Colin Firth Quotes

I think there are a lot of rules for women. We have a lot of expectations and a lot of rules for women. So we're expected to march in a straight line, and when we don't, all hell breaks loose.

Little girls as children, I think, are expected to behave better. If a boy's naughty at school, he's a little bit cheeky and mischievous. If a girl's naughty, she's trouble.

People try to make women a very specific thing so that we like them.

So sometime the expectation of the female by a high expectation. Because peoples think that female were weak in term of, like, of the physically and compared to the men.

Some boys accepted me, some didn't. And my family had comments made to them. Brazil is still a very macho society, and sports are mainly for boys, so people would say to them: 'What is this girl doing? Why is she always out there in the soccer games with the boys?'

Because if you say men and women are the same and if male behaviour is the norm, and women are always expected to act like men, we will never be as good at being men as men are.

In the end, I do think it's insulting to men and women to insist that they fit a certain profile. I never understood that.

Many differences are rooted in biology and reinforced through culture, so it's important to acknowledge that. Because if you say men and women are the same and if male behaviour is the norm, and women are always expected to act like men, we will never be as good at being men as men are.

When I was born, some of our relatives came to our house and told my mother, 'Don't worry, next time you will have a son.'

Especially with girls, people always want to put them in little brackets.

Women are often expected to be more amiable or more pleasing or more submissive than men generally.

Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn't matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls.

I've always been told that women know everything. Is that not accurate?

When a woman behaves like a man why doesn't she behave like a nice man?

A man is as good as he has to be, and a woman as bad as she dares.

As a kid, you get to the stage where you realise the gender barriers that exist in society and what you're supposed to do and not supposed to do.

As a female, you are often being asked by directors to be warmer, softer, flirt more, smile more etc... None of those things are bad, and obviously we are capable of a variety of human behavior, but it gets really old having to play into somebody's stereotype or ideal.

A woman who places a high priority on performance and excellence is seen as imperial. A man is seen as demanding and tough.

You would never say to a man, 'do you like playing strong men?' You just wouldn't say that.

Our discomfort with female leadership runs deep. We call little girls bossy. We never really call little boys bossy, because a boy is expected to lead, so it doesn't surprise or offend.

While the requirements of a good leader and a good man are similar, the requirements of a good leader and a good woman are mutually exclusive. A good leader must be tough, but a good woman must not be. A good woman must be self-deprecating, but a good leader must not be.

If women talk in ways expected of them or project a feminine demeanor, it's seen as weak. But if they talk in ways associated with men or bosses, then they're seen as too aggressive. Whatever they do violates one or the other expectation: either you're not talking as you should as a woman or as boss.

I guess people have this image of women being more compassionate, being the mother, being caring, but I don't know if that's true. I think it's an image we've all carried over the years. I never want to attribute certain qualities to gender.

There are certain expectations placed on writers if other people have put a value on their gender. I'm aware of the hundreds of tiny differences that happen when people are seeing your gender before they see something else.

We're really taught to be followers from a very young age - men lead and women follow.