---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They [Oneida people] didn't want to fix…"
description: "\"They [Oneida people] didn't want to fix problems one at a time. If someone invited them to a feminist convention, their answer would have been, 'In the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg"
---

#  They \[Oneida people\] didn't want to fix problems one at a…

![“They &#91;Oneida people&#93; didn't want to fix problems one at a time. If someone invited them to a feminist convention, their answer would have been, 'In the new world women will have total equality, so lets spend our energy creating that whole new world.' And to their credit, the women at Oneida…” quote by Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg)

> “They \[Oneida people\] didn't want to fix problems one at a time. If someone invited them to a feminist convention, their answer would have been, 'In the new world women will have total equality, so lets spend our energy creating that whole new world.' And to their credit, the women at Oneida probably had far greater practical equality than what any of the women gathered at Seneca Falls experienced in their lifetimes.”

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

## About This Quote

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

Oneida people preferred sweeping societal change over incremental fixes, achieving broader gender equality than many contemporaries.

**In simple terms:** They chose big reforms over small fixes.

Key Takeaway

Consider the impact of systemic vs. incremental change.

Themes

feminism social change strategy

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

historical political

When to use this quote

- activism planning
- policy reform
- community organizing

Key Concepts

political theory history gender studies

Questions to Reflect On

- Is incremental progress undervalued?
- When is sweeping change realistic?

A Different Perspective

Large reforms may overlook immediate needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Lifetime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifetime/) [New world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-world/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [When I got the women's marathon into the Olympics and we had races all over the world I thought, 'That's great, now we're heading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/when-i-got-the-women-s-marathon-into-the-olympics-and-we-had-races/)

[Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/)

> [“I have this recurring nightmare in which I have to move back in with my old college roommates. I'll admit, that's what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/i-have-this-recurring-nightmare-in-which-i-have-to-move-back-in-with/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [I think there is a total equality for me between painting a literary figure or Kate Moss or my Mum or a dog or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-vine/i-think-there-is-a-total-equality-for-me-between-painting-a-literary/)

[Stella Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-vine/)

> [Women won't have total equality until men can get pregnant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/women-won-t-have-total-equality-until-men-can-get-pregnant/)

[Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/)

> [Enforcing equality to compensate for the monstrous unfairness of nature destroys liberty. But total liberty leads to various forms of "aristocracy" and decay. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-j-carroll/enforcing-equality-to-compensate-for-the-monstrous-unfairness-of/)

[Peter J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-j-carroll/)

> [Under Tunisian law, a woman can divorce her husband. Total equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashid-al-ghannushi/under-tunisian-law-a-woman-can-divorce-her-husband-total-equality/)

[Rashid al-Ghannushi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashid-al-ghannushi/)

> [A “fraternity” is the antithesis offraternity. The first (that is, the order or organization) is predicated on the idea of exclusion; the second (that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/a-fraternity-is-the-antithesis-offraternity-the-first-that-is-the/)

[E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/)

> [I'm excited that more people, especially men, are understanding that equality is good for them. I don't want men to want equality for women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-m-excited-that-more-people-especially-men-are-understanding-that/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [Our locker room is so positive. We are all focused on the same objectives, and that's equality for women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/our-locker-room-is-so-positive-we-are-all-focused-on-the-same/)

[Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/)

> [The first step in providing economic equality for women is to ensure a stable economy in which every person who wants to work can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/the-first-step-in-providing-economic-equality-for-women-is-to-ensure/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [One of the factors a country's economy depends on is human capital. If you don't provide women with adequate access to healthcare, education and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-bachelet/one-of-the-factors-a-country-s-economy-depends-on-is-human-capital-if/)

[Michelle Bachelet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-bachelet/)

> [There have been some gains made in terms of more equality for women in the workplace and in the way the legal system deals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/there-have-been-some-gains-made-in-terms-of-more-equality-for-women/)

[Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/)

> [I certainly embrace all the movement that's going on these days about equality for women and equal rights. In general, I would apply that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-andrews/i-certainly-embrace-all-the-movement-that-s-going-on-these-days-about/)

[Julie Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-andrews/)

> [Friends, haters, it's Twitter poll time. What do you think most holds back justice and equality for women? All thoughts welcome!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/friends-haters-it-s-twitter-poll-time-what-do-you-think-most-holds/)

[Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/)

> [ \[Fighting for equality for women\] that's what my mission has been for the last years. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-broadwell/fighting-for-equality-for-women-that-s-what-my-mission-has-been-for/)

[Paula Broadwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-broadwell/)

## More by Christine Jennings

> [Utopian fiction is really boring. I had to read a lot of it, and it's not that much fun. But they're fascinating to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/utopian-fiction-is-really-boring-i-had-to-read-a-lot-of-it-and-it-s/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [The fatal flaw of most utopian visions is that they're fundamentally static, and that's not a comfortable place for humans to live. Fourier was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-fatal-flaw-of-most-utopian-visions-is-that-they-re-fundamentally/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [There are two instances I studied in which a community moved, amazingly, into an preexisting village built by other, earlier communalists. The Rappites were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/there-are-two-instances-i-studied-in-which-a-community-moved/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [The religious and irreligious are agreeing with each other almost all the time. Their rhetoric is the same, and their plans are the same.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-religious-and-irreligious-are-agreeing-with-each-other-almost-all/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [These weren't college kids on acid. They were preachers, and bankers, and farmers, and the salt of American society subscribing to ideas that now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/these-weren-t-college-kids-on-acid-they-were-preachers-and-bankers/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [The thought was, 'We're going to go to California, where the soil is black and ten feet deep, and there are no rocks, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-thought-was-we-re-going-to-go-to-california-where-the-soil-is/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [But if you'd only ever lived in small wooden house in the middle of wilderness, it sounded much better. Especially because it provided intense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/but-if-you-d-only-ever-lived-in-small-wooden-house-in-the-middle-of/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [Atheist isn't really the right word because they tended to believe in some sort of Enlightenment, capital 'N' Nature kind of god. But these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/atheist-isn-t-really-the-right-word-because-they-tended-to-believe-in/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [I was really interested in 20th century communalism and alternative communities, the boom of communes in the 60s and 70s. That led me back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/i-was-really-interested-in-20th-century-communalism-and-alternative/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [Because the utopian's worldview was framed around moving toward this perfected future, it helped stimulate the private exertions that add up to social progress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/because-the-utopian-s-worldview-was-framed-around-moving-toward-this/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [The thing that had fueled these utopian communities was a literal belief, and not just a general sense of optimism, that the earth was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-thing-that-had-fueled-these-utopian-communities-was-a-literal/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [Utopians don't say, 'The world's corrupt, women make less money, people of color are oppressed at every turn.' You don't list the problems of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/utopians-don-t-say-the-world-s-corrupt-women-make-less-money-people/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [don't think I should be in the business of making big pronouncements about where we are now, but I would say that dissatisfaction is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/don-t-think-i-should-be-in-the-business-of-making-big-pronouncements/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [The secular utopians basically said the exact same thing, they just took the Bible out of the equation. The religious and the secular groups…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/the-secular-utopians-basically-said-the-exact-same-thing-they-just/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

> [One of the things that's amazing about reading the private writing of these folks is that they enthusiastically describe things which we have now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/one-of-the-things-that-s-amazing-about-reading-the-private-writing-of/)

[Christine Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

[Explore all 30 Christine Jennings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

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

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

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

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "They [Oneida people] didn't want to fix problems one at a time. If someone invited them to a feminist convention, their answer would have been, 'In the new world women will have total equality, so lets spend our energy creating that whole new world.' And to their credit, the women at Oneida probably had far greater practical equality than what any of the women gathered at Seneca Falls experienced in their lifetimes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christine Jennings"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-problems-one-at-a-time-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-problems-one-at-a-time-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a98/christine-jennings-20527_answers_they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-pr_1079802.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They [Oneida people] didn't want to fix problems one at a time. If someone invited them to a feminist…” — Christine Jennings",
                "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": "Christine Jennings",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-jennings/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "They [Oneida people] didn't want to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-problems-one-at-a-time-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-jennings/they-oneida-people-didn-t-want-to-fix-problems-one-at-a-time-if/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
