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.
Roxane GayRead
I have a job I'm pretty good at. I am in charge of things. I am on committees. People respect me and take my counsel. I want to be strong and professional, but I resent how hard I have to work to be taken seriously, to receive a fraction of the consideration I might otherwise receive.
Interpretation
This quote reflects the challenges of being respected and taken seriously in a professional setting despite hard work.
Roxane Gay's quote expresses the frustration of a professional who feels that, despite their competence and respect earned in their field, they still face undue challenges in being taken seriously. It highlights the struggle for acknowledgment and fairness in the workplace, pointing to the resilience required to navigate these dynamics while seeking recognition for their skills and contributions.
In practice
During a meeting discussing gender equality, this quote can help illustrate challenges faced in professional environments.
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.
I believe in the freedom of expression, unequivocally - though, as I have written before, I wish more people would understand that freedom of expression is not freedom from consequence.
Public intellectuals are often put in the position of having their words, no matter how off-the-cuff, treated as doctrine.
No one is helped when cultural critics use their voices irresponsibly.
I have never dreamed of being a princess. I have not longed for Prince Charming. I have and do long for something resembling a happily ever after. I am supposed to be above such flights of fantasy, but I am not. I am enamored of fairy tales.
There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions because we aren't addressing what must be done to change the current racial climate.
As long as this great army of workers is scattered among so many craft unions, it will be impossible for them to unite and act in harmony together. Craft unionism is the negation of solidarity. The more unions you have, the less unity.
Bring your whole self to work. I don't believe we have a professional self Monday through Friday and a real self the rest of the time. It is all professional and it is all personal.
Labor rids us of three great evils; tediousness, vice, and poverty.
The best thing about my job, though, is stopping at the end of the day and rejoining the human universe.
Sometimes it gets boring. No justice is supposed to say that. But, you know, there's drudgery in every job you're going to do.
I like work/life separation, not work/life balance. What I mean by that is, if I'm on, I want to be on and maximally productive. If I'm off, I don't want to think about work. When people strive for work/life balance, they end up blending them. That's how you end up checking email all day Saturday.
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