--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not being assaulted is not a privilege to…" description: "\"“Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety strategies. A woman should be able to walk do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg" --- # Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned… ![“Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety strategies. A woman should be able to walk down the street at 4 in the morning in nothing but her socks, blind drunk, without being assaulted, and I, for one, am not going to do anything to…” quote by Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg) > ““Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety strategies. A woman should be able to walk down the street at 4 in the morning in nothing but her socks, blind drunk, without being assaulted, and I, for one, am not going to do anything to imply that she is in any way responsible for her own assault if she fails to Adequately Protect Herself. Men aren’t helpless dick-driven maniacs who can’t help raping a vulnerable woman. It disrespects EVERYONE.”” [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Safety is a right, not a privilege earned by vigilance; victims are never responsible for assaults. **In simple terms:** Safety is a right, not earned by effort. Key Takeaway Advocate for universal safety and victim support. Themes gender violence rights Mood determined urgent Type advocacy educational When to use this quote - public policy - education campaigns - community safety programs Key Concepts feminism social justice Questions to Reflect On - What can individuals do to shift cultural narratives on assault? - How can policies better protect vulnerable people? A Different Perspective Changing societal attitudes is slow and faces resistance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assault/) [Assaulted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assaulted/) [Assaulted Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assaulted-going-1907437/) [Assaulted Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assaulted-privilege-1907436/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Personal safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-safety/) [Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape/) [Raping Vulnerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raping-vulnerable-1907438/) [Responsible Assault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsible-assault-1907439/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [I assaulted Stone Cold Steve Austin and got away with it! It was indeed a very special night for me...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-mcmahon/i-assaulted-stone-cold-steve-austin-and-got-away-with-it-it-was/) [Vince McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-mcmahon/) > [I've been physically assaulted several times in the street. Somebody once pushed me into traffic. I've been followed into gay clubs, for example, where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wylie/i-ve-been-physically-assaulted-several-times-in-the-street-somebody/) [Christopher Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-wylie/) > [The media character-assassinated me and perceived me as this monster. When you look at my record ... I jumped a taxi as a 21-year-old,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-mason/the-media-character-assassinated-me-and-perceived-me-as-this-monster/) [Willie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-mason/) > [“Did I really just get assaulted by a big scary man, then get saved by my stalker? …Yeah. That about sums it up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/belle-aurora/did-i-really-just-get-assaulted-by-a-big-scary-man-then-get-saved-by/) [Belle Aurora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/belle-aurora/) > [I walk alone, assaulted it seems, by tears from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-walk-alone-assaulted-it-seems-by-tears-from-heaven/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“...after twenty-five years of treating trauma survivors, I have learned that getting hit is actually one of the more bearable ways a person can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-stout/after-twenty-five-years-of-treating-trauma-survivors-i-have-learned/) [Martha Stout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-stout/) > [“Aiden… I can’t see anything.” “That’s the point.” “Well, thanks, Captain Obvious.” I reached out blindly, but only felt air. “What do you expect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/aiden-i-can-t-see-anything-that-s-the-point-well-thanks-captain/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [I've met my share of guys who have insulted and assaulted my intelligence with their stories and games. I say hello and goodbye!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/i-ve-met-my-share-of-guys-who-have-insulted-and-assaulted-my/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [ \[Donald Trump\] held a number of big rallies where he said that he could not possibly have done those things to those women because… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/donald-trump-held-a-number-of-big-rallies-where-he-said-that-he-could/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“I have been assaulted by cleverness on all fronts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-clinton/i-have-been-assaulted-by-cleverness-on-all-fronts/) [Bill Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-clinton/) > [“Isn’t it sad that when a girl says she was sexually assaulted, our first instinct is to think she’s probably lying? Statistics and facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-schumer/isn-t-it-sad-that-when-a-girl-says-she-was-sexually-assaulted-our/) [Amy Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-schumer/) > [i was raped, too sexually assaulted in seventh grade, tenth grade. the summer after graduation, at a party i was 16 i was 14…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-was-raped-too-sexually-assaulted-in-seventh-grade-tenth-grade-the/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [If a girl gets assaulted, it's not because she was drunk. It's because somebody decided to assault her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-shenk/if-a-girl-gets-assaulted-it-s-not-because-she-was-drunk-it-s-because/) [Jon Shenk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-shenk/) > [I don't know how I can feel safe with Donald Trump, who bragged about sexual assault having the most power of anyone in America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pozner/i-don-t-know-how-i-can-feel-safe-with-donald-trump-who-bragged-about/) [Jennifer Pozner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pozner/) > [You can be a victim of a crime and not exercise great judgment. And when women have been sexually assaulted, they feel like they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/you-can-be-a-victim-of-a-crime-and-not-exercise-great-judgment-and/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) ## More by Emily Nagoski > [“I wrote it because I am done living in a world where women are lied to about their bodies; where women are objects of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/i-wrote-it-because-i-am-done-living-in-a-world-where-women-are-lied/) [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) > [“When you can see your body as it is, rather than what culture proclaims it to Mean, then you experience how much easier it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/when-you-can-see-your-body-as-it-is-rather-than-what-culture/) [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) > [“What turns us on (or off) is learned from culture, in much the same way children learn vocabulary and accents from culture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/what-turns-us-on-or-off-is-learned-from-culture-in-much-the-same-way/) [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) > [“The day you were born, the world had a choice about what to teach you about your body. It could have taught you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/the-day-you-were-born-the-world-had-a-choice-about-what-to-teach-you/) [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) > [“At the same time that I was marketing myself as a sexual product, in accordance with my instruction by women’s magazines, romance novels, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/at-the-same-time-that-i-was-marketing-myself-as-a-sexual-product-in/) [Emily Nagoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) [Explore all 6 Emily Nagoski quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/) ## More Assault quotes > [In an attempt to hinder, if not altogether halt, the next move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of faultfinding demons against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-frangipane/in-an-attempt-to-hinder-if-not-altogether-halt-the-next-move-of-god/) [Francis Frangipane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-frangipane/) > [There is an all-out assault now on the Christian community in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/there-is-an-all-out-assault-now-on-the-christian-community-in-this/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I don't know how I can feel safe with Donald Trump, who bragged about sexual assault having the most power of anyone in America,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-pozner/i-don-t-know-how-i-can-feel-safe-with-donald-trump-who-bragged-about/) [Jennifer Pozner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-pozner/) > [At Ohio State University, to avoid being guilty of 'sexual assault' or 'sexual violence,' you and your partner now apparently have to agree on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/at-ohio-state-university-to-avoid-being-guilty-of-sexual-assault-or/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Their problem is not me and the Democrats; their problem is themselves. Who are they? Are they these extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault-weapon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cuomo/their-problem-is-not-me-and-the-democrats-their-problem-is-themselves/) [Andrew Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cuomo/) > [I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-wrapped-a-movie-called-zombieland-in-which-i-was-constantly-under/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When a child hits a child, we call it aggression. When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility. When an adult hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-a-child-hits-a-child-we-call-it-aggression-when-a-child-hits-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the same guy at that podium preaching to the people on every single song. I'm not doing a dance for you on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/i-m-the-same-guy-at-that-podium-preaching-to-the-people-on-every/) [Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/) > [That tertiary education is under a sustained assault by a political and - it often seems - social consensus that equates all education with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/that-tertiary-education-is-under-a-sustained-assault-by-a-political/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [The biggest threat to any politician is an artist. Comedians unleashed can do a great deal of damage. David Letterman can do more damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/the-biggest-threat-to-any-politician-is-an-artist-comedians-unleashed/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [George W. Bush and his administration embarked on a full-scale assault on civil liberties, human rights and the rule of law, walking away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-jagger/george-w-bush-and-his-administration-embarked-on-a-full-scale-assault/) [Bianca Jagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-jagger/) > [Sexual assault and domestic violence are difficult things to talk about. Talk about them anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariska-hargitay/sexual-assault-and-domestic-violence-are-difficult-things-to-talk/) [Mariska Hargitay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariska-hargitay/) > [One's own self-worth is tied to the worth of the community to which one belongs, which is intimately connected to humanity in general. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/one-s-own-self-worth-is-tied-to-the-worth-of-the-community-to-which/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [Where do find the most persecuted Christians in the world?... in the classrooms of our government schools, where the assault is not upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-keyes/where-do-find-the-most-persecuted-christians-in-the-world-in-the/) [Alan Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-keyes/) > [The present assault upon capital is but the beginning. It will be but a stepping-stone to others, larger and more sweeping, till our political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-present-assault-upon-capital-is-but-the-beginning-it-will-be-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 565 Assault quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assault/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety strategies. A woman should be able to walk down the street at 4 in the morning in nothing but her socks, blind drunk, without being assaulted, and I, for one, am not going to do anything to imply that she is in any way responsible for her own assault if she fails to Adequately Protect Herself. Men aren’t helpless dick-driven maniacs who can’t help raping a vulnerable woman. It disrespects EVERYONE.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily Nagoski" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-to-be-earned-through-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assault" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-to-be-earned-through-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24f/emily-nagoski-57992_assault_not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-t_2596370.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not being assaulted is not a privilege to be earned through the judicious application of personal safety…” — Emily Nagoski", "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": "Emily Nagoski", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-nagoski/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Not being assaulted is not a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-to-be-earned-through-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-nagoski/not-being-assaulted-is-not-a-privilege-to-be-earned-through-the/#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 } } ] } ```