--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once I asked Mina why she danced so…" description: "\"“Once I asked Mina why she danced so smoothly while most of the other women made abrupt, jerky movements, and she said that many of the women confused ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/fatema-mernissi-28286_angry-women_once-i-asked-mina-why-she-danced-so-smoo_403808.png" --- # Once I asked Mina why she danced so smoothly while most of… ![“Once I asked Mina why she danced so smoothly while most of the other women made abrupt, jerky movements, and she said that many of the women confused liberation with agitation. 'Some ladies are angry with their lives,' she said 'and so even their dance becomes an expression of that.' Angry women…” quote by Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/fatema-mernissi-28286_angry-women_once-i-asked-mina-why-she-danced-so-smoo_403808.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/fatema-mernissi-28286_angry-women_once-i-asked-mina-why-she-danced-so-smoo_403808.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c62/fatema-mernissi-28286_angry-women_once-i-asked-mina-why-she-danced-so-smoo_403808.png) > ““Once I asked Mina why she danced so smoothly while most of the other women made abrupt, jerky movements, and she said that many of the women confused liberation with agitation. 'Some ladies are angry with their lives,' she said 'and so even their dance becomes an expression of that.' Angry women are hostages of their anger. They cannot escape it and set themselves free, which is indeed a sad fate. The worst of prisons is a self-created one. (p.162)”” [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Liberation is often mistaken for agitation; true freedom involves calm, purposeful movement rather than angry expression. **In simple terms:** Freedom is calm, not angry. Key Takeaway Seek calm expression over angry protest. Themes freedom expression liberation calm agitation Mood thoughtful analytical Type nonfiction philosophical When to use this quote - dance workshops - activist training - personal development - conflict mediation Key Concepts gender dynamics social expectations emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can you differentiate constructive anger from self‑imprisonment? - What practices help transform agitation into purposeful action? A Different Perspective Anger can be a valid catalyst for change; suppressing it may be harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agitation Ladies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agitation-ladies-3614890/) [Anger Escape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger-escape-1298777/) [Angry Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-lives-248764/) [Angry women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-women/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Expression Angry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression-angry-2399885/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) ## Related quotes > [“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/) > [As we drew near to the gates of Dother Hall the old bell in the belfry rang out. I said, 'I must go in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-rennison/as-we-drew-near-to-the-gates-of-dother-hall-the-old-bell-in-the/) [Louise Rennison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-rennison/) > [If You Are Being Patient In One Moment Of Anger, You Will Escape A Hundred Days Of Sorrow...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/if-you-are-being-patient-in-one-moment-of-anger-you-will-escape-a/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-patient-in-one-moment-of-anger-you-will-escape-a-hundred/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That's what they want: two women. Fellas, I think that's a bit lofty. 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Because if it’s unseemly and possibly dangerous for a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/anyway-these-books-i-love-they-re-all-books-by-men-every-last-one-of/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“An angry enemy is a conquered enemy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-angry-enemy-is-a-conquered-enemy/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [Women are angry if other women think too little of their lovers, and furious if they think too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minna-antrim/women-are-angry-if-other-women-think-too-little-of-their-lovers-and/) [Minna Antrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minna-antrim/) > [“Bitter people are not interested in what you say, but what you hide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/bitter-people-are-not-interested-in-what-you-say-but-what-you-hide/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [I'm not an angry woman. I'm not bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-m-not-an-angry-woman-i-m-not-bitter/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) > [“I'm a lazy man. With lazy dreams. I need Tai to wake me up, make me vibrate, irritate me. I need my angry woman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-m-a-lazy-man-with-lazy-dreams-i-need-tai-to-wake-me-up-make-me/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy. Sometimes it doesn't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are-2/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) ## More by Fatema Mernissi > [“If your idea disturbs a conservative man, hang onto it," I said to myself. "It will probably lead to important discoveries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/if-your-idea-disturbs-a-conservative-man-hang-onto-it-i-said-to/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [Morocco is such a beautiful place. It's incredibly beautiful. And also it is captivating place because for a writer, you feel that you make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/morocco-is-such-a-beautiful-place-it-s-incredibly-beautiful-and-also/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [One cannot understand what's happening to women in the Middle East if they don't realize that the mothers are a strong, progressive force. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/one-cannot-understand-what-s-happening-to-women-in-the-middle-east-if/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [Being frozen into the passive position of an object whose very existence depends on the eye of its beholder turn the educated modern Western…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/being-frozen-into-the-passive-position-of-an-object-whose-very/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [By putting the spotlight on the female child and framing her as the ideal of beauty, he condemns the mature woman to invisibility. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/by-putting-the-spotlight-on-the-female-child-and-framing-her-as-the/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [I am intelligent enough to be critical towards the West and take what I need and reject what is bad for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/i-am-intelligent-enough-to-be-critical-towards-the-west-and-take-what/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [Maturity is when you start feeling the motion of zaman (time) as if it is a sensuous caress. p.216](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/maturity-is-when-you-start-feeling-the-motion-of-zaman-time-as-if-it/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [“Mothers should tell little girls and boys about the importance of dreams,' Aunt Habiba said. 'They give a sense direction. It is not enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/mothers-should-tell-little-girls-and-boys-about-the-importance-of/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [Someone else is going to read for me or go at my place to the mosque, and/or to tell me you shouldn't take anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/someone-else-is-going-to-read-for-me-or-go-at-my-place-to-the-mosque/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [I, as a Muslim woman living in 1993, I want to have two things - the mosque and the satellite, both at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/i-as-a-muslim-woman-living-in-1993-i-want-to-have-two-things-the/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [The most precious gift God gave humans is reason. Its best use is the search for knowledge. To know the human environment, to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/the-most-precious-gift-god-gave-humans-is-reason-its-best-use-is-the/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) > [The real mistake of women was to let the memoir, the collective, the history, space of producing history - to let it in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatema-mernissi/the-real-mistake-of-women-was-to-let-the-memoir-the-collective-the/) [Fatema Mernissi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) [Explore all 13 Fatema Mernissi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatema-mernissi/) ## More Angry women quotes > [“I'm a lazy man. With lazy dreams. I need Tai to wake me up, make me vibrate, irritate me. I need my angry woman,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-m-a-lazy-man-with-lazy-dreams-i-need-tai-to-wake-me-up-make-me/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I'm not an angry woman. I'm not bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mcmillan/i-m-not-an-angry-woman-i-m-not-bitter/) [Terry McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mcmillan/) > [“Bitter people are not interested in what you say, but what you hide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/bitter-people-are-not-interested-in-what-you-say-but-what-you-hide/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Women are angry if other women think too little of their lovers, and furious if they think too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minna-antrim/women-are-angry-if-other-women-think-too-little-of-their-lovers-and/) [Minna Antrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minna-antrim/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-kaysen/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are/) [Susanna Kaysen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-kaysen/) > [“An angry enemy is a conquered enemy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-angry-enemy-is-a-conquered-enemy/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Anyway, these books I love, they’re all books by men—every last one of them. Because if it’s unseemly and possibly dangerous for a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/anyway-these-books-i-love-they-re-all-books-by-men-every-last-one-of/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Don't let the sun go down on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/don-t-let-the-sun-go-down-on-me/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [Men are angry at women because they aren't doing what they are supposed to do, which is support men. They are in the workplace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/men-are-angry-at-women-because-they-aren-t-doing-what-they-are/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [That's what they want: two women. Fellas, I think that's a bit lofty. Because, come on, think about it - if you can't satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wanda-sykes/that-s-what-they-want-two-women-fellas-i-think-that-s-a-bit-lofty/) [Wanda Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wanda-sykes/) > [When women are angry at men, they call them heartless. When men are angry at women, they call them crazy. Sometimes it doesn't stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cheever/when-women-are-angry-at-men-they-call-them-heartless-when-men-are-2/) [Susan Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cheever/) > [What feminism sought to do, when you get right down to it feminism was brought to us by a bunch of angry women whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/what-feminism-sought-to-do-when-you-get-right-down-to-it-feminism-was/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) [Browse all 13 Angry women quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angry-women/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once I asked Mina why she danced so smoothly while most of the other women made abrupt, jerky movements, and she said that many of the women confused liberation with agitation. 'Some ladies are angry with their lives,' she said 'and so even their dance becomes an expression of that.' 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