--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was…" description: "\"“Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was more important than stopping violence toward women—that the desecration of women indicated the failure of hum..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/eve-ensler-1402_failure_slowly-it-dawned-on-me-that-nothing-was_653214.jpg" --- # Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was more important… ![“Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was more important than stopping violence toward women—that the desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did not correct it, be the end of us all. I do not think I am being extreme…” quote by Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/eve-ensler-1402_failure_slowly-it-dawned-on-me-that-nothing-was_653214.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/eve-ensler-1402_failure_slowly-it-dawned-on-me-that-nothing-was_653214.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a28/eve-ensler-1402_failure_slowly-it-dawned-on-me-that-nothing-was_653214.jpg) > ““Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was more important than stopping violence toward women—that the desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did not correct it, be the end of us all. I do not think I am being extreme. When you rape, beat, maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential life energy of the planet. You force what is meant to be open, trusting, nurturing, creative, and alive to be bent, infertile, and broken.”” [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violence against women harms humanity and the planet, reflecting a deep moral failure that threatens our collective survival. **In simple terms:** Violence against women harms humanity and and Key Takeaway Stop violence against women. Themes gender equality human rights environmental impact violence prevention Mood angry determined hopeful Type activist philosophical When to use this quote - activism - policy advocacy - education - community support Key Concepts feminist ethics eco‑feminism social responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What societal values enable such violence? - How can we rebuild trust and nurture after trauma? A Different Perspective Addressing violence alone is insufficient without systemic cultural change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desecration Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desecration-women-2444212/) [Extreme Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extreme-rape-5219915/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-energy/) [Stopping Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopping-violence-216583/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Violence against women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-against-women/) [Violence Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-women/) [Women Desecration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-desecration-5219914/) ## Related quotes > [“... The desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-desecration-of-women-indicated-the-failure-of-human-beings-to/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Of course I am for stopping violence against women. It is unfortunate that the Senate Democrats are making the current re-authorization of Violence Against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-steelman/of-course-i-am-for-stopping-violence-against-women-it-is-unfortunate/) [Sarah Steelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-steelman/) > [If you help disabled children, it's very appealing. If you help kids with cancer, those are the things you get credit for and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-brown/if-you-help-disabled-children-it-s-very-appealing-if-you-help-kids/) [Jim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-brown/) > [The number of people who believe in stopping violence in the world is wildly greater than those that want to perpetrate it. When everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cohen/the-number-of-people-who-believe-in-stopping-violence-in-the-world-is/) [Jared Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cohen/) > [When you rape, beat, maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential life energy on the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-you-rape-beat-maim-mutilate-burn-bury-and-terrorize-women-you/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I think violence against women in America has become ordinary - it's been made absolutely acceptable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-think-violence-against-women-in-america-has-become-ordinary-it-s/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Unless men are active allies, we'll never end violence against women and girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/unless-men-are-active-allies-we-ll-never-end-violence-against-women/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I really want to help stop violence toward women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-really-want-to-help-stop-violence-toward-women/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [We have not yet made violence against women abnormal, extraordinary, unacceptable. We have not yet come to see it as a pathological issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/we-have-not-yet-made-violence-against-women-abnormal-extraordinary/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [We have to bridge and join our struggles and understand how we can't fight violence against women without looking at racism, we can't fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/we-have-to-bridge-and-join-our-struggles-and-understand-how-we-can-t/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I honestly never understood how violence against women became a women's issue. 95 percent of the violence men are doing to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-honestly-never-understood-how-violence-against-women-became-a-women/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Prana (life energy) colored by the tought of the sender may be projected to persons at a distance, who are willing to receive it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-walker-atkinson/prana-life-energy-colored-by-the-tought-of-the-sender-may-be/) [William Walker Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-walker-atkinson/) > [Michael Jackson will live forever through the thing that he put all of his life energy into: his music. I will do my part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/michael-jackson-will-live-forever-through-the-thing-that-he-put-all/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [“No one, good or evil, ceases to exist; life is energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed; it is recycled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell-blow-fly/no-one-good-or-evil-ceases-to-exist-life-is-energy-and-energy-cannot/) [Patricia Cornwell Blow Fly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell-blow-fly/) > [“Life energy is the key to health. It prevents and cures diseases. Longevity is consistent care of life energy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-h-sun/life-energy-is-the-key-to-health-it-prevents-and-cures-diseases/) [Julia H Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-h-sun/) ## More by Eve Ensler > [I have been struggling to find my way back into my body my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-have-been-struggling-to-find-my-way-back-into-my-body-my-whole-life/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-wrote-the-good-body-i-turned-40-and-suddenly-had-this-stomach/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Cherish your solitude. Take trains by yourself to places you have never been. Sleep out alone under the stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/cherish-your-solitude-take-trains-by-yourself-to-places-you-have/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Why are women immobile? Because so many feel like they're waiting for someone to say, 'You're good, you're pretty, I give you permission'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/why-are-women-immobile-because-so-many-feel-like-they-re-waiting-for/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [What neo-capitalism does so brilliantly is that it's always subdividing and dividing, so that people are never able to be joined in their numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/what-neo-capitalism-does-so-brilliantly-is-that-it-s-always/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The verb that's been enforced on girls is to please. Girls are trained to please...I want us all to change the verb. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-verb-that-s-been-enforced-on-girls-is-to-please-girls-are-trained/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“De acordo com os congressistas, ouvir as experiências reais de mulheres vítimas de violência era diferente de ler as estatísticas de violência contra mulheres.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/de-acordo-com-os-congressistas-ouvir-as-experi-ncias-reais-de/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The clitoris is pure in purpose. It is the only organ in the body designed purely for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/the-clitoris-is-pure-in-purpose-it-is-the-only-organ-in-the-body/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [stop fixing your bodies and start fixing the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/stop-fixing-your-bodies-and-start-fixing-the-world/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Anorexia was my attempt to have control over my body and manipulate my body and starve my body and shape my body. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/anorexia-was-my-attempt-to-have-control-over-my-body-and-manipulate/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [I believe in irony. And if V-Day has taught me anything, it's that if you go out with artistic, outrageous irony and humor, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-believe-in-irony-and-if-v-day-has-taught-me-anything-it-s-that-if/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [People didn't feel so much shame around it and that they didn't feel so much humiliation around it. And the other thing that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/people-didn-t-feel-so-much-shame-around-it-and-that-they-didn-t-feel/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Cancer essentially lives in us and becomes activated at some point, and then cells begin to psychotically divide. Initially, the cancer cell looks like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/cancer-essentially-lives-in-us-and-becomes-activated-at-some-point/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Today the United States has the highest prison population in the world, over 2.1 million people. ... We lock people up at a rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/today-the-united-states-has-the-highest-prison-population-in-the/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) [Explore all 241 Eve Ensler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Slowly, it dawned on me that nothing was more important than stopping violence toward women—that the desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did not correct it, be the end of us all. I do not think I am being extreme. When you rape, beat, maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential life energy of the planet. 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