All around me, I see girls forced to become rat racers in the College Application Industrial Complex, the subculture where students must craft themselves into the perfect specimens for college admission and often lose their authenticity, love of learning, and sense of self in the process.
You don't learn how to say 'hey, I have a problem,' but you also don't learn how to hear it. There's a total breakdown of how females talk to one another. It's very disconcerting for leadership because it means you don't talk to each other; you talk about each other.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the challenges in communication among women, emphasizing the need for open dialogue about personal issues.
Rachel Simmons points out the difficulties women face in expressing their problems and the way they communicate with each other. The lack of direct communication leads to misunderstandings and gossip, which negatively impacts relationships and effective leadership. This illustrates a broader issue in how people, particularly women, often struggle to convey their vulnerabilities and support one another in a constructive manner.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a women's conference on leadership, this quote could be used to introduce a workshop on effective communication.
More from Rachel Simmons
All quotes →Failing well is a skill. Letting girls do it gives them critical practice coping with a negative experience. It also gives them the opportunity to develop a kind of confidence and resilience that can only be forged in times of challenge.
When I did the original research for 'Odd Girl Out,' I asked every bullied girl I interviewed to tell me what she needed most from her family. The answer truly surprised me. It wasn't having the best solutions, calling the school, or trying to act like everything was okay. It was empathy.
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The relationship with my people, the Nigerian people, is very good. My relationship with the rulers has always been problematic.
Demetrius: Villain, what hast thou done? Aaron: That which thou canst not undo. Chiron: Thou hast undone our mother. Aaron: Villain, I have done thy mother.
Let us forget and forgive injuries.
INTROVERTS are especially vulnerable to challenges like marital tension, a parent’s death, or abuse. They’re more likely than their peers to react to these events with depression, anxiety, and shyness. Indeed, about a quarter of Kagan’s high-reactive kids suffer from some degree of the condition known as “social anxiety disorder,” a chronic and disabling form of shyness.