that everyone's childhood was really really fucked up, and if you don't remember it being fucked up it's probably because you are repressing traumatic memories. Read about 300 pages, felt desperately grim, took me a couple of weeks to recover
September 25, 2013
Not a self help book! Wonderfully written about the evolution of women's roles. Explained a lot of progress that as someone born in the Sixties, have taken for granted. Recommend you "read" this one as well on audible.com, as Steinem reads it.
March 8, 2013
A wonderful book of self-esteem - should be required reading for all high school girls! Love Steinem! I would have burned my bra for her, but at the time I was too young and wasn't wearing one! But in all seriousness, a really, well-written book by an amazing lady.
September 18, 2011
this book literally changed my life, I have read it several times and dipped in many times. Can't recommend it highly enough.
April 14, 2021
Wowzers!
To all my boys, gals and non-binary pals...READ THIS BOOK!
For those of you that may need a little more convincing, other than just taking my ‘over enthusiastic’ word for it...
Rest assured, “The Revolution Within” is no self-help fad. Steinem writes in a straightforward, yet personable manner. Integrating many disciplines: sociology, psychology, education, history, spiritualism, into one engaging and wholly important book!
Steinem reminds us that only when we look inwards, examining the gender stereotypes and societal norms we were all exposed to from a young age -our parental upbringing, education, religion etc. do we realise just how ingrained and perpetuated the patriarchy really is. How we are taught so early on to separate ourselves by gender, colour, ability etc. Repressing any form of individualism and individuation as we grow up.
Without ever looking inwards we are just bystanders of our own lives, maintaining this alienation and suppression of not just our own truths and strengths, but wider societies expectations of us.
There is so much food for thought that fuels these pages and a HELLUVA lot to personally unpack too (warning: this is some confrontational stuff)
“Like the spider spinning its web, we create much of the outer world from within ourselves. The universe is a joint product of the observer and the observed.”
4.5 stars
To all my boys, gals and non-binary pals...READ THIS BOOK!
For those of you that may need a little more convincing, other than just taking my ‘over enthusiastic’ word for it...
Rest assured, “The Revolution Within” is no self-help fad. Steinem writes in a straightforward, yet personable manner. Integrating many disciplines: sociology, psychology, education, history, spiritualism, into one engaging and wholly important book!
Steinem reminds us that only when we look inwards, examining the gender stereotypes and societal norms we were all exposed to from a young age -our parental upbringing, education, religion etc. do we realise just how ingrained and perpetuated the patriarchy really is. How we are taught so early on to separate ourselves by gender, colour, ability etc. Repressing any form of individualism and individuation as we grow up.
Without ever looking inwards we are just bystanders of our own lives, maintaining this alienation and suppression of not just our own truths and strengths, but wider societies expectations of us.
There is so much food for thought that fuels these pages and a HELLUVA lot to personally unpack too (warning: this is some confrontational stuff)
“Like the spider spinning its web, we create much of the outer world from within ourselves. The universe is a joint product of the observer and the observed.”
4.5 stars
September 9, 2023
I really can’t recommend this book enough. While I of course knew of Ms. Steinem as an icon of feminism, I’d never actually read any of her work. Turns out, she’s even more brilliant than I imagined, and she’s an incredible writer, speaking clearly, simply, and profoundly on many different topics. I’ve got about half this book starred and underlined by the end. Don’t let the title put you off- it’s a bit of a misnomer, and this isn’t so much self-help as it is explanations of anti-woman society that, when understood, lead to improved self-esteem. The only tragedy here is that it’s just as relevant 30 years after it was written.
July 11, 2023
Franchement, elle a tout dit. Sur le féminisme et l'estime de soi et sa très haute importance. Il y a 30 ans. Je le conseille vivement à toutes et tous !
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September 1, 2007i won the hardcover version of this book in a feminist essay contest as a freshman (or first-year, i should say... i think it was my first year, maybe second...) in high school. as a result i sat on a panel with other winners of the contest. being a panel there were people in the audience. the male participants dominated the conversation. i'm not sure i said anything. same thing when i was on the academically speaking team in middle school -- man, i didn't want to press that buzzer. later in high school i wrote an essay for my african american literature class that caused my friend felipa to say "rebecca, you sound like louis farrakhan!" (black power, not anti-semitism, just to clarify here.)
my other high school writing achivements included finalist in a national council of teachers of english contest along with two guys wih reputations for being smart, setting the record for number of pieces accepted in the literary magazine (they had to create a 10-piece limit rule as a result), and being one of two people in senior AP English--the other got a 1600 on the SATs, is a black belt in tae kwon doe, and plays the bassoon --to get an A for an essay on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. (My essay included a negative review the book.) In middle school i won honorable mention in a moon-base design contest (along with my friend felipa, mentioned above) and several science fairs and english awards. in high school i also starred in many theatrical productions, including miss havisham in great expectations.
These is neither here or there about Steinem's book, other than it makes me think of my days as a high academic achiever filled with potential. what gives?
my other high school writing achivements included finalist in a national council of teachers of english contest along with two guys wih reputations for being smart, setting the record for number of pieces accepted in the literary magazine (they had to create a 10-piece limit rule as a result), and being one of two people in senior AP English--the other got a 1600 on the SATs, is a black belt in tae kwon doe, and plays the bassoon --to get an A for an essay on Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. (My essay included a negative review the book.) In middle school i won honorable mention in a moon-base design contest (along with my friend felipa, mentioned above) and several science fairs and english awards. in high school i also starred in many theatrical productions, including miss havisham in great expectations.
These is neither here or there about Steinem's book, other than it makes me think of my days as a high academic achiever filled with potential. what gives?
December 13, 2009
i have a lot of respect for first wave feminists, and this is my favorite of the first wave books.
i like 'revolution from within' because steinem focuses on sharing her personal experiences as a woman trying to enter the workforce in the 1960s -- and doesn't get too into preaching at her reader. some of the stories she recounts are really shocking-- i.e., blatant sexual innuendo from bosses -- an expectation of "cashing in" to "move up." it's feels the worst possible episode of 'mad men' you can imagine, and is a worthy journey to experience.
i like 'revolution from within' because steinem focuses on sharing her personal experiences as a woman trying to enter the workforce in the 1960s -- and doesn't get too into preaching at her reader. some of the stories she recounts are really shocking-- i.e., blatant sexual innuendo from bosses -- an expectation of "cashing in" to "move up." it's feels the worst possible episode of 'mad men' you can imagine, and is a worthy journey to experience.
November 29, 2014
Feminist, socialist classic from 1991. This is a hefty read with an amazing amount of thoroughly researched, intelligently presented information.
LOVED that the author almost always refers to 'women and men,' 'she or he.' I usually have to switch the order round myself when reading books.
"Girls as a group have lower self-esteem because they are expected to suppress more of themselves and because society denigrates what is left."
"We cannot harden our hearts selectively."
LOVED that the author almost always refers to 'women and men,' 'she or he.' I usually have to switch the order round myself when reading books.
"Girls as a group have lower self-esteem because they are expected to suppress more of themselves and because society denigrates what is left."
"We cannot harden our hearts selectively."
March 12, 2021
A life changing book. It may sound excessive but it's one of the best books I've ever read. Almost every paragraph is a revelation, exceptionally well written and with an extense amount of resources for further investigation. This books teaches you about self-steem from a personal, social and feminist perspective, and also makes several analysis on why women suffer of lower self steem or depression. I really really loved this book, and I'm sure I will read it again.
October 2, 2011
I grew up with Ms Steinem being a model for any young woman who was interested in being liberated and feminist. This book looks at and talks about the difficulties many , if not most, women have with the basic idea of liking themselves, and being good enough just as they are. She uses herself as a guide, and writes in a personable and engaging way.
July 16, 2009
I am already trying to turn around the way I look at the world. This book is helping. My favorite bit so far: The job of parents is to turn out kids with enough confidence to make their OWN way in the world. The job of governments is to do the same for countries
January 2, 2019
It took me ages to finish this book -- not because I didn't want to, but because there was a lot to process and sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed. I'm glad to have finished it and enthusiastically recommend it. Wish I'd read it 10 ... no, 20 years ago.
August 29, 2019
I would recommend this book to men and women.
June 26, 2012
The most helpful book I've ever read. Took me over month because it was full of information I needed and needed to process. Opened my eyes in a big way.
February 7, 2022
Only book that helped me understand my place as a woman in this world. Infintely comforting, almost like I knew Gloria Steinem myself. Cried to this book so many times.
May 13, 2021
This is not just any self-help book. It includes really thorough aspects that impact self-esteem such as race, class, appearance, and love. She makes really strong arguments providing studies, examples, personal stories and the sufficient bibliography to support them. I liked her stance on cosmetic surgery, the study on menopause symptoms, and the part on romance “is your sense of well-being determined more by the state of your love life than by your own life?”. It started getting a bit slow towards the end but I liked that she included the criticism she received after publishing the book and how critics completely missed its point. Really want to try out the meditation guide! I almost underlined the whole book but this is what I made note of:
“As Tina began to understand, she had been obsessed with egocentric men because she had too little ego. She had sought out selfish men because she had too little self. She had looked for a strength and identity she felt she lacked in herself. In those exaggerations of certain qualities, she had been looking for something unrelated to those men: the rest of herself… But she doesn’t miss the feelings of despair and nonexistence that rushed in when the adrenaline left.”
The section on the SAT’s and how they are designed to favor white people, but also how she explains that because girls are more likely to follow instructions they often penalize themselves when they don’t know the correct answer; while boys follow a hunch. Very interesting as well, what happened when they removed the “I don’t know” option form tests; and how these tests have harmed minorities for so many years by justifying the discrimination against them based on their intelligence, for example immigration quotas. “The theory came first, and evidence in its support was mustered afterward”… Who and what defines the mainstream and who decides what is important to know, think, and value.
“If an analysis of sexism takes place only in relation to women, it adds to women’s feeling of burden and fails to alert men to the ways in which they are being limited, too. And where is the routine study of social forms other than hierarchy, patriarchy, and competition — or even an understanding that they exist?”
“The myth of “female power” (in terms of sexual or maternal omnipotence) re-casts the male in the vulnerable role and thus justifies discrimination against women; the myth of “Jewish power” re-casts the Christian majority as pawns, and helps justify repression of the Jews.“
“Identifying women by appearance again, flattering some and insulting others, was a way of reducing feminism to form without content — and dividing us.”
“A woman wins by giving herself and other women permission: to eat, to be sexual, to age, to wear a boiler suit or a paste tiara or a Balenciaga gown or a secondhand opera cloak or combat boots, to cover up or go practically naked; to do whatever she chooses in following - or ignoring - her own aesthetic. A woman wins when she feels that what each woman does with her own body is her own business.”
“Submissiveness, dependency, need for male approval, fear of conflict, self-blame, and inability to express anger are classic gender masks of low self-esteem in women… low self-esteem is perhaps the single greatest barrier to intimacy… when it fails, we blame only ourselves.”
“Loving someone for what I needed instead of for what he was.”
“We generalize about the “opposite sex” (or about any group that becomes “the mysterious other”), thus rendering it a blank screen on which we project our hopes (in romance) or our fears (in hate).”
Network of the Imaginary Mother:
Blessed be my brain
that I may conceive of my own power.
Blessed be my breast
that I may give sustenance to those I love.
Blessed be my womb
that I may create what I choose to create.
Blessed be my knees
that I may bend so as not to break.
Blessed be my feet
that I may walk in the path of my highest will.
“As Tina began to understand, she had been obsessed with egocentric men because she had too little ego. She had sought out selfish men because she had too little self. She had looked for a strength and identity she felt she lacked in herself. In those exaggerations of certain qualities, she had been looking for something unrelated to those men: the rest of herself… But she doesn’t miss the feelings of despair and nonexistence that rushed in when the adrenaline left.”
The section on the SAT’s and how they are designed to favor white people, but also how she explains that because girls are more likely to follow instructions they often penalize themselves when they don’t know the correct answer; while boys follow a hunch. Very interesting as well, what happened when they removed the “I don’t know” option form tests; and how these tests have harmed minorities for so many years by justifying the discrimination against them based on their intelligence, for example immigration quotas. “The theory came first, and evidence in its support was mustered afterward”… Who and what defines the mainstream and who decides what is important to know, think, and value.
“If an analysis of sexism takes place only in relation to women, it adds to women’s feeling of burden and fails to alert men to the ways in which they are being limited, too. And where is the routine study of social forms other than hierarchy, patriarchy, and competition — or even an understanding that they exist?”
“The myth of “female power” (in terms of sexual or maternal omnipotence) re-casts the male in the vulnerable role and thus justifies discrimination against women; the myth of “Jewish power” re-casts the Christian majority as pawns, and helps justify repression of the Jews.“
“Identifying women by appearance again, flattering some and insulting others, was a way of reducing feminism to form without content — and dividing us.”
“A woman wins by giving herself and other women permission: to eat, to be sexual, to age, to wear a boiler suit or a paste tiara or a Balenciaga gown or a secondhand opera cloak or combat boots, to cover up or go practically naked; to do whatever she chooses in following - or ignoring - her own aesthetic. A woman wins when she feels that what each woman does with her own body is her own business.”
“Submissiveness, dependency, need for male approval, fear of conflict, self-blame, and inability to express anger are classic gender masks of low self-esteem in women… low self-esteem is perhaps the single greatest barrier to intimacy… when it fails, we blame only ourselves.”
“Loving someone for what I needed instead of for what he was.”
“We generalize about the “opposite sex” (or about any group that becomes “the mysterious other”), thus rendering it a blank screen on which we project our hopes (in romance) or our fears (in hate).”
Network of the Imaginary Mother:
Blessed be my brain
that I may conceive of my own power.
Blessed be my breast
that I may give sustenance to those I love.
Blessed be my womb
that I may create what I choose to create.
Blessed be my knees
that I may bend so as not to break.
Blessed be my feet
that I may walk in the path of my highest will.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2021
Revolution From Within: A Book on Self-Esteem is as important and relevant today in 2021 as it was in 1992 - for women and men alike. Gloria Steinem's prose is beautiful, thoughtful, and striking. I first read this book in high school in the 90's and it impacted me deeply. Reading this book will inspire you and teach you.
I have often gone back to re-visit the book, particularly Chapter 7: The Universal "I", which is so meaningful and inspiring, and I have only begun to truly understand and embody in my 40's as I work to reconcile my past selves, traumas and healing. The Meditation on inner child work in Appendix 1 is also amazing and highly recommended.
There are many incredible quotes in the book and the last page of the book is one of the most beautiful passages ever written, and one we all universally identify with. The book is about self-esteem and curiosity in knowing ourselves and the world around us. How we can see ourselves with grace, love and compassion - who we were, who we are, who we hope to become.
"The human mind can imagine both how to break self-esteem and how to nurture it- and imagining anything is the first step toward creating it. Believing in a true self is what allows a true self to be born." -Gloria Steinem
"Just as each cell contains our whole being, so each thought and dream contains our whole self, too. If our dreams weren't already within us, we could not even dream them." -Gloria Steinem
"Sometimes when I enter a familiar room or street, I think I see a past self walking toward me. She can't see me in the future, but I can see her very clearly. She runs past me, worried about being late for an appointment she doesn't want to go to. She sits at a restaurant table in tears of anger arguing with the wrong lover. She strides toward me in the jeans and wine-red suede boots she wore for a decade, and I can remember the exact feel of those boots on my feet. She sits in a newspaper boardroom with the sort of powerful men who undermine her confidence the most, trying to persuade them to support a law that women badly need - and fails. She's a ghost in the lobby of an office building that she and all the women of Ms. magazine walked through for so many years. She rushes toward me outside a lecture hall, talking, laughing, full of optimism.
I used to feel impatient with her: Why was she wasting time? Why was she with this man? at that appointment? forgetting to say the most important thing? Why wasn't she wiser, more productive, happier? But lately, I've begun to feel a tenderness, a welling of tears in the back of my throat, when I see her. I think: She's doing the best she can. She's survived - and she's trying so hard. Sometimes, I wish I could go back and put my arms around her. . .
We are so many selves. It's not just the long-ago child within us who needs tenderness and inclusion, but the person we were last year, wanted to be yesterday, tried to become in one job or in one winter, in one love affair or in one house where even now, we can close our eyes and smell the rooms.
What brings together these ever-shifting selves of infinite reactions and returnings is this:
There is always one true inner voice.
Trust it."
- Gloria Steinem "Revolution From Within
I have often gone back to re-visit the book, particularly Chapter 7: The Universal "I", which is so meaningful and inspiring, and I have only begun to truly understand and embody in my 40's as I work to reconcile my past selves, traumas and healing. The Meditation on inner child work in Appendix 1 is also amazing and highly recommended.
There are many incredible quotes in the book and the last page of the book is one of the most beautiful passages ever written, and one we all universally identify with. The book is about self-esteem and curiosity in knowing ourselves and the world around us. How we can see ourselves with grace, love and compassion - who we were, who we are, who we hope to become.
"The human mind can imagine both how to break self-esteem and how to nurture it- and imagining anything is the first step toward creating it. Believing in a true self is what allows a true self to be born." -Gloria Steinem
"Just as each cell contains our whole being, so each thought and dream contains our whole self, too. If our dreams weren't already within us, we could not even dream them." -Gloria Steinem
"Sometimes when I enter a familiar room or street, I think I see a past self walking toward me. She can't see me in the future, but I can see her very clearly. She runs past me, worried about being late for an appointment she doesn't want to go to. She sits at a restaurant table in tears of anger arguing with the wrong lover. She strides toward me in the jeans and wine-red suede boots she wore for a decade, and I can remember the exact feel of those boots on my feet. She sits in a newspaper boardroom with the sort of powerful men who undermine her confidence the most, trying to persuade them to support a law that women badly need - and fails. She's a ghost in the lobby of an office building that she and all the women of Ms. magazine walked through for so many years. She rushes toward me outside a lecture hall, talking, laughing, full of optimism.
I used to feel impatient with her: Why was she wasting time? Why was she with this man? at that appointment? forgetting to say the most important thing? Why wasn't she wiser, more productive, happier? But lately, I've begun to feel a tenderness, a welling of tears in the back of my throat, when I see her. I think: She's doing the best she can. She's survived - and she's trying so hard. Sometimes, I wish I could go back and put my arms around her. . .
We are so many selves. It's not just the long-ago child within us who needs tenderness and inclusion, but the person we were last year, wanted to be yesterday, tried to become in one job or in one winter, in one love affair or in one house where even now, we can close our eyes and smell the rooms.
What brings together these ever-shifting selves of infinite reactions and returnings is this:
There is always one true inner voice.
Trust it."
- Gloria Steinem "Revolution From Within
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