Grace Paley Quotes

I have always been interested in gender politics, so I'm not that keen on doing things that don't represent a truth about women.

I try not to focus on politics too much - I would never be described as a hugely political woman - but the fact of the matter is, just me being a female, immigrant, stand-up comedian, single-mother ... that is political. We still live in a world where a woman with a voice is a political gesture.

When people ask me why I am running as a woman, I always answer, 'What choice do I have?'

I look forward to the day when there are more women politicians accepted in their own right and not as 'women politicians.'

I think women do write politically all the time. Margaret Atwood does; Doris Lessing does.

I love women. I've always cared about making movies about women my entire career.

Today, people like Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep have vowed to improve the opportunities for women, but those promises are still unusual.

If we don't start representing women properly on screen now, we're never going to change our opinion of them as a society.

I am proud to represent the first explicitly feminist government in the world, and one that has been at the forefront of advocating for greater attention to women, peace, and security.

I'm a black woman, so I'm obviously not going to write something where women aren't at the forefront.

Now I would say I'm absolutely a feminist writer.

If you go into the mainstream with a female perspective that seems to resonate with a lot of people, you have a political agenda imposed on you: you are told that you are a feminist.

We've done a couple of women's mags, but we tend to talk about feminism and women in the industry, which I feel more comfortable talking about. It's a more valuable discussion than, 'Oh, you're a girl in a band. What hair conditioner do you use?' I use hair conditioner, and I like talking about it. But I don't want that to be the question.

As a male writer, women are always what men pursue, and their world is always a mystery. So I always tried to present as many views as possible on women's worlds.

Decisions just look different with women at the table. We still have a long way to go. The most powerful thing we own is our vote.

There are very few shows that show women talking like strong, sassy women. Do you know what I mean? 'Sex and the City' started doing that, and that was why that was such a huge hit.

I'm a pragmatist. I think, as a woman, you have to be more careful. You have to be more communal, you have to say yes to more things than men, you have to worry about things that men don't have to worry about. But once we get enough women into leadership, we can break stereotypes down. If you lead, you get to decide.

Women politicians take their job seriously and accomplish their duties diligently and sensitively. Only they can understand the problems of women and act as a sounding board for their concerns.

I think the media's a little frightened of women.

You know, right now, they say - I don't know who says this, but somebody told me - there's three male roles to every female role. And I guess I'd work on evening that up. Making great roles for women. It's just such a huge challenge.

All my friends are female, I've edited for a magazine for young girls for 15 years, I relate to women, and I'm very, very close to my younger sister.

I don't think it's not feminist to use every tool you have to succeed, and part of that is being a woman - presenting yourself in a certain way.

The simple act of telling a woman's story from a woman's point of view is a revolutionary act: it never has been done before.

My entire career stands on the strong pillars of women-oriented films. This stems from the fact that I am sensitive to the entire aura and mystique of a woman and womanhood.

Politics is a potent way to empower women.