--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have to bridge and join our struggles…" description: "\"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 violence ag..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/eve-ensler-1402_bridges_we-have-to-bridge-and-join-our-struggles_747517.jpg" --- # We have to bridge and join our struggles and understand… ![“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 violence against women without looking at economic deprivation or climate change. All these struggles are interconnected.” quote by Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/eve-ensler-1402_bridges_we-have-to-bridge-and-join-our-struggles_747517.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/eve-ensler-1402_bridges_we-have-to-bridge-and-join-our-struggles_747517.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/eve-ensler-1402_bridges_we-have-to-bridge-and-join-our-struggles_747517.jpg) > “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 violence against women without looking at economic deprivation or climate change. All these struggles are interconnected.” [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 is linked to racism, poverty, and climate change; addressing one issue requires confronting all interconnected oppressions. **In simple terms:** All social issues are linked. Key Takeaway Tackle root causes together. Themes feminism intersectionality social justice Mood urgent hopeful Type activist educational When to use this quote - policy making - community organizing - education programs Key Concepts systemic oppression environmental impact Questions to Reflect On - What connections exist in your community? - How can you address multiple issues simultaneously? A Different Perspective Focusing on a single issue may ignore broader systemic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Climate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate/) [Climate change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climate-change/) [Deprivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deprivation/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Violence against women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence-against-women/) ## Related quotes > [As soon as you choose to fight with violence you're choosing to fight against your opponents best weapons and you have to be smarter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-sharp/as-soon-as-you-choose-to-fight-with-violence-you-re-choosing-to-fight/) [Gene Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-sharp/) > [Wars aren't stopped by fighting wars, any more than you can fight fire with fire. You fight fire with water. You fight violence with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/wars-aren-t-stopped-by-fighting-wars-any-more-than-you-can-fight-fire/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [You must also understand us - always undervalued, underestimated, not believed. Even when we believed, you didn't believe us. You said, 'How is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/you-must-also-understand-us-always-undervalued-underestimated-not/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [We need to fight violence and ignorance. It is true: when one strolls out, one sees women with scarves and men with beards. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-vi-of-morocco/we-need-to-fight-violence-and-ignorance-it-is-true-when-one-strolls/) [Mohammed VI of Morocco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-vi-of-morocco/) > [To fight the violence we must be brave, hold on strong to the love God gave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/to-fight-the-violence-we-must-be-brave-hold-on-strong-to-the-love-god/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/slowly-it-dawned-on-me-that-nothing-was-more-important-than-stopping/) [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/) > [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/) > [Most male victims of violence are the victims of other men's violence. So that's something that both women and men have in common. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackson-katz/most-male-victims-of-violence-are-the-victims-of-other-men-s-violence/) [Jackson Katz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackson-katz/) > [“What does War, Murder, Genocide, Violence, Abuse, Rape, Domestic Violence, Violence Against Women & Children Have In Common? Everything...they all help destroy precious lives!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/what-does-war-murder-genocide-violence-abuse-rape-domestic-violence/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [The violence perpetrated by men against women must stop - and it's up to men to stop it. It is up to men to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-violence-perpetrated-by-men-against-women-must-stop-and-it-s-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Bridges quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "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 violence against women without looking at economic deprivation or climate change. 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