Human race Quote by Joan D. Chittister
““The symbolic evidence of women’s invisibility in the human race is most clear perhaps in her suppression, her camouflage, her negation even in language. Women are subsumed, excised, erased by male pronouns, by male terminology, by male prayers about brotherhood and brethren, even and always by exclusively male images of God. The tradition that will call God spirit, rock, key door, wind, and bird will never ever call God mother. So much for the creative womb of God; so much for “I am who am.” So much for “Let us make human beings in our own image, male and female, let us make them.” What kind of spirituality is that? To take the position that using two pronouns for the human race is not important in a culture that has thirty words for car, multiple words for flowers, and dozens of words for dog breeds is to say that women are not important.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Women and Language, 2010
She critiques how language marginalizes women, erasing them from religious and cultural narratives.
In simple terms: Language often excludes women, erasing their presence.
Key Takeaway
Challenge gendered language and representation.
Themes
gender
language
visibility
Mood
critical
inspired
Type
feminist
philosophical
When to use this quote
- Education
- policy drafting
- media creation
Key Concepts
feminist theory
semantics
spiritual inclusivity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can language become more inclusive?
- What steps can institutions take to honor women?
A Different Perspective
Changing language alone may not shift deep‑seated biases.
![“both the Mosaic law and the grace of the new covenant, as both fitted for the times [at which they were given], were bestowed by one and the same God for the benefit of the human race.” quote by The Church Fathers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2e6/the-church-fathers-1438_grace_both-the-mosaic-law-and-the-grace-of-the_10309.jpg)
