--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead of getting hard ourselves and…" description: "\"Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg" --- # Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete… ![“Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry.” quote by Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg) > “Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry.” [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encourages women to nurture emotional openness in men, suggesting that showing softness and vulnerability can balance societal expectations. **In simple terms:** Women should teach men to express feelings and be gentle. Key Takeaway Promote emotional honesty and empathy across genders. Themes gender empathy emotional intelligence Mood hopeful empathetic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - parenting - workplace dynamics - mental health advocacy Key Concepts masculinity softness communication Questions to Reflect On - What ways can men be encouraged to show vulnerability? - How can both genders benefit from shared emotional expression? A Different Perspective Risk of reinforcing gender stereotypes or oversimplifying complex identities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [“A smile bloomed again in his eyes. "I love that you let me bring out that softness in you. 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I can’t be in the same room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aurora-rose-reynolds/one-of-the-things-we-ve-got-figured-out-is-chemistry-gorgeous-we-have/) [Aurora Rose Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aurora-rose-reynolds/) > [What if I can't make it? Times are getting hard, you even said it. But I'll try to keep my head up. Not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blevins/what-if-i-can-t-make-it-times-are-getting-hard-you-even-said-it-but-i/) [Billy Blevins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blevins/) > [Getting through a hard time alone, is almost as bad as having the best time of your life but no one to share it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levita-charin/getting-through-a-hard-time-alone-is-almost-as-bad-as-having-the-best/) [Levita Charin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levita-charin/) > [I love you too much and it's getting hard to handle...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-too-much-and-it-s-getting-hard-to-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would like to see both parties aggressively compete for the women's vote and talk about what they will do to unleash the economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-hefner/i-would-like-to-see-both-parties-aggressively-compete-for-the-women-s/) [Christie Hefner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-hefner/) > [I feel sorry for men. They have more problems than women, because they now have to compete with women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/i-feel-sorry-for-men-they-have-more-problems-than-women-because-they/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [Girls compete with each other. Women empower one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/girls-compete-with-each-other-women-empower-one-another/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [“How are dudes in real life supposed to compete when women are reading about python dicks and pussy whisperers?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/how-are-dudes-in-real-life-supposed-to-compete-when-women-are-reading/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [Girls compete with each other. Women empower one another. Ladies, be like Christ and encourage one another as mature daughters of the King!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-compete-with-each-other-women-empower-one-another-ladies-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't compete against other women. To uplift others means I'm never looking down on them. I applaud their strength, and I remind them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/i-don-t-compete-against-other-women-to-uplift-others-means-i-m-never/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [ I think exactly the same qualities as men \[women role model needs\], exactly the same, which is kindness, courage and intelligence. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-millar/i-think-exactly-the-same-qualities-as-men-women-role-model-needs/) [Mark Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-millar/) > [I'm very masculine! And I also have the common qualities that men have. But I've been living with Cathy for 15 years. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-oneill/i-m-very-masculine-and-i-also-have-the-common-qualities-that-men-have/) [Ed ONeill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-oneill/) ## More by Joan Baez > [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Put tattoos all up and down our thighs, do anything our parents would despise. Take uppers, downers, blues, and reds and yellows, our brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/put-tattoos-all-up-and-down-our-thighs-do-anything-our-parents-would/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [We're not really pacifists, we're nonviolent soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/we-re-not-really-pacifists-we-re-nonviolent-soldiers/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [If it came back I would be thrilled. I would be delighted to write more songs. I need them now because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/if-it-came-back-i-would-be-thrilled-i-would-be-delighted-to-write/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [There's a consensus out that it's OK to kill when your government decides who to kill. If you kill inside the country you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/there-s-a-consensus-out-that-it-s-ok-to-kill-when-your-government/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [God must have something to do with joy ... and with sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/god-must-have-something-to-do-with-joy-and-with-sadness/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [People say I'm such a pessimist, but I always was. It never stopped me from doing what I had to do. I would say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/people-say-i-m-such-a-pessimist-but-i-always-was-it-never-stopped-me/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [ It \[my vocal\] didn't sound like what I wanted to hear; the vibrato isn't what I liked anymore. So I got myself to an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/it-my-vocal-didn-t-sound-like-what-i-wanted-to-hear-the-vibrato-isn-t/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [I see a young man playing 'Plaisir d'Amour' on guitar. I knew I didn't want to go to college; I was already playing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/i-see-a-young-man-playing-plaisir-d-amour-on-guitar-i-knew-i-didn-t/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [The only thing that's been a worse flop than the organization of nonviolence has been the organization of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/the-only-thing-that-s-been-a-worse-flop-than-the-organization-of/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [The point of nonviolence is to build a floor, a strong new floor, beneath which we can no longer sink. A platform which stands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/the-point-of-nonviolence-is-to-build-a-floor-a-strong-new-floor/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [To love means you also trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/to-love-means-you-also-trust/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Hypothetical questions get hypothetical answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/hypothetical-questions-get-hypothetical-answers/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [I'd hear a tune in my head and the words would come. And then, very suddenly it just stopped. It seemed too stilted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/i-d-hear-a-tune-in-my-head-and-the-words-would-come-and-then-very/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [ That was sheer luck that it \[being immersed into folk scene\] happened when my voice began to develop. I don't know exactly what would… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/that-was-sheer-luck-that-it-being-immersed-into-folk-scene-happened/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) [Explore all 101 Joan Baez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) ## More Cry quotes > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [ That's probably why my face was looking so crazy when I was crying \[in "Hardball"\] because it was some real. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/that-s-probably-why-my-face-was-looking-so-crazy-when-i-was-crying-in/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [And then theres always the crying and the weeping that we hear-children, women, even men. And these images and these sounds are always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/and-then-theres-always-the-crying-and-the-weeping-that-we-hear/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [I knew Jimmy Dean. He tested for 'Battle Cry'. Paul Newman tested for 'Battle Cry'. I did nine tests to finally get that role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tab-hunter/i-knew-jimmy-dean-he-tested-for-battle-cry-paul-newman-tested-for/) [Tab Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tab-hunter/) > [I grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood and was raised by a man who did not emote, ever... I always cry at movies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/i-grew-up-in-a-blue-collar-neighborhood-and-was-raised-by-a-man-who/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [I cry at the end of every book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-parrish/i-cry-at-the-end-of-every-book/) [Hunter Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-parrish/) > [ The most important thing I learned \[...\] was that when a person dies he only appears to die. He is still very much alive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-extence/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-that-when-a-person-dies-he/) [Gavin Extence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-extence/) > [I would have done anything for him. Maybe that was my sickness. We made love in nothing places and turned the lights off. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-would-have-done-anything-for-him-maybe-that-was-my-sickness-we-made/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [It is easy to speak words of love, or to meditate lovingly upon those people with whom you are in harmony. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-ponder/it-is-easy-to-speak-words-of-love-or-to-meditate-lovingly-upon-those/) [Catherine Ponder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-ponder/) > [I had rather be a Kitten, and cry mew, Than one of these same Meeter Ballad-mongers: I had rather heare a Brazen Candlestick turn'd,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-had-rather-be-a-kitten-and-cry-mew-than-one-of-these-same-meeter/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 4,998 Cry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to men - bring them softness, teach them how to cry.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Baez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-trying-to-compete-women-should/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cry" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-trying-to-compete-women-should/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/658/joan-baez-5389_cry_instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-tr_2076338.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of getting hard ourselves and trying to compete, women should try and give their best qualities to…” — Joan Baez", "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": "Joan Baez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Instead of getting hard ourselves and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-trying-to-compete-women-should/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/instead-of-getting-hard-ourselves-and-trying-to-compete-women-should/#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 } } ] } ```