Making it through the ceiling to the other side was simply a matter of running on a path created by every other woman's footprints.
Interpretation
Success is often built upon the efforts and experiences of those who came before us.
In this quote, Shonda Rhimes emphasizes the importance of recognizing the contributions and struggles of women who have paved the way for future generations. It highlights that the progress made by women is not achieved in isolation but is a collective journey, wherein each woman's achievements create a path for others to follow. This encourages a sense of solidarity and inspiration, reminding us that we are part of a larger history of perseverance and triumph.
In practice
In a speech about women's empowerment during International Women's Day.
I have so much going on inside my head in terms of writing, there's such a large space in my life taken up by that. I can't imagine it being taken up by a husband and children and writing, and everything getting its due. I don't believe there is room for all of it. I really don't.
There's always women of many different races on my shows, and there are always women who look many different ways, but there is still a size thing in this industry. It's hard. I mean to have to say, 'I want a larger woman to be an actor on my shows.' Or, 'Find me a larger woman,' is almost insulting to me.
When the script is finished, and you're sitting around at a table read, and all the actors are reading the words that you've written, and you're hearing it out loud for the first time, that is always, every single time, no matter what, a magical process.
We all think weβre going to be great and we feel a little bit robbed when our expectations arenβt met. But sometimes our expectations sell us short. Sometimes the expected simply pales in comparison to the unexpected. You got to wonder why we cling to our expectations, because the expected is just what keeps us steady. Standing. Still. The expected's just the beginning, the unexpected is what changes our lives.
In my house, you got in trouble if you didn't speak up. My mom would be furious at us if we went to school and behaved nicely if someone treated us badly. If we got in trouble because we had yelled at them or told them that they were wrong, my mother would be like, 'Good job.'
When I'm hard at work, when I'm deep in it, there is no other feeling. For me, my work is at all times building a nation out of thin air. It is manning the troops. It is painting a canvas. It is hitting every high note. It is running a marathon. It is being Beyonce. And it is all of those things at the same time.
May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.
I tell young people: Do not think of yourself, think of others. Think of the future that awaits you, think about what you can do and do not fear anything.
My experience from 20 years of Africa is that the seemingly impossible is possible.
Before I was humiliated I was like a stone that lies in deep mud, and he who is mighty came and in his compassion raised me up and exalted me very high and placed me on the top of the wall.
It really is an honor if I can be inspirational to a younger singer or person. It means I've done my job.
Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy.
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