---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So what do people see when they read that…"
description: "\"So what do people see when they read that well-behaved women rarely make history? Do they imagine good-time girls in stiletto heels or do-good girls ca..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg"
---

#  So what do people see when they read that well-behaved…

![“So what do people see when they read that well-behaved women rarely make history? Do they imagine good-time girls in stiletto heels or do-good girls carrying clipboards and passing petitions? Do they envision an out-of-control hobbyist or a single mother taking down a drunk in a bar? I suspect…” quote by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg)

> “So what do people see when they read that well-behaved women rarely make history? Do they imagine good-time girls in stiletto heels or do-good girls carrying clipboards and passing petitions? Do they envision an out-of-control hobbyist or a single mother taking down a drunk in a bar? I suspect that it depends on where they stand themselves.”

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Well‑behaved women are rarely remembered; the narrative depends on perspective and societal expectations.

**In simple terms:** Conformity hides women’s impact.

Key Takeaway

Challenge stereotypes about women’s roles.

Themes

history gender stereotypes visibility

Mood

reflective empowering

Type

historical social

When to use this quote

- education
- media representation
- policy making
- activism
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

feminist theory social history

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we highlight overlooked women?
- What biases shape our view of “well‑behaved”?

A Different Perspective

Changing narratives takes systemic effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Clipboards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clipboards/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Good girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-girls/) [Good times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-times/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Petitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/petitions/) [Single mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-mother/) [Stiletto heels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stiletto-heels/) [Stilettos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stilettos/)

## Related quotes

> [Well-behaved women rarely make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/well-behaved-women-rarely-make-history/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [ Hip to the fact that well-behaved women rarely make history, Diane \[Wilson\] has already inspired a new movement of totally uncontrollable, irresistible and unreasonable… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medea-benjamin/hip-to-the-fact-that-well-behaved-women-rarely-make-history-diane/)

[Medea Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medea-benjamin/)

> [For anyone who has ever stood before a bathroom mirror and secretly thanked The Academy, a hilarious guide to becoming 'It' in an age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-fuller/for-anyone-who-has-ever-stood-before-a-bathroom-mirror-and-secretly/)

[Bonnie Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-fuller/)

> [Once we are fed, heated, housed and healthy, our extra consumption inevitably has an element of luxury about it. And once luxury enters the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-davis/once-we-are-fed-heated-housed-and-healthy-our-extra-consumption/)

[Evan Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-davis/)

> [An hour before his world exploded like a ripe tomato under a stiletto heel, Myron bit into a fresh pastry that tasted suspiciously like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/an-hour-before-his-world-exploded-like-a-ripe-tomato-under-a-stiletto/)

[Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/)

> [Throughout your career people will try to distract you. Some will scream at you, others will say things behind your back, and a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyn-alfonsi/throughout-your-career-people-will-try-to-distract-you-some-will/)

Sharyn Alfonsi

> [All I want are high heels, high heels. If I was a girl, I'd wear a lot of high heels. High, stiletto heels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-mizrahi/all-i-want-are-high-heels-high-heels-if-i-was-a-girl-i-d-wear-a-lot/)

[Isaac Mizrahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-mizrahi/)

> [A proper lady should be able to smile pretty, wear sequins like she means it, and kick a man's ass nine ways from Sunday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/a-proper-lady-should-be-able-to-smile-pretty-wear-sequins-like-she/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [How can you live the high life if you do not wear the high heels?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-rykiel/how-can-you-live-the-high-life-if-you-do-not-wear-the-high-heels/)

[Sonia Rykiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-rykiel/)

> [Well-behaved women seldom make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/well-behaved-women-seldom-make-history/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [Well behaved women do not make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/well-behaved-women-do-not-make-history/)

[Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/)

> [Well behaved women barley make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna/well-behaved-women-barley-make-history/)

[Madonna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna/)

> [A WELL BEHAVED WOMEN NEVER MAKES HISTORY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/a-well-behaved-women-never-makes-history/)

[MARILYN MONROE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/)

> [Well-behaved women never make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-shriver/well-behaved-women-never-make-history/)

[Maria Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-shriver/)

> [We, all of us, are awakening to the reality that how men have behaved toward women for eons is not OK. The rules are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dreyfuss/we-all-of-us-are-awakening-to-the-reality-that-how-men-have-behaved/)

[Richard Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dreyfuss/)

## More by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

> [Some history-making is intentional; much of it is accidental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/some-history-making-is-intentional-much-of-it-is-accidental/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [“Some history-making is intentional; much of it is accidental. People make history when they scale a mountain, ignite a bomb, or refuse to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/some-history-making-is-intentional-much-of-it-is-accidental-people/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [Well-behaved women seldom make history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/well-behaved-women-seldom-make-history/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [An androgynous mind was not a male mind. It was a mind attuned to the full range of human experience, including the invisible lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/an-androgynous-mind-was-not-a-male-mind-it-was-a-mind-attuned-to-the/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [History is a conversation and sometimes a shouting match between present and past, though often the voices we most want to hear are barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/history-is-a-conversation-and-sometimes-a-shouting-match-between/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [A well-behaved woman seldom makes history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/a-well-behaved-woman-seldom-makes-history/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

> [A pioneer is not someone who makes her own soap. She is one who takes up her burdens and walks toward the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/a-pioneer-is-not-someone-who-makes-her-own-soap-she-is-one-who-takes/)

[Laurel Thatcher Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

[Explore all 8 Laurel Thatcher Ulrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/)

## More Bars quotes

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Your thief looks Exactly like the rest, or rather better; 'Tis only at the bar, and in the dungeon, That wise men know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/your-thief-looks-exactly-like-the-rest-or-rather-better-tis-only-at/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rampone/while-traveling-i-love-granola-bars-trail-mix-nuts-dry-cereal-and/)

[Christie Rampone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-rampone/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader &amp; an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/)

[Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/)

> [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I closed my own jazz bar so I could be a man who can write novels as I like. I was pleased about that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-closed-my-own-jazz-bar-so-i-could-be-a-man-who-can-write-novels-as/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I know a lot about Canadian politics. I lived in Canadian bars for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-know-a-lot-about-canadian-politics-i-lived-in-canadian-bars-for-six/)

[Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/)

> [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

Browse all 1,768 Bars quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "So what do people see when they read that well-behaved women rarely make history? Do they imagine good-time girls in stiletto heels or do-good girls carrying clipboards and passing petitions? Do they envision an out-of-control hobbyist or a single mother taking down a drunk in a bar? I suspect that it depends on where they stand themselves.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laurel Thatcher Ulrich"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-that-well-behaved-women-rarely/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bars"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-that-well-behaved-women-rarely/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/daf/laurel-thatcher-ulrich-47636_bars_so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-tha_3002062.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“So what do people see when they read that well-behaved women rarely make history? Do they imagine good-time…” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich",
                "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": "Laurel Thatcher Ulrich",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "So what do people see when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-that-well-behaved-women-rarely/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-thatcher-ulrich/so-what-do-people-see-when-they-read-that-well-behaved-women-rarely/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
