--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's still unacceptable for women to have…" description: "\"It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write against that.\" — Claire Messud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png" --- # It's still unacceptable for women to have negative… ![“It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write against that.” quote by Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png) > “It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write against that.” [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women are often discouraged from expressing anger, reinforcing gender stereotypes. **In simple terms:** Women shouldn't be angry. Key Takeaway Challenge gendered emotional expectations. Themes gender bias emotions stereotypes Mood empathetic thoughtful Type feminist psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - activism - media analysis - therapy Key Concepts feminism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does suppressing anger affect wellbeing? - What spaces allow women to vent safely? A Different Perspective Anger can be constructive if expressed healthily. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Anger Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-trying-795672/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Especially Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/especially-anger-795674/) [Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative/) [Negative emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-emotions/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Unacceptable Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unacceptable-women-795673/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) [Women Negative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-negative-795671/) ## Related quotes > [“I often did unacceptable things and definitely multiple unacceptable women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadie-grubor/i-often-did-unacceptable-things-and-definitely-multiple-unacceptable/) [Sadie Grubor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadie-grubor/) > [I am sent too many mainstream scripts in which the older woman is really quite grotesque. Sometimes you read a script and you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/i-am-sent-too-many-mainstream-scripts-in-which-the-older-woman-is/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [I like anti-hero women. Negative female characters interest me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/i-like-anti-hero-women-negative-female-characters-interest-me/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [One of the things I noticed is that if you look up the word ambition you will see that when it's applied to women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-dent/one-of-the-things-i-noticed-is-that-if-you-look-up-the-word-ambition/) [Susie Dent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-dent/) > [You must not let your negative emotions distract you from achieving your goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clay-clark/you-must-not-let-your-negative-emotions-distract-you-from-achieving/) [Clay Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clay-clark/) > [Look closer at the stress in your own life and you can identify that negative emotions are always built on counterfactual statements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/look-closer-at-the-stress-in-your-own-life-and-you-can-identify-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The beautiful thing about music is that even so-called negative emotions like anger, sadness, frustration, when they come through the filter of music, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromi/the-beautiful-thing-about-music-is-that-even-so-called-negative/) [Hiromi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromi/) > [“Whereas cognitive constraints on negative emotions can reduce distress, freeing positive emotions from such constraints can enhance religious experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-l-clore/whereas-cognitive-constraints-on-negative-emotions-can-reduce/) [Gerald L. Clore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-l-clore/) > [You know, the standard state for people is 'mildly pleasant.' Negative emotions are quite rare, and extremely positive emotions are rare. But people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/you-know-the-standard-state-for-people-is-mildly-pleasant-negative/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [ “People who tend to \[suppress their negative emotions\] regularly,” concludes Grob, “might start to see the world in a more negative light.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/people-who-tend-to-suppress-their-negative-emotions-regularly/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [The practice of gratitude is incompatible with negative emotions and may actually diminish or deter such feelings as anger, bitterness, and greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonja-lyubomirsky/the-practice-of-gratitude-is-incompatible-with-negative-emotions-and/) [Sonja Lyubomirsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonja-lyubomirsky/) > [“To the Dalai Lama, suffering and adversity are the necessary conditions for developing patience and tolerance. These qualities are vital if we want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-chan/to-the-dalai-lama-suffering-and-adversity-are-the-necessary/) [Victor Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-chan/) > [“real difficulty comes when we are doing something that we don’t want to be doing. For example, if we must work when we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahima-baldwin-dancy/real-difficulty-comes-when-we-are-doing-something-that-we-don-t-want/) [Rahima Baldwin Dancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahima-baldwin-dancy/) > [“Shame is the deepest of the “negative emotions,” a feeling we will do almost anything to avoid. Unfortunately, our abiding fear of shame impairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/shame-is-the-deepest-of-the-negative-emotions-a-feeling-we-will-do/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [“The privacy issue was reignited in early 2014, when the Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook had conducted a massive social-science experiment on nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-taplin/the-privacy-issue-was-reignited-in-early-2014-when-the-wall-street/) [Jonathan Taplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-taplin/) ## More by Claire Messud > [I'd wish for my work to be remembered rather than myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-d-wish-for-my-work-to-be-remembered-rather-than-myself/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I have said it somewhere - our literary lived lives are as important as our literally lived lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-have-said-it-somewhere-our-literary-lived-lives-are-as-important-as/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Life is about deciding what matters. It’s about the fantasy that determines the reality. Have you ever asked yourself whether you’d rather fly or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-is-about-deciding-what-matters-it-s-about-the-fantasy-that/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Life's funny. You have to find a way to keep going, to keep laughing, even after you realize that none of your dreams will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-s-funny-you-have-to-find-a-way-to-keep-going-to-keep-laughing/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [The fictional narratives that television, film, and the news provide for girls and young women are appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-fictional-narratives-that-television-film-and-the-news-provide/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“I don't want to sleep,' my mother said. 'I want -- for God's sake, I want to wake up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-don-t-want-to-sleep-my-mother-said-i-want-for-god-s-sake-i-want-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“It was supposed to say “Great Artist” on my tombstone, but if I died right now it would say “such a good teacher/​daughter/​friend” instead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-was-supposed-to-say-great-artist-on-my-tombstone-but-if-i-died/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Live, my dear Nora. Satisfy your hunger. There's food all around you, you know.' 'What kind of food, I'd like to know?' 'Ah'-he smiled-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/live-my-dear-nora-satisfy-your-hunger-there-s-food-all-around-you-you/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I digress a lot - it's how I experience the world. 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It’s the most precious gift I can give,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/who-i-am-in-my-head-very-few-people-really-get-to-see-that-almost/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“My everyday Appleton life, my phones calls to my father, my occasional beers with friends, my Saturday-morning jobs around the reservoir - what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/my-everyday-appleton-life-my-phones-calls-to-my-father-my-occasional/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) [Explore all 249 Claire Messud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“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/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write against that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Messud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-have-negative-emotions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-have-negative-emotions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbe/claire-messud-1372_anger_it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-hav_855461.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's still unacceptable for women to have negative emotions, especially anger, and I was trying to write…” — Claire Messud", "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": "Claire Messud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's still unacceptable for women to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-have-negative-emotions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-still-unacceptable-for-women-to-have-negative-emotions/#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 } } ] } ```