--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A woman today who has no goal, no…" description: "\"“A woman today who has no goal, no purpose, no ambition patterning her days into the future, making her stretch and grow beyond that small score of yea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/betty-friedan-3185_american-culture_a-woman-today-who-has-no-goal-no-purpose_565942.jpg" --- # A woman today who has no goal, no purpose, no ambition… ![“A woman today who has no goal, no purpose, no ambition patterning her days into the future, making her stretch and grow beyond that small score of years in which her body can fill its biological function, is committing a kind of suicide.” quote by Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/betty-friedan-3185_american-culture_a-woman-today-who-has-no-goal-no-purpose_565942.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/betty-friedan-3185_american-culture_a-woman-today-who-has-no-goal-no-purpose_565942.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78d/betty-friedan-3185_american-culture_a-woman-today-who-has-no-goal-no-purpose_565942.jpg) > ““A woman today who has no goal, no purpose, no ambition patterning her days into the future, making her stretch and grow beyond that small score of years in which her body can fill its biological function, is committing a kind of suicide.”” [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Without personal goals, a woman’s life can feel empty and self‑destructive, limiting her potential. **In simple terms:** Lack of purpose harms women. Key Takeaway Set clear, purposeful goals. Themes women’s empowerment purpose self‑actualization Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - education - personal development - community involvement Key Concepts goal setting life planning psychological health Questions to Reflect On - What goals give your life meaning? - How can you overcome obstacles to your ambitions? A Different Perspective Societal pressures may conflict with personal ambitions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-culture/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Social science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-science/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woman/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“Woman's sexual problems are, in this sense, by-products of the suppression of her basic need to grow and fulfill her potentialities as a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/woman-s-sexual-problems-are-in-this-sense-by-products-of-the/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [“There is something less than fully human in those who have never known a commitment to an idea, who have never risked an exploration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/there-is-something-less-than-fully-human-in-those-who-have-never/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [Every time I deny myself I commit a kind of suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/every-time-i-deny-myself-i-commit-a-kind-of-suicide/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [“The way I was boozing was a kind of suicide. It was only gonna be a matter of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/the-way-i-was-boozing-was-a-kind-of-suicide-it-was-only-gonna-be-a/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) > [“The unpleasant image of the feminists today resembles less the feminists themselves than the image fostered by the interests who so bitterly opposed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-unpleasant-image-of-the-feminists-today-resembles-less-the/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [I think what we have seen in terms of gay teenagers committing suicide because of bullying is anguishing. I think young people, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-spacey/i-think-what-we-have-seen-in-terms-of-gay-teenagers-committing/) [Kevin Spacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-spacey/) > [“To be an unruly woman today is to oscillate between the postures of fearlessness and self-doubt, between listening to the voices that tell a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-helen-petersen/to-be-an-unruly-woman-today-is-to-oscillate-between-the-postures-of/) [Anne Helen Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-helen-petersen/) > [“Modern civilization has made woman a little wiser, but it has increased her suffering because of man's covetousness. The woman of yesterday was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/modern-civilization-has-made-woman-a-little-wiser-but-it-has/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [My mom is my hero, and I wouldn't be the woman I am today without her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/normani-kordei/my-mom-is-my-hero-and-i-wouldn-t-be-the-woman-i-am-today-without-her/) [Normani Kordei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/normani-kordei/) > [In the beginning, I was worried there are too many shots of me as a boy out there. Now I'm at a point where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreja-pejic/in-the-beginning-i-was-worried-there-are-too-many-shots-of-me-as-a/) [Andreja Pejic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreja-pejic/) > [There is no formula that I'm aware of for being a successful or fulfilled woman today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/there-is-no-formula-that-i-m-aware-of-for-being-a-successful-or/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It was by coincidence that I ended up opening my first shop in 1968, and I haven't stopped since. I now find myself trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rykiel/it-was-by-coincidence-that-i-ended-up-opening-my-first-shop-in-1968/) [Sonia Rykiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rykiel/) > [More than anything, I'm designing for a woman of today. I want to be a witness of my time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-ghesquiere/more-than-anything-i-m-designing-for-a-woman-of-today-i-want-to-be-a/) [Nicolas Ghesquiere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-ghesquiere/) > [The average woman today is almost completely out of touch with her own power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-average-woman-today-is-almost-completely-out-of-touch-with-her/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Betty Friedan > [It is easier to live life through someone else than to become complete yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/it-is-easier-to-live-life-through-someone-else-than-to-become/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [This idea that the employment of women, the movement of women outside the home into the work world, and their demand for equality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/this-idea-that-the-employment-of-women-the-movement-of-women-outside/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [A good woman is one who loves passionately, has guts, seriousness and passionate convictions, takes responsibility, and shapes society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/a-good-woman-is-one-who-loves-passionately-has-guts-seriousness-and/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [You can have it all, just not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/you-can-have-it-all-just-not-all-at-the-same-time/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. The freedom to lead and plan your own life is frightening if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/it-is-easier-to-live-through-someone-else-than-to-complete-yourself/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [Protectiveness has often muffled the sound of doors closing against women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/protectiveness-has-often-muffled-the-sound-of-doors-closing-against/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [“The problem is always being the children’s mommy, or the minister’s wife and never being myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-problem-is-always-being-the-children-s-mommy-or-the-minister-s/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [“The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-problem-lay-buried-unspoken-for-many-years-in-the-minds-of/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [The man who is extremely and dangerously hungry has no other interest but food. Capacities not useful for the satisfying of hunger are pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-man-who-is-extremely-and-dangerously-hungry-has-no-other-interest/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [Who knows what women can be when they are finally free to become themselves? Who knows what women's intelligence will contribute when it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/who-knows-what-women-can-be-when-they-are-finally-free-to-become/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [If women’s role in life is limited solely to housewife/mother, it clearly ends when she can no longer bear more children and the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/if-women-s-role-in-life-is-limited-solely-to-housewife-mother-it/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [The feminine mystique has succeeded in burying millions of American women alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-feminine-mystique-has-succeeded-in-burying-millions-of-american/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [I can't point to any major episodes of sexual discrimination in my early life. But I was so aware of the crime, the shame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/i-can-t-point-to-any-major-episodes-of-sexual-discrimination-in-my/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [“The feminine mystique, elevated by Freudian theory into a scientific religion, sounded a single, overprotective, life-restricting, future-denying note for women. Girls who grew up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/the-feminine-mystique-elevated-by-freudian-theory-into-a-scientific/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) [Explore all 137 Betty Friedan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) ## More American culture quotes > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The Soviet Union is like the Cross without Christ, while American culture is like Christ without the Cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-soviet-union-is-like-the-cross-without-christ-while-american/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“information, in a stream-of-consciousness soliloquy that revealed the extent to which he had internalised the adversarial fragmentation of American culture and made it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/information-in-a-stream-of-consciousness-soliloquy-that-revealed-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [I think in American culture, we put value on economic success but tell people you don't have to be economically successful to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/i-think-in-american-culture-we-put-value-on-economic-success-but-tell/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [The most important thing about Jazz at Lincoln Center is the fact that it's the first time that perhaps the most important art form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-vinoly/the-most-important-thing-about-jazz-at-lincoln-center-is-the-fact/) [Rafael Vinoly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-vinoly/) > [And certainly in British culture, as I'm sure it's the same with American culture, we warm to cultures where people can make fun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/and-certainly-in-british-culture-as-i-m-sure-it-s-the-same-with/) [Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/) > [Canada could have enjoyed: English government, French culture, and American know-how. Instead it ended up with: English know-how, French government, and American culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/canada-could-have-enjoyed-english-government-french-culture-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In contemporary American culture, the religions are more and more treated as just passing beliefs - almost as fads - rather than as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-carter/in-contemporary-american-culture-the-religions-are-more-and-more/) [Stephen L. Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-carter/) > [Being educated in the United States gave me a good understanding of American culture. 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