I define power as 'control over one's life.' A balanced life is far superior to the male definition of power: earning money someone else spends while he dies sooner.
Warren FarrellRead
Men rarely worry about using or being used because all relationships work that way. A man perceives himself as owning and being owned by a woman. 'Use' is a dirty word only when there's an imbalance in the relationship.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote explores the dynamics of ownership and use in relationships, highlighting how they can be viewed differently based on power balance.
Warren Farrell's quote delves into the complex nature of relationships, suggesting that men often perceive themselves as both owners and owned within the dynamics with women. He points out that the term 'use' becomes problematic only when there is an imbalance in the relationship, implying that healthy relationships involve mutual ownership and usage but can become contentious when one party feels exploited or undervalued.
Themes
RelationshipsOwnershipUseImbalanceMutuality
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about gender dynamics, this quote can highlight how perceptions of ownership affect relationships.
More from Warren Farrell
All quotes →We always look at the 'Fortune 500,' and we say, men in power, but we don't look at the glass cellar as opposed to the glass ceiling and say, men also are the homeless, men are also the ones that are the garbage collectors. Men are also the ones dying in construction sites that aren't properly supervised for safety hazards.
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So long as you create laws that define women as victims, as creatures that demand protection, that need bodyguards, you are going to perpetuate the very worst of our sexist past.
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Is there discrimination against women? Yes. There's no denying that the old boys' network is alive and well. But there's also discrimination against men.
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The key to wealth is not what we earn. It is in what is spent on us.
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Throughout my life I have always been amazed that people couldn't listen to other people, that they couldn't hear their best intent, that there seemed to be an enormous need to demonize.
Warren FarrellRead
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