--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change…" description: "\"If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?\" — Gloria Steinem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg" --- # If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot? ![“If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg) > “If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?” [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. Challenges societal expectations that demand personal change instead of systemic reform. **In simple terms:** Change the system, not yourself. Key Takeaway Question norms, seek structural change. Themes feminism social critique identity empowerment Mood defiant thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - activism - policy reform - education - personal reflection Key Concepts gender roles social constructs personal agency Questions to Reflect On - What structures need change? - How can we support collective adaptation? A Different Perspective Changing individuals may ignore deeper systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-foot-3633540/) [Fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fashion/) [Fit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit/) [Fit Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fit-change-898448/) [Foot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foot/) [Shoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe/) [Shoe Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoe-doesn-1147331/) ## Related quotes > [A good shoe is one that doesn't dress you but undresses you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/a-good-shoe-is-one-that-doesn-t-dress-you-but-undresses-you/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [Don't wear a shoe if it doesn't fits you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aireen-pontillo/don-t-wear-a-shoe-if-it-doesn-t-fits-you/) [Aireen Pontillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aireen-pontillo/) > [“If you don't fit you must move or change your environment to fit you. If you can't change the environment and you won't move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-don-t-fit-you-must-move-or-change-your-environment-to-fit-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You can fit in or you can change the world but you can't do both.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sravani-saha-nakhro/you-can-fit-in-or-you-can-change-the-world-but-you-can-t-do-both/) [Sravani Saha Nakhro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sravani-saha-nakhro/) > [You cannot put the same shoe on every foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/you-cannot-put-the-same-shoe-on-every-foot/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Let every foot have its own shoe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/let-every-foot-have-its-own-shoe/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Putting the shoe on the wrong foot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/putting-the-shoe-on-the-wrong-foot/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [As a dancer, you really try to stay true to whatever the choreographer/artistic director is giving you. So, now the shoe is on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/as-a-dancer-you-really-try-to-stay-true-to-whatever-the-choreographer/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [“Offence is like muddy soil; when trapped underfoot, it resists rapid progress. Don't trap offences under your mind, else you resist change! Jesus said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/offence-is-like-muddy-soil-when-trapped-underfoot-it-resists-rapid/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [If the shoe fits, you must wear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/if-the-shoe-fits-you-must-wear-it/) [Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/) > [“A single day in my own shoe that is comfortable for me is better than 365 days in someone else's shoes that does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/a-single-day-in-my-own-shoe-that-is-comfortable-for-me-is-better-than/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [We're changing ourselves to fit the world instead of changing the world to fit women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-re-changing-ourselves-to-fit-the-world-instead-of-changing-the/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [No one knows whom the shoe pinches - no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sholom-aleichem/no-one-knows-whom-the-shoe-pinches-no-one/) [Sholom Aleichem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sholom-aleichem/) ## 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 Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gloria Steinem" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-the-foot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-the-foot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/gloria-steinem-277_change_if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-t_406495.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If the shoe doesn't fit, must we change the foot?” — Gloria Steinem", "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": "Gloria Steinem", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If the shoe doesn't fit, must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-the-foot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-the-shoe-doesn-t-fit-must-we-change-the-foot/#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 } } ] } ```