--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think I would be rewarded for…" description: "\"“I used to think I would be rewarded for good behavior. Therefore, if I wasn’t understood, I must not be understandable; if I wasn’t successful, I must..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/gloria-steinem-277_context_i-used-to-think-i-would-be-rewarded-for_3130397.jpg" --- # I used to think I would be rewarded for good behavior… ![“I used to think I would be rewarded for good behavior. Therefore, if I wasn’t understood, I must not be understandable; if I wasn’t successful, I must try harder; if something was wrong, it was my fault. More and more now, I see that context is all. When someone judges me or anyone or anything, I…” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/gloria-steinem-277_context_i-used-to-think-i-would-be-rewarded-for_3130397.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/gloria-steinem-277_context_i-used-to-think-i-would-be-rewarded-for_3130397.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00a/gloria-steinem-277_context_i-used-to-think-i-would-be-rewarded-for_3130397.jpg) > ““I used to think I would be rewarded for good behavior. Therefore, if I wasn’t understood, I must not be understandable; if I wasn’t successful, I must try harder; if something was wrong, it was my fault. More and more now, I see that context is all. When someone judges me or anyone or anything, I ask: Compared to what?”” [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Judgment depends on comparison; personal standards shift with perspective. **In simple terms:** We judge relative to others. Key Takeaway Assess context before judging. Themes self‑awareness judgment relativity Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal development - coaching - conflict resolution Key Concepts social comparison psychology Questions to Reflect On - What standards guide your actions? - How does context shape your self‑evaluation? A Different Perspective May ignore absolute standards, leading to moral relativism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Context](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/context/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Good behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-behavior/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Radical feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radical-feminism/) [Women 's rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-s-rights/) ## Related quotes > [“I’m not sure feminism should require an adjective. Believing in the full social, political, and economic quality of women, which is what the dictionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-m-not-sure-feminism-should-require-an-adjective-believing-in-the/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“The truth is that every country has its own organic feminism. Far more than communism, capitalism, or any other philosophy I can think of,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-truth-is-that-every-country-has-its-own-organic-feminism-far-more/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“I used to indulge in magical thinking when problems seemed insurmountable. Often, this focused on men, for they seemed to be the only ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-used-to-indulge-in-magical-thinking-when-problems-seemed/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Now I look at artificial boundaries—lines that can stop no current of air or drought or polluted river—and mourn the violence lavished on defending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/now-i-look-at-artificial-boundaries-lines-that-can-stop-no-current-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“God may be in the details, but the goddess is in the questions. Once we begin to ask them, there’s no turning back. Instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/god-may-be-in-the-details-but-the-goddess-is-in-the-questions-once-we-2/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“I recommend the freedom that comes from asking: Compared to what? Hierarchical systems prevail by making us feel inadequate and imperfect. Whatever we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-recommend-the-freedom-that-comes-from-asking-compared-to-what/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“We understand that being able to help dependent children find what they need can be a gift in itself. Why shouldn’t we feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-understand-that-being-able-to-help-dependent-children-find-what/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“I’ve come to realize the pleasures of being a nothing-to-lose, take-no-shit older woman; of looking at what once seemed to be outer limits but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-ve-come-to-realize-the-pleasures-of-being-a-nothing-to-lose-take-no/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Most of us have a few events that divide our lives into “before” and “after.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/most-of-us-have-a-few-events-that-divide-our-lives-into-before-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“As a group who can never afford the expensive fiction of having a nation—and whose bodies suffer from nationalism by being used as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/as-a-group-who-can-never-afford-the-expensive-fiction-of-having-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“When a woman fears the punishment that comes from calling herself a feminist, I ask: Will you be so unpunished if you don’t? When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/when-a-woman-fears-the-punishment-that-comes-from-calling-herself-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Hard work should be rewarded by good food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/hard-work-should-be-rewarded-by-good-food/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [In the family, writing wasn't anything anyone understood - being a writer in the real world? How could it be? We didn't have those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/in-the-family-writing-wasn-t-anything-anyone-understood-being-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I have spoken, and I was understood. It's not like I'm a tragic person who wasn't understood. All those books are in print, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/i-have-spoken-and-i-was-understood-it-s-not-like-i-m-a-tragic-person/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [In the end we are always rewarded for our good will, our patience, fair-mindedness, and gentleness with what is strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-end-we-are-always-rewarded-for-our-good-will-our-patience-fair/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More by Gloria Steinem > [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) ## More Context quotes > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“Christianity doesn't answer all my questions or make me comfortable and happy. What it does do is give me a context for living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryan-smith/christianity-doesn-t-answer-all-my-questions-or-make-me-comfortable/) [James Bryan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryan-smith/) > [ People always tend to give the benefit of the doubt to allow people to explain the context \[of their words\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keli-goff/people-always-tend-to-give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt-to-allow-people/) Keli Goff > [The United States is a very important country to us in the international context. 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Time has been managing itself for 15 billion years; we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-buzan/the-world-isn-t-fast-paced-it-s-frenetic-people-have-to-be-managers/) [Tony Buzan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-buzan/) > [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer's craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/to-quote-out-of-context-is-the-essence-of-the-photographer-s-craft/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [Captaining your country, going out at Wembley, captaining Arsenal to 10 trophies, playing your first game - they're all amazing things. But, phew, saving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-adams/captaining-your-country-going-out-at-wembley-captaining-arsenal-to-10/) [Tony Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-adams/) > [With 'I Want Action,' I think people take it in the context of the Sunset Strip and the party scene; it was tongue-in-cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-michaels/with-i-want-action-i-think-people-take-it-in-the-context-of-the/) [Bret Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-michaels/) > [The still image continues to have a ton of strength. 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