---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every woman who has had experience with…"
description: "\"Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of any kind has not just pain, and not just hurt, but has knowledge. Knowledge of male supremac..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg"
---

#  Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of…

![“Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of any kind has not just pain, and not just hurt, but has knowledge. Knowledge of male supremacy. Knowledge of what it is. Knowledge of what it feels like. And can begin to think strategically about how to stop it. We are living under a reign…” quote by Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg)

> “Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of any kind has not just pain, and not just hurt, but has knowledge. Knowledge of male supremacy. Knowledge of what it is. Knowledge of what it feels like. And can begin to think strategically about how to stop it. We are living under a reign of terror. Now what I want to say is that I want us to stop accepting that that's normal. And the only way that we can stop accepting that that's normal is if we refuse to have amnesia everyday of our lives.”

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Survivors of sexual violence gain deep insight into patriarchal oppression, enabling strategic resistance against normalized terror.

**In simple terms:** Survivors learn about male dominance and can plan to end it.

Key Takeaway

Use knowledge to challenge and change harmful norms.

Themes

gender violence patriarchy empowerment social change

Mood

determined urgent hopeful

Type

activist motivational educational

When to use this quote

- activist meetings
- policy advocacy
- support groups
- educational workshops

Key Concepts

critical consciousness strategic resistance collective memory

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we translate personal insight into collective action?
- What structures must be reformed to end normalized violence?

A Different Perspective

Changing norms requires widespread societal commitment, not just individual awareness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amnesia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amnesia/) [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Reign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign/) [Reign of terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reign-of-terror/) [Supremacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supremacy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/)

## Related quotes

> [“The knowledge feels grotesque in my mind but I grasp it and hold it tight, etching it deep into my memory. Why am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-marion/the-knowledge-feels-grotesque-in-my-mind-but-i-grasp-it-and-hold-it/)

[Isaac Marion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-marion/)

> [Only through education does one come to be dissatisfied with his own knowledge, and only through teaching others does one come to realize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/only-through-education-does-one-come-to-be-dissatisfied-with-his-own/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [“Once acquired, knowledge feels like common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/once-acquired-knowledge-feels-like-common-sense/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [It was never a deliberate decision to make films about the 'woman experience'. Having said that, we are all many things - for example…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-anadu/it-was-never-a-deliberate-decision-to-make-films-about-the-woman-2/)

[Chika Anadu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-anadu/)

> [It's OK to assert yourself. Obviously, as a woman, I do experience the consequence of asserting yourself - you're not supposed to assert yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sinead-o-connor/it-s-ok-to-assert-yourself-obviously-as-a-woman-i-do-experience-the/)

[Sinead O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sinead-o-connor/)

> [As a young woman, my own experience of looking at myself in the mirror is something that's plagued me in lots of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esme-creed-miles/as-a-young-woman-my-own-experience-of-looking-at-myself-in-the-mirror/)

[Esme Creed-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esme-creed-miles/)

> [“Woman! experience might have told me, That all must love thee who behold thee: Surely experience might have taught Thy firmest promises are nought:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/woman-experience-might-have-told-me-that-all-must-love-thee-who/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [What's been fascinating about shooting my series 'American Woman' is the ubiquity of a woman's experience - and no matter who you are: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-baldwin/what-s-been-fascinating-about-shooting-my-series-american-woman-is/)

[Brooke Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-baldwin/)

> [It was never a deliberate decision to make films about the 'woman experience'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-anadu/it-was-never-a-deliberate-decision-to-make-films-about-the-woman/)

[Chika Anadu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-anadu/)

> [While my work is usually about the Igbo woman experience, there are many aspects of my female characters that women everywhere can and do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chika-anadu/while-my-work-is-usually-about-the-igbo-woman-experience-there-are/)

[Chika Anadu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chika-anadu/)

> [It would be my guess that Madonna is not a very happy woman. From my own experience, having gone through persona changes like that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/it-would-be-my-guess-that-madonna-is-not-a-very-happy-woman-from-my/)

[David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/)

> [Comedy is about talking about my own experience, and I'm a woman, and that's my experience, and just because it isn't yours doesn't invalidate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/comedy-is-about-talking-about-my-own-experience-and-i-m-a-woman-and/)

[Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/)

> [“All of the women in that time and place, Thea had learned, were stuffed into muslin and starched cotton and forced to sit ramrod-straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-wolitzer/all-of-the-women-in-that-time-and-place-thea-had-learned-were-stuffed/)

[Meg Wolitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-wolitzer/)

> [“All existence seemed to be based on duality, on contrast. Either one was a man or one was a woman, either a wanderer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/all-existence-seemed-to-be-based-on-duality-on-contrast-either-one/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [I am a woman, and as such, I experience the ever-increasing restrictions on our liberty in our country through the development of Islamic fundamentalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/i-am-a-woman-and-as-such-i-experience-the-ever-increasing/)

[Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/)

## More by Andrea Dworkin

> [Heterosexual intercourse is the pure, formalized expression of contempt for women's bodies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/heterosexual-intercourse-is-the-pure-formalized-expression-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [There is no place on earth, no day or night, no hour or minute, when one is not a Jew or a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/there-is-no-place-on-earth-no-day-or-night-no-hour-or-minute-when-one/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Men are rewarded for learning the practice of violence in virtually any sphere of activity by money, admiration, recognition, respect, and the genuflection of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/men-are-rewarded-for-learning-the-practice-of-violence-in-virtually/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Inferiority is not banal or incidental even when it happens to women. It is not a petty affliction like bad skin or circles under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/inferiority-is-not-banal-or-incidental-even-when-it-happens-to-women/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“Critiques of rape, pornography, and prostitution are “sex-negative” without qualification or examination, perhaps because so many men use these ignoble routes of access and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/critiques-of-rape-pornography-and-prostitution-are-sex-negative/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Surely the freedom of women must mean more to us than the freedom of pimps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/surely-the-freedom-of-women-must-mean-more-to-us-than-the-freedom-of/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The will to domination is a ravenous beast. There are never enough warm bodies to satiate its monstrous hunger. Once alive, this beast grows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-will-to-domination-is-a-ravenous-beast-there-are-never-enough/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism exists so that no woman ever has to face her abuser in isolation, alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-exists-so-that-no-woman-ever-has-to-face-her-abuser-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [“people ask, well, dont sweet things happen? yes, indeed, many sweet things, but sweet doesnt keep you from dying, making love doesnt keep you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/people-ask-well-dont-sweet-things-happen-yes-indeed-many-sweet-things/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Feminism is a political practice of fighting male supremacy on behalf of women as a class, including all the women you don't like, including…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/feminism-is-a-political-practice-of-fighting-male-supremacy-on-behalf/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [As long as there is rape... there is not going to be any peace or justice or equality or freedom. You are not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-long-as-there-is-rape-there-is-not-going-to-be-any-peace-or/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [Pornography reveals that male pleasure is inextricably tied to victimizing, hurting, exploiting; that sexual fun and sexual passion in the privacy of the male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/pornography-reveals-that-male-pleasure-is-inextricably-tied-to/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [The man takes a body that is not his, claims it, sows his so-called seed, reaps a harvest - he colonizes a female body,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/the-man-takes-a-body-that-is-not-his-claims-it-sows-his-so-called/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [We have a double standard, which is to say, a man can show how much he cares by being violent-see, he's jealous, he cares-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/we-have-a-double-standard-which-is-to-say-a-man-can-show-how-much-he/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

[Explore all 186 Andrea Dworkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

## More Accepting quotes

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [This duo inside of me causes the perfect opportunity to live and learn twice as fast as those who choose to accept simplicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/this-duo-inside-of-me-causes-the-perfect-opportunity-to-live-and/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/)

[Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/)

> [It takes an unusually philosophic mind to accept that all one’s suffering might be to no end, really, in the larger scheme of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-takes-an-unusually-philosophic-mind-to-accept-that-all-one-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [No nation being under another nation can accept gifts, and kick at the responsibility attached to those gifts, imposed by the conquering nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/no-nation-being-under-another-nation-can-accept-gifts-and-kick-at-the/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Even with clothing naked animals, there were people who wanted to send in money. A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/)

[Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/)

> [Society understands the architecture of academia and knows there are relevant qualifications in different fields, and the media accepts the idea of specialisations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-griffiths/society-understands-the-architecture-of-academia-and-knows-there-are/)

[Jay Griffiths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-griffiths/)

> [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/)

[Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/)

> [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [As my films are born at the moment when they are reflected into another person's mind and memories, there are no misconceptions. I totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/as-my-films-are-born-at-the-moment-when-they-are-reflected-into/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

Browse all 6,788 Accepting quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of any kind has not just pain, and not just hurt, but has knowledge. Knowledge of male supremacy. Knowledge of what it is. Knowledge of what it feels like. And can begin to think strategically about how to stop it. We are living under a reign of terror. Now what I want to say is that I want us to stop accepting that that's normal. And the only way that we can stop accepting that that's normal is if we refuse to have amnesia everyday of our lives.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrea Dworkin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with-sexual-violence-of-any-kind/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with-sexual-violence-of-any-kind/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/andrea-dworkin-1998_accepting_every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with_920606.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every woman who has had experience with sexual violence of any kind has not just pain, and not just hurt…” — Andrea Dworkin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andrea Dworkin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every woman who has had experience...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with-sexual-violence-of-any-kind/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/every-woman-who-has-had-experience-with-sexual-violence-of-any-kind/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
