---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever has power takes over the noun…"
description: "\"Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.\" — Gloria Steinem"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg"
---

#  Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm…

![“Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg)

> “Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.”

[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.

Power defines language, granting dominance to the powerful and marginalizing others.

**In simple terms:** Power shapes words, favoring the strong.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and challenge linguistic bias.

Themes

power dynamics language gender social hierarchy

Mood

critical empowering

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- media analysis
- education
- activism
- policy drafting

Key Concepts

feminism critical theory semantics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does language reinforce power?
- What can be done to democratize discourse?

A Different Perspective

Power can be subtle and systemic.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/)

## Related quotes

> [“Whoever has the power takes the noun while the less powerful get an adjective. No one wants her achievements modified.We all just want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/whoever-has-the-power-takes-the-noun-while-the-less-powerful-get-an/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [And I hear nothing because it's like the volume button has been turned down on our lives and nobody has anything to say anymore."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/and-i-hear-nothing-because-it-s-like-the-volume-button-has-been/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [The adjective is the enemy of the noun. Variant: The adjective is the enemy of the substantive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-adjective-is-the-enemy-of-the-noun-variant-the-adjective-is-the/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Good is a noun rather than an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-pirsig/good-is-a-noun-rather-than-an-adjective/)

[Robert M. Pirsig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-pirsig/)

> [I do so like all-encompassing words. Verb, adjective, noun. Yes, you are shitted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/i-do-so-like-all-encompassing-words-verb-adjective-noun-yes-you-are/)

[Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/)

> [If the noun is good and the verb is strong, you almost never need an adjective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-lukas/if-the-noun-is-good-and-the-verb-is-strong-you-almost-never-need-an/)

[J. Anthony Lukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-lukas/)

> [“Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs. The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/write-with-nouns-and-verbs-not-with-adjectives-and-adverbs-the/)

[E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/)

> [Human, Allen, is an adjective, and its use as a noun is in itself regrettable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/human-allen-is-an-adjective-and-its-use-as-a-noun-is-in-itself/)

[William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/)

> [You make it a production. Slam doors. Knock things over. Scream. But I just leave. Even if I'm still standing there, I leave. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-make-it-a-production-slam-doors-knock-things-over-scream-but-i/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [To speak today of a famous novelist is like speaking of a famous cabinetmaker or speedboat designer. Adjective is inappropriate to noun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/to-speak-today-of-a-famous-novelist-is-like-speaking-of-a-famous/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. That I'm sweet and placid and accommodating and loyal and nonthreatening and good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-miss-the-stella-girls-telling-me-what-i-am-that-i-m-sweet-and/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/the-adjective-hasn-t-been-built-that-can-pull-a-weak-or-inaccurate/)

[William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/)

> [Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/christian-is-a-great-noun-and-a-poor-adjective/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [The person in power takes up the most space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-morgan/the-person-in-power-takes-up-the-most-space/)

[Nick Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-morgan/)

> [The abuse of power takes happiness away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-abuse-of-power-takes-happiness-away/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## 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 Adjective quotes

> [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/)

[Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/)

> [I'm showbiz-fat. It's so funny, in all the reviews that I read, no one wants to use the word 'fat' as an adjective. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-jaret-winokur/i-m-showbiz-fat-it-s-so-funny-in-all-the-reviews-that-i-read-no-one/)

[Marissa Jaret Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-jaret-winokur/)

> [“The book was sloppily written in many parts (the words came too quickly and too easily) and there was hardly a noun in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-book-was-sloppily-written-in-many-parts-the-words-came-too/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Christian is a great noun and a poor adjective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-bell/christian-is-a-great-noun-and-a-poor-adjective/)

[Rob Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-bell/)

> [The adjective is the banana peel of the parts of speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/the-adjective-is-the-banana-peel-of-the-parts-of-speech/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [Single \|sin-gle\| (adjective) - Too fabulous to settle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/single-sin-gle-adjective-too-fabulous-to-settle/)

[Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/)

> [How can an adjective in front of a noun not describe the noun? There are dwarf stars, but they're still considered stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-stern/how-can-an-adjective-in-front-of-a-noun-not-describe-the-noun-there/)

[Alan Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-stern/)

> [A movie is a movie is a movie. But it has to have an adjective in front of it if it's not a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/a-movie-is-a-movie-is-a-movie-but-it-has-to-have-an-adjective-in/)

[Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/)

> [“Person, Place, Thing (Noun); Describes Action (Verb); Modifies Nouns (Adjective); Answers the W Questions (Adverb); Joins Words Together (Conjunction); Things We Say When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kory-stamper/person-place-thing-noun-describes-action-verb-modifies-nouns/)

[Kory Stamper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kory-stamper/)

> [The adjective hasn't been built that can pull a weak or inaccurate noun out of a tight place,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-strunk-jr/the-adjective-hasn-t-been-built-that-can-pull-a-weak-or-inaccurate/)

[William Strunk, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-strunk-jr/)

> [My goal in life is to become an adjective,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/my-goal-in-life-is-to-become-an-adjective/)

[Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/)

> [An adjective, such as 'flimsy,' describes someone's access to a thing, such as 'argument.' But that's just that someone's access. It may be accurate.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-morton/an-adjective-such-as-flimsy-describes-someone-s-access-to-a-thing/)

[Timothy Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-morton/)

> [I miss the Stella girls telling me what I am. That I'm sweet and placid and accommodating and loyal and nonthreatening and good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-miss-the-stella-girls-telling-me-what-i-am-that-i-m-sweet-and/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [You may call me selfish if you will, conservative or reactionary, or use any other harsh adjective you see fit to apply, but an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cabot-lodge/you-may-call-me-selfish-if-you-will-conservative-or-reactionary-or/)

[Henry Cabot Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cabot-lodge/)

> ['Mom' isn't an adjective or a personality; they're not all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/mom-isn-t-an-adjective-or-a-personality-they-re-not-all-the-same/)

[Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/)

Browse all 49 Adjective quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gloria Steinem"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adjective"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3d/gloria-steinem-277_adjectives_whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-an_1015634.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whoever has power takes over the noun - and the norm - while the less powerful get an adjective.” — 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": "Whoever has power takes over the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/whoever-has-power-takes-over-the-noun-and-the-norm-while-the-less/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```